Adding 50 amp plug-in???

[havnfun]

Moving into new house in April and I want to be able to hookup my fiver to a 50 amp receptacle next to house. House service is only 100 amp , so....is it possible or does house service need to be increased first??

Thanks,
Jeff

[JFlightRisk]

Only guessing at this, but I don't think your 5er will draw anywhere near the full 50 amps, so I would think it would be alright. A certified electrician here would be able to give you a more definitive answer.

[Jagiven]

A 50 amp breaker on a 100 amp service is not an issue.

I have two 100 amp subpanel off my 200 amp main service panel. Off one of those sub panels, I have a 70(??) amp subpanel, that feeds my outdoor 50/30/20 amp rv box.

[havnfun]

Thanks JFlight and Jagiven- That's what I was thinking but I will also have an electrician install it.

Happy RVing,
Jeff

[Greg58]

Depending on local code most sub panels will tie into the meter base with the main panel, I have a 100 amp panel for my shop running off of our 200amp service. When I connected it the only breaker I had was a 60amp, I intended to use it till I could get a 100, it's been 22 years and I've never tripped that 60amp breaker. I run a refrigerator all the time, air compressor, welder and lights with no problems.

[havnfun]

Oh, do I need a sub-panel or can it be hooked directly into the 100 amp service panel to a 50 amp circuit breaker?

Jeff

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by havnfun

Oh, do I need a sub-panel or can it be hooked directly into the 100 amp service panel to a 50 amp circuit breaker?

Jeff

You don't need a sub-panel just a 2 pole 50a breaker in your main panel. Tell the electrician you need a 125/250v 4 wire circuit and need a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. Home Depot and Lowes sell a kit with the outlet and enclosure.

[Greg58]

My bad, I wasn't saying you would need a sub panel, as long as you have space available in your home panel that will work. Just about every 100 amp panel I've seen is completely full that's why I brought it up.

[Thomson]

Not necessarily. First, be aware of all the stuff you have hooked up to your house box. That means washer, dryer, A/C, fridge, microwave, hot tub, and water heater. Is the dryer or water heater electric? Read the amp draw on the stuff you have. You will probably find that the stuff you have exceeds 100 amps total. The reason is that most of the time all things are not running at the same time. So, can you put in a 50 amp for your RV? It is a qualified yes.

First, if you exceed 100 amps the top circuit breaker will trip after a few minutes. So no real harm done except you have to disconnect, or turn something off to get power back before you reset the breaker.

Second, if you only run the fridge and do the vacuuming without running the A/C units you shouldn't have a problem. You don't have to run 50 amps.

Here's some typical amps:
Washer 5
Microwave 15
Electric dryer 20 - 30
Hot tub - 40-60
Electric water heater 40-60
Electric stove 20-30
Hair dryer 15

If the nameplate only has watts divide the watts by 110 to get amps. If it's in KW then multiply by 1000 and divide by by 110 to get amps. You can use 120 but 110 is more conservative.

If most of your stuff is gas then the load is substantially reduced. So if you are knowing about the things you have running, then you can make your own decision.

So you can probably get away with a 50 amp service for your RV. However, if you decide to add big KW appliances to replace gas ones or add a hot tub, you will probably need to go to a 200 amp service.

Now you have enough information that when you talk to the electrician to know if his is being truthful. Also, you don't need a sub panel unless the box is full.

[havnfun]

Good info from you all. Thanks a bunch. Electricity is not my expertise but sometimes I blindly dive into it and ZAP!! Will I ever learn?

Happy RVing,
Jeff