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Topic Closed30-amp outlet miswiring

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jmsokol View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: 30-amp outlet miswiring
    Posted: 16 May 2015 at 7:58am
Hi.... I'm Mike Sokol from The No~Shock~Zone

Just a note to remind everyone about making sure any 30-amp RV outlets you install are wired for 120 volts, NOT 240 volts. Since spring has sprung, I'm getting several emails every week that begin something like this - "I just hired an electrician to install a 30-amp outlet in my garage for my RV and told him to make sure he wired it correctly. When I plugged in my new camper all the lights went bright for a few seconds and I burned out my refrigerator, inverter, etc... Looks like he wired it for 240 volts rather than 120 volts. Doesn't he know the correct way to wire an RV outlet? The electrician doesn't want to pay for the repairs and the bill is already for several thousand dollars. What do I do"....
 
Well the thing to realize is that few house electricians work on RV power and can easily be confused by how similar a 120-volt RV TT-30 outlet looks beside a 240-volt home dryer outlet. See my article on the subject at http://www.noshockzone.org/accidentally-plugging-into-240-volt-outlet/

So while it's unlikely that a TT-30 pedestal at a campground would be mis-wired with 240-volts (but not impossible), I think that every home or garage TT-30 outlet wired by a DIY guy or Licensed Electrician should be checked for correct voltage BEFORE plugging in your RV for the first time. Here's a video I made on how to test for proper voltages in an campground pedestal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5pLlZm8O84

All this information is now in my book - No~Shock~Zone - RV Electrical Safety - which is available in both paperback and kindle versions at http://www.amazon.com/No~Shock~Zone-Electrical-Safety-Michael-Sokol/dp/0990527913/ref=tmm_pap_title_0

Let's play safe out there.... Smile

mike@noshockzone.org
www.noshockzone.org
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techntrek View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 May 2015 at 10:09am
I'll add a link to this from the pod manual thread.
Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ Pod instruction manual
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jul 2015 at 11:54pm
Thanks, Mike.  Those are very good links and I'll look into getting the kit.  

Just one question, if I'm only going to use the 30 amp outlet, need I test the 50 and regular outlet, too?  If so, I'll have to make myself some diagrams to keep it all straight.

Thanks again,

John
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Jul 2015 at 11:59pm
No, you only need to test what you're plugging into. So learn the 30-amp wiring layout and you're good to go.

Mike Sokol
www.NoShockZone.org
mike@noshockzone.org
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2015 at 12:03am
Thanks for your quick response. Sounds good, will do.

John
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Jul 2015 at 12:11am
Originally posted by NMJohn

If so, I'll have to make myself some diagrams to keep it all straight.

BTW: There's large diagrams of all outlet configurations in my RV Electrical Safety book available in paperback and Kindle versions. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00L2DWBD8?*Version*=1&*entries*=0

I highly recommend you read the entire book and keep a copy with you on the road. I have all of these diagrams committed to memory, but I've been doing this for 40+ years.

Mike Sokol
mike@noshockzone.org
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