bassmanbrad
houston
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We took our Everest to the home of a friend of my wife's. Her husband, who claimed to be an electrician, had what he said was a 30-amp outlet on the side of the house. we plugged in using a 30-amp adapter, and the lights in the trailer got really bright, and the converter blew. Since then, we have discovered that just about everything that plugs into a 110 outlet in the trailer is blown up, from microwave to tv et cetera. Now, the refrigerator has started running on gas only, so I guess the circuit board on it is fried too.
I am trying to understand how this happened. I am not an electrician, but I am assuming that the "30-amp" outlet was actually 220. I think he probably had two hot leads and a ground hooked up. Should it have been 1 hot, 1 nuetral and a ground or what? I want to make sure this never happens to me again- it is really starting to get expensive.
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skylos
Cameron, MO
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Well, 30 amp plug certainly should NOT (thanks Norm) have 220 volts. They only have three conductors, 220 volt connectors are supposed to have four. (ground, neutral, hot+, hot-)
wiring explanation here
If he wired a NEMA TT-30R to hot+/hot-/ground, that is just plain wrong. If he wired it, make HIM replace your stuff for his incompetence. 
If it was a 14-50R socket with, say, hot wired to neutral or something lame like that, same story. Get your multimeter and check voltages between the receptacle ports. Something is definitely wrong.
Perhaps you want one of these.
* This post was
edited 05/26/10 01:03pm by skylos *
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garym114
Bluff Dale, Texas
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Take a look at this page below. Click on the 30 Amp link on the left.
RV Electric Service
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Get a Digital Multimeter and Learn How to Use It
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NORM WADDELL
PENSACOLA FL 32514
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Believe the reply from Skylos has a typo.............
The 30 Amp plug (receptacle) should NOT.......NOT.........
have had 220 Volts.......
L NORMAN WADDELL
30 FOOT ALLEGRO
SATURN TOAD
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nowhereBound
Colorado Springs
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NORM WADDELL wrote:Believe the reply from Skylos has a typo.............
The 30 Amp plug (receptacle) should NOT.......NOT.........
have had 220 Volts.......
This is absolutely true! The RV 30 amp 120v service has the same voltage as the 15 amp outlet you plug your toaster into. The only difference is the capacity in amperage - meaning the wire should be 10 guage, and, of course, the breaker should be 30 amp. That would be a SINGLE PHASE 30 amp breaker.
One may have noticed this when using a 20A to 30A adapter. The only difference is the recepticle.
Sorry you had to find this out the hard way
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bassmanbrad
houston
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Thanks for the quick replies. My knowledge of all things electric is just enough to know to call someone who knows what they are doing. In this case, I had been assured that this nimrod had wired houses ad nauseum and knew his stuff. I seem to remember when we pulled the outlet out of the wall, that there was a red wire to one leg and a black wire to the other and a ground to the bottom. I guess that answers my question as to how we got 220. He kept trying to tell me that it was a problem in our trailer, but I knew better- we use 30 amp service all the time without any problems- just can't run two a/c 's. This has turned into a very expensive lesson.
I have a 50 amp surge suppressor- it wasn't plugged in.
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Terrydactile
Bessemer, Alabama
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One thing I've learned from this forum is to never ever plug into an outlet without first checking the voltage and to make sure it is properly wired. It doesn't matter where you plug in, never ever do so without checking first. Even at your own house and especially at someone else's house. We hear these stories all the time..."my buddy, brother, brother-in-law, etc is an electrian and we plugged into his house and the stuff in my trailer burned up." It happens all the time!!! I know its too late for you and I'm sorry your going to have to replace everything.
Scott & Theresa Boyd
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B.O. Plenty
Minnesota
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If he keeps arguing with you that it's the trailer's problem ask to see the breaker for the plug. Chances are it's a double breaker...one for each leg of the 220 circuit. Yup it was a 30 amp plug alright but a 220 volt 30 amp plug...Check with your insurance company and see what kind of help you can get.
B.O.
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Sandy & Shirley
North East, MD
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There are 2 "flavors" of 30-amp service. 30-amp 110 volt has a single hot wire, one neutral and one ground. The 30-amp 220 volt has 2 hot wires 180 degrees out of phase plus one neutral and one ground. The recepticals should be different. One has 4 wires the other only 3.
Was the outlet specially wired for you? Did you have to jury-rig the connection?
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Artum Snowbird
Campbell River, B.C., Canada
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I think you need to know what the label is on the original receptacle, and what the adapter was supposed to do.
If he used his receptacle for a welder, then it would put out 220 volt 2 phase 30 amps. If the receptacle also included a neutral, then either hot to neutral would provide the correct power for your rig.
If the adapter was properly wired, it could have had 115 volt 30 amp 1 phase and you would have been just fine. Whose adapter was it, and what was it supposed to do?
But if the receptacle was only 3 pronged, and not four, then there is no way you could get correct power from it for your rig.
Mike and Carole
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