Thread: 30/50 Amp Wire
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Old 01-08-2013, 12:22 AM   #2
Dragonslayer140
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Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Camano Island, WA
Posts: 163
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Are you planning on running 50 amps of 220 or 110? A standard 50 amp 110 service will have three wires (1)Hot, (1)Neutral, & (1)ground same as the 30 amp only bigger wire. You will still be feeding your panel with only one hot wire & engergizing only one bus (half the panel). if you run hot wires from the same 110 source to both busses you will get a short if a two pole breaker is ever inserted into the panel.

Most panels are designed to be used with 220 volt, although there are some small panels available in 110 only.

Do you need more than half the spaces? you say you have 5 20amp wires (circuits) coming into the panel from the coach. If it is at least a 12 space panel you will have 5 available spaces using only one bus, and using one space for backfed main. If you connect the hot to only one buss, use every other space, and insert blanks covers into any open slots, that should work. best way to do that is to backfeed using a 30 amp single pole breaker. Make sure it is well marked as "main disconnect"

As far as connecting to the bus through the main breaker, what size is your main breaker? Code does not allow for an undersized wire to be inserted into a breaker. If you insert 30amp (10ga) wire into a bigger breaker then you lose overcurrent protection on your shore power cord, as the wire will overheat before the main breaker trips during an overload or short. Especially if you are plugged into a 50 amp campground service with an adapter.
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