30-amp outlet miswiring
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Category: R-pod Discussion Forums
Forum Name: Podmods, Maintenance, Tips and Tricks
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URL: http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=6243
Printed Date: 02 May 2025 at 12:59am
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Topic: 30-amp outlet miswiring
Posted By: jmsokol
Subject: 30-amp outlet miswiring
Date Posted: 16 May 2015 at 7:58am
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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/ - 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 - 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 - http://www.amazon.com/No~Shock~Zone-Electrical-Safety-Michael-Sokol/dp/0990527913/ref=tmm_pap_title_0 Let's play safe out there....  ------------- mike@noshockzone.org www.noshockzone.org |
Replies:
Posted By: techntrek
Date Posted: 16 May 2015 at 10:09am
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I'll add a link to this from the pod manual thread. ------------- Doug ~ '10 171 (2009-2015) ~ 2008 Salem ~ http://www.rpod-owners.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=1723 - Pod instruction manual 
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Posted By: NMJohn
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2015 at 11:54pm
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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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Posted By: jmsokol
Date Posted: 15 Jul 2015 at 11:59pm
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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 www.noshockzone.org |
Posted By: NMJohn
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2015 at 12:03am
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Thanks for your quick response. Sounds good, will do. John
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Posted By: jmsokol
Date Posted: 16 Jul 2015 at 12:11am
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 - 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 www.noshockzone.org |