Friends home 220 power safe ?

**Corky2** · 03-07-2022, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by jkwilson

You’ll generally hear engineers say two phase or referencing the phases, because when you work on signal and control applications there are many occasions when multiple phases are created in similar ways by tapping a transformer at different points. With North American power, the term phase has a very slightly different meaning. Our residential power is 240V single phase. In order to have lower voltage available for light duty, a neutral is attached to the center of the secondary of the transformer, creating two available 120V legs that are 180 degrees out of phase with each other from the single phase power source. From a non-power systems engineering perspective, you immediately think of these as different phases, but when dealing with power distribution it is a single phase.

Must have been where I got it from then. I'm a retired aerospace engineer / project manager. Our power came from solar panels.

**Ynot4me2** · 03-07-2022, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by Corky2

Yes, two phase and three phase are a thing and very common. Two phase and split phase means the same thing.

Maybe you meant 2 pole?

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**Corky2** · 03-08-2022, 03:40 AM

Originally Posted by Ynot4me2

Maybe you meant 2 pole?

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No, I meant 2 phase. 2 phase refers to two hot lines with opposite phase or 180 degrees apart. As xrated points out the terminology is incorrect, should be split phase, but the term 2 phase is still used by some, but probably not by electricians.

**Steve & Katey** · 03-12-2022, 05:01 PM

The website https://rvelectricity.com/ can be helpful reference for RV power topics. There is also an active Facebook group of the same name (RVelectricity) that has quite a few knowledgeable people in it that answer these types of questions.

From my (limited) experience @traveldawg has the best description of what needs to be checked to ensure that it is safe to plug in to this power source. The advice for using an EMS is well worth listening too no matter where you are plugging your rig into.

Stay safe. If in doubt keep your plug out.

**LegacyFB38** · 03-12-2022, 06:02 PM

Sadly, hiring an electrician is not 100% foolproof. I've heard of more than one case where they have wired RV receptacles wrong! Usually it happens when they wire a 30 amp RV receptacle as if it were a 3-wire dryer receptacle. This should not happen with a licensed electrician, but it DOES.

To the OP, if the welder outlet in question is 3-wire do NOT use it. If it is 4-wire (unusual) verify how it is wired BEFORE using it.

**IBEW Sparky** · 03-12-2022, 08:10 PM

While your 50A RV technically has a 240V power feed it is actually broken down into 2 separate 120V power feeds in your RVs electric panel. There is nothing in your RV that requires 240V power. When you use a dog bone adapter to feed a 50Amp RV panel from a 30A 120V RV receptacle the adapter just ties the the two sides of the panel together and puts them both on the same 30Amp circuit. Typically like others have stated a welding receptacle will be a straight 240V and not have the proper wiring to feed the (2) separate120V 50Amp sides of your RV panel. The benefits of the 50A over the 30A setup is in total available wattage...
12,000 Watts available on the 50A and only
3,600 Watts available on the 30A setup.

**Jwalthall** · 03-12-2022, 09:38 PM

I have a friend who hooked his RV to a 220v line and totally smoked his inverter...and more! It cost $1000's. Be sure you know if you can use a 220V hookup or if you have to have 110V!

Jay - Texas
2021 Imagine 2500RB
2022 Ford F250 SD

**gwilson99** · 03-13-2022, 07:33 AM

I also know someone that plugged in to 220 and fried the inverter.

**Jwalthall** · 03-13-2022, 08:22 AM

BOTTOM LINE...CHECK THE MANUFACTURER and make sure that 220VAC can be used!!! If it cannot, you will burn up all your electronic devices! Just because you make the plug and receptacle compatible does not allow you to used 220VAC on equipment designed for 120VAC.

Jay - Texas
2021 Imagine 2500RB

**toolman.dustin** · 03-13-2022, 10:04 AM

Originally Posted by firedreamer2

Going to spend a week at a friend's house and he says he has power for me. He added a 220 line to run a welder and says i can use the for our 5th wheel (50 amp rig) He doesn't recall the type of plug off hand but will send me a pic. I'm wondering if that would be the same power as the 50 amp pedestals in RV parks and safe to use. I seam to recall its "Not"
Thanks

Originally Posted by firedreamer2

Going to spend a week at a friend's house and he says he has power for me. He added a 220 line to run a welder and says i can use the for our 5th wheel (50 amp rig) He doesn't recall the type of plug off hand but will send me a pic. I'm wondering if that would be the same power as the 50 amp pedestals in RV parks and safe to use. I seam to recall its "Not"
Thanks

Can you plug your RV into a 220 volt welding outlet or a 220 volt dryer outlet: YES, I do it all the time at my house.
But, the fact you're asking the question means you don't know you can and don't know how; so you probably shouldn't try.

Read these 12-13 articles as many times as it takes to understand it: https://www.myrv.us/electric/
If you can't understand it then don't try and build a welding receptacle "dogbone" connector.

At the RV park receptacle: you're 50 amp receptacle is actually two 50 amp, 110 volt circuits in a single receptacle.
Do your really need 100 amps? Very rarely.

When you connect your 50 trailer to a 30 amp receptacle at the RV park you use an adapter and your are actually connecting your entire trailer to a single 120 volt 30 amp breaker. This is done because inside the adapter there's a jumper that applies power to both of your RV 120 volt lines. This allows you can run all your appliances, but you have to manage which ones, example; you can't run both A/Cs at the same time on 30 amps.

My garage welder outlet consists of two 30 amp breakers each feeding a 120 volt line providing a total of 220 volts for a total of 60 amps maximum. When I connect my 50 amp trailer "dogbone" to my 220 volt welding outlet in my garage, I'm actually only connecting to one of the 120 volt lines of the 220 volt outlet. I can run anything in the trailer, but I am limited to the 30 amp breaker on that 120 volt line I'm using. Therefore; if my trailer draws more than 30 amps it will trip the breaker in the garage. Therefore, I can not run both air conditioners in the trailer at the same time; I can't run the air conditioner and the microwave at the same time. I have to manage my power consumption. Even if YOU can manage the power consumption, can your spouse or kids when you're not there. I've explained this to my wife over and over, but when we're connect to the garage and she's packing the trailer she always try's to run both A/Cs and on occasion the microwave and tripping the breakers is pretty common. Then she calls me says the power went off, I need to come home and fix it. Just food for thought.

Can you run you're RV from a welding outlet: yes, but you will not find anywhere a dogbone adapter of any kind sold for adapting your welding receptacle or clothes dryer to your RV because not enough people understand what they're doing.

If you don't know what you're doing it's very risky, you could burn your trailer down or worse electrocute someone; not to mention burn up your air conditioner or microwave of some other appliance. A better choice might be to buy a 4500 watt generator, it may be noisier, but it's safer.

just FYI,
Dustin