Byerly RV Presents: Basic Electrical Hook Ups/Shore Power

Byerly RV Presents:
Basic Electrical
Presented by Rick Altis with Michael Frese and Dave Hubatka
Tonight we will discuss:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Electrical Hookups
Cords and Adapters
Converters and Inverters as Battery Chargers
Solar Power and How It Works in Coach
Hook Ups/Shore Power
50 Amp and 30 Amp Power Panels
50 Amp Receptacle Box
These are typical RV power pedestals you might see in camp grounds. Some may have 30 amp and 50
amp receptacles, some only 30 amp, and some may also have a 110 GFIC receptacle. It has been
recommended to turn off the power before placing you shore cord into the receptacle. This applies to
50 amp because of the plug design. The ground is longer which causes it to engage first if the plug then
follows the ground it is possible to engage both legs of the hot before the common engages. This could
cause a 220 volt spike into the coach.
Shore Cords, Adapters and Extension Cords
What’s wrong here? Why?
Some possible causes could be…
Or in this case you could be just trying to draw too much power through a cord not designed for the
power demand. Here we have a 50a to 30a adapter. Motorhomes with inverters have the ability to
change the shore power settings which helps some but only if there is a power management system
where it automatically controls the incoming power demand. For the rest of us, it’s up to you. Knowing
the amount of power that basic devices require will help you prevent tripping breakers and damaging
cords.
This is a list of commonly found items in an RV. It lists the amp draw for each when running. When you
start adding these up it does not take long to reach our 30 amp service level. When adapting from 50 to
30, owners must be aware of their coaches power draw to prevent overdrawing the cords and adapters.
This is not just a motorized issue, more and more towables are going to 50 amp main service.
50 Amp Service
Common
110 Volt Hot
110 Volt Hot
50Amp
50Amp
Ground
2 Legs of 110 each with 50 amp potential producing a net of 100 amps of service.
Surge Protectors
Multi-Function
Basic
What is the purpose of the surge protector?
Depending on the device you’re using, it can have several different roles now. Basic protectors monitor
the shore power system for reversed polarity, open neutral, open ground, as well as surge spikes.
The advanced multi-function protectors monitor the basic items and also high a and low frequency, high
and low leg voltage L1 & L2 in 50 amp, L1 in 30 amp.
Why we need these devices.
In many campgrounds across the country the power grid is not as stable as it is in metropolitan areas. In
these areas the power can fluctuate with demand on the system. This can cause high or low voltage
swings and spikes also frequency swings. Today’s modern electronics need clean even power.
Converters and Inverters
Converters
What is the converter and what is it’s function:
1. The main function of the converter is supplying 12 volt DC to the vehicle.
2. Charging the battery
A converter is standard equipment on most RVs. Connected to a campground power pedestal or your RV
generator is running the converter it changes 120 volt AC power to 12 volt DC and supplies power to the
RV’s 12v circuits and charges the RV batteries. The converter is the heart of your RV electronic system. If
it fails, your RV systems will slowly begin to fail as battery voltage drops.
Inverters
What does and inverter do? What is its function?
1. Supply 110 AC voltage to specific items in coach.
2. To charge batteries when 110 AC voltage is supplied from shore or generator.
Inverters take 12 volt DC from the batteries and change it to 110 volt AC. Depending on the wattage
rating of the inverter many 110 volt AC electric items may be operated without plugging in to shore
power or running a generator. There must be enough battery capacity to support operation of the
inverter. High amp draw devices not currently not operated from inverted power.
Solar Power
What is solar power? Why do we need solar power? How does it work in my coach?
Solar power is simply using the power of the sun across a photovoltaic or pv panel to produce electric
power. The power produced is DC voltage. It travels from the panel or array to a charge controller that
regulates the charge of the batteries. Then your coach systems use the power from the batteries to
power items in your vehicle.
In most instances the need for solar is when you’re off grid or not able to plug in or can’t use or don’t
have a generator. Solar allows you to stay powered up. Most campers refer to this as boondocking.
Some examples of this would be NASCAR races or tailgating parties where you’re camping in open
parking areas.