wolfe10 Report post Posted January 18, 2019 Yes, I have experience with house-type 30 amp/240-- two hots and a ground, but only in older construction. Not seen that in house-type 50 amp-- at least the ones built in the last 30 years I have experience with are all two hots, a neutral and a ground. Just the same as RV 50 amp. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rayin Report post Posted January 19, 2019 On 1/4/2019 at 11:24 AM, manholt said: Wayne, like me! It will happen. I suspect, I'll be on a couple of them in Canada, this Summer! That's a sure bet, we stayed in some in CA and AK that were 15A, (take spare adapters, I left one behind) and one with no power to the 15A receptacles,+ the water lines had frozen-not yet repaired. The 08 recession killed many business's in CA too. Since the latest Milepost information is always 1 yr old, we learned to call ahead for a specific stop. For whoever posted about it-re: true 240VAC /50A receptacles. They are capable of 100A total output under perfect conditions-as Wayne said, which in the real world is very unlikely to happen. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted January 19, 2019 13 hours ago, wolfe10 said: Yes, I have experience with house-type 30 amp/240-- two hots and a ground, but only in older construction. Not seen that in house-type 50 amp-- at least the ones built in the last 30 years I have experience with are all two hots, a neutral and a ground. Just the same as RV 50 amp. One thing I've learned working on wiring in our house and helping a few friends around the area work on their electrical problems -- one never knows exactly what's behind the outlet cover plate until it's tested. Assumptions can't be made based on how old a building is or where it's located, although I'm always more cautious in farm buildings, workshops, and garage Mahals. Our local codes have required a neutral wire to be used in 240v outlets for quite some time, but they can still be found with just two hots and a ground in newer construction. Unfortunately many electricians are not following code, and there are far too many homeowners doing wiring themselves that don't even know there is a code to follow. I've uncovered some pretty scary things done by my friends and/or the previous owner of their buildings. We've had electricians here to give quotes on new work, and some made it clear that they were not planning to get a permit or have their work inspected. It was also clear that they were not planning to follow code so that they could lower the cost. They did not get the job. Sad (and scary) that there are still electricians willing to work in this way. Bottom line - never assume anything about wiring and always test before working or connecting to an unknown outlet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bm02tj Report post Posted January 19, 2019 240V outlets that have no neutral are still legal and there configuration relates to amperage usage Google 240v receptacle and it will show lots of them Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted January 19, 2019 2 minutes ago, bm02tj said: 240V outlets that have no neutral are still legal and there configuration relates to amperage usage Google 240v receptacle and it will show lots of them With the same configuration as RV 50 amp connections (two outer straights are hots, center straight is neutral and center round is ground)? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
richard5933 Report post Posted January 19, 2019 29 minutes ago, bm02tj said: 240V outlets that have no neutral are still legal and there configuration relates to amperage usage Google 240v receptacle and it will show lots of them That may be the case in some jurisdictions but not everywhere and not for all 240v outlets. I think it's important to avoid blanket statements like "still legal" when talking about things like this, especially since the rules vary so much from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Also because there is such a wide variety of ways to wire the many different types of 240v outlets. This all gets confusing quickly. It used to be common for 240v appliances like stoves and dryers to be connected with 3-prong outlets. These had two hot leads and a neutral. The metal casing of the appliance was grounded through the neutral. The neutral was needed to get 120v to run things like the clock on the range, etc. There are also straight 240v outlets with two hot leads and a ground. Then there are the 4-prong 240v outlets like are currently the NEC code for installation for dryers and stoves. And then there's the 50-amp RV outlet. Still going to stick by my earlier bottom line statement - never assume anything. Test the outlet before connecting anything to it so that the wiring inside can be confirmed. Even true when an "electrician" installs a new RV outlet for someone - have a knowledgeable and competent person verify that the outlet was installed correctly before plugging in the shore power cord. Too many stories online about these things being installed wrong and blowing all the circuits in someone' new rig. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfe10 Report post Posted January 19, 2019 I think this thread has run its course. With the urging of several members it will be locked. If further discussion of RV wiring is desired, please feel free to start a net thread. Thanks, Moderator Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
