20 or 30 amp breaker box

[79Ramada]

The shore power will have the black(hot) to the 30 amp breaker white to the neutral bar and green to ground bar.
   Is there any reason why I shouldn't use Romex for the wall plugs?  I read earlier that there is a 30 amp breaker just for RVs.
RV30   http://www.myrv.us/electric/ Any thoughts on this?

I haven't read the entire site yet, to my best knowledge, circuit breaker themself are same, but the 30A plug and receptacle for RV service and household service are different. Also Breaker panels for most household service are designed for 2 hot wires, 240VAC. There are 4 wires coming into your house, Ground, Neutral, Hot#1, and Hot#2. Voltages between Hot#1 and neutral will be 120V, so as Hot#2 and neutral will also be 120V. But if your appliances needs 240V, it is wired between Hot#1 and Hot#2 which gives 240V. So you can't just get any 30A breaker panels at Home Depot because most are designed for 2 hot wires. I got one such panel sitting in my basement. I don't know what Electrician jargon for this is, but I believe they are called 2 phase panels. Typical RV service panels are 30A 120V single phase panels. They do make the same for household use, but just a matter of looking for it.
(please feel free to correct me if I got my terminologies wrong

[kanega]

To locate a 240 volt RV connection is rare in my book.  Normally I find only 110 VAC 15, 20, 30, or 50 amp connections at the trailer parks I visit.

For those who are worried about putting a 15 amp connection onto a 30 amp connector, add in series a power tap or strip with a 15 amp breaker.  If you are really wanting protection, you could get a surge protector adapter.  Bye the way, this is the proper way to protect your trailer.  Never insert a surge protector to another surge protector.  Many surge protectors use a diode to protect the ground wire.  Each additional surge protector in series adds the voltage across the ground wire defeating a properly grounded system.

[cleat22]

you guys are going to confuse him with all this teck electrical talk....hehehe

[Redwood]

After seeing the diagram that 79 Ramada posted It's very clear now. Should be a piece of cake to install. Just got to find  the certain breaker box I'm looking for. I'll just hard wire my existing converter to one of the new breakers.  

[79Ramada]

Redwood, check out ebay and search for WFCO WF8511, it is straightly AC breaker panel and DC fuse panel, does not have a converter built-in, which you alrady have.

[MrArcade]

To locate a 240 volt RV connection is rare in my book.  Normally I find only 110 VAC 15, 20, 30, or 50 amp connections at the trailer parks I visit.

I think 50 amp hookups are 2 phase 110 so you get 2 hot 110 wires, a neutral, and a ground. I believe you can wire 220 from a 2 phase 50 amp box.

[Redwood]

1. i did away with my converter, i never use it anyway.
2. i bought 30' of 10/3 cord from lowes. i also bought my ends and they have directions on the box as to hooking them up. i put a new 30 amp female plug on the outside of the camper also. you plug a male into the camper and the other male end into the 30 amp service at the campsite.
3. i bought a small main box it was a 60 amp with three spots for breakers. i bought two 15 amp breakers. one for my a/c and fridge and outside plug. the other for my lights,fan and another plug inside for the coffee maker ect.... you run your hot and ground from the back of the plug you mount to the side of the camper. you only need the white and black. just cut the green and tape it up. run the black to the main bus that feeds the 15 amp breakers. run the white to the ground bus. tie in your blacks to your 15 amp breakers and run the whites to the ground bar. plug in your 15 amp breakers and you got it.
 i can get you some pics and i will put them on my floder tonight. i am no electrican and i am sure i will be told so ,but i have used this three times already and no blown fuses or fires. everone i have talked to said i did it right, even a few electricans.

          79 Ramada just brought up a very good point about having a male end on both ends of your power cord. If you plug into the camp power pole first then you have exposed hot prong on the other end of your cord. very dangerous. You would have to remember to always plug into your trailer first then into the camp power pole. Just a reminder don't want anyone to get hurt.

[cleat22]

not to say anyone is wrong, it may be safe to plug it into the camper first, but go look at ALL of the new campers. they all hafe male on male plugs and female ends on their campers. my uncles new camper is like that and every camper at camping world for sale is like that. i could be wrong though.

[Redwood]

Wow that's really a surprise. Because I can see if you plug the male end of the cord into the camp power pole and then pick up the other male end of the cord and touch the two prongs you would really get a shock. Wouldn't you?? Anyway I'm certainly no expert on this and I could be wrong too. Just didn't want to see anyone get shocked. 

[cleat22]

i have, once mind you, plugged my camper in backwards so to speak and nothing happened. it didn't trough any breakers and no fire. i didn't get shocked or wait maybe i did and that's why i was dumb enough to go and buy another apache camper this weekend.... eight hundred miles round trip. i must have gotten shocked or something.

[medicmike5969]

30 amp converter/charger w/ 2 breaker boxes. i've got them on CL for a friend of mine's dad. let me know if you're interested? they came out of a 76 motorhome.

http://detroit.craigslist.org/okl/rvs/1841551083.html

mike

[MIEric]

Been reading all the posts on upgrading the electrical. I'm quite experienced in electrical wiring, not enough to be handing out advise, but I just can't find a good place to place a panel in my '77 Ramada. The current converter sticks into the water tank cavity (above the back of the tank) and I surely don't want to sacrifice my water tank. I'll keep looking though because we do like the auto drip coffee maker to wake up to and I do want to use a microwave.

Anyway, lots of interesting conversations on the subject.

[kanega]

I have a 74 Apache Royal and always thought they switch the stove and sink positions starting with the 75 models since the sink sat above the power converter.  Water in a power converter would be bad news.

[MIEric]

I have a 74 Apache Royal and always thought they switch the stove and sink positions starting with the 75 models since the sink sat above the power converter.  Water in a power converter would be bad news.

With my '77 Ramada the sink is a bay over to the right from the converter and above the fridge. The converter sits above the back of the water tank. The electric outlet box for the fridge is in the same bay as the water tank and converter so I replaced the stock receptacle with a GFCI
 

I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post it.

[MIEric]

I have a 74 Apache Royal and always thought they switch the stove and sink positions starting with the 75 models since the sink sat above the power converter.  Water in a power converter would be bad news.

With my '77 Ramada the sink is a bay over to the right from the converter and above the fridge. The converter sits above the back of the water tank. The electric outlet box for the fridge is in the same bay as the water tank and converter so I replaced the stock receptacle with a GFCI
 

I'll take a picture of it tomorrow and post it.

Here's mine:
I'll have to look into the possibility of it being below the water tank but then there is always the risk with an electrical panel being below a water supply and next to gas lines. Not the wiser of solutions.