Quote:
Originally Posted by tawoo
Wags999 That's it, that's what I did wrong. I made a whip to connect my camper's plug to a 50 amp 240 receptacle I have in my garage. The receptacle is to power a 240 volt welder I had.
Wow, did I ever blow it (literally)
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Im really sorry, but, your not the first to make that mistake.
It looks like it would be a 240 volt plug, when it is actually only a heavy duty 120 plug. A 30 amp RV has 3600 watts of power available, 30 amps at 120 volts. A 50 amp RV has 12,000 watts of power available, provided by 2 120 volt 50 amp lines.
I have even seen electricians wire an RV plug wrong.
I had a camper come into our campground the other day and needed only a standard 120 20 amp plug. He was insistent that our 30 amp plug was providing 240 volts. It took me a while to explain the difference, and once he connected with my assurance it was not going to blow up his small pop up, he became a believer
I'm not sure what a Mfg could do to make it more clear, I know the receptacles do have wiring information on the package and the plug does say for RV use only.
On another issue, do you need a surge protector? If you are camping in camp grounds you do not know them yes I would suggest a surge protector at least and a complete EMS (electrical management system) at best. It sounds complicated but what it does is protect you not only from a surge, but also from a voltage spike or a voltage drop. Typically they cut power off when it rises to 132 volts, or drops to 104 volts. Higher or lower than those limits MAY do damage to your rigs appliances...ie AC MW etc.
Progressive industries, and there are a number of threads on these protectors, seem to be the favorite of this forum, it is also what I use on my Rig.
Good luck and, next time ask first