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Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Yahoo Message Number: 22815
The pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ 100 amps, double the correct current.

Recently we were in Saint Joseph Peninsula FL State Park. Our coach indicated 30 shore power while on 50 amp power pedestal. Park maintenance man told me Tallahassee office ordered 240 VAC 50 amp pedestals be wired for 120 VAC to protect people that use adapters to 120 VAC 30 amp RVs. Two 50 amp breakers were parallel to supply 100 amps!
The pedestal was wired with 240 VAC & could have been connected properly to supply 240 VAC @ 50 amps to my coach, that I verified by inspection & meter.

Instead the pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ 100 amps. That is hazardous to my coach, more hazardous to 30 amp coaches they may have intended to protect.

Assistant park manager said they had been aware of problem for 3 years.
Had my coach not been protected by a $400 surge & wiring mistake protective device, it would have used more than the 50 amp limit of ground wire. Ground wire is not fuse protected & could have burned.
I do not know if this applies to parks not in panhandle park district.
It seems the Tallahassee park office has decided that intentional mis wiring of RV power outlets causes safety, not hazard.

Eric Lee Elliott

Re: Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Reply #1 –
Yahoo Message Number: 22816
Eric,

How did you figure out the pedestal was wired incorrectly initially.

Did you test the wiring before you plugged in your coach.

I would like to know how to protect against this type of damage as this could occur anywhere.

Thanks,

Kevin

05 Intrigue

--- Eric Lee Elliott eric@...> wrote:

Quote
The pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ 100 amps, > double the correct
current.

Recently we were in Saint Joseph Peninsula FL State > Park. Our coach

indicated 30 shore power while on 50 amp power > pedestal. Park

maintenance man told me Tallahassee office ordered > 240 VAC 50 amp

pedestals be wired for 120 VAC to protect people > that use adapters to

120 VAC 30 amp RVs. Two 50 amp breakers were > parallel to supply 100 amps!

The pedestal was wired with 240 VAC & could have > been connected properly

to supply 240 VAC @ 50 amps to my coach, that I > verified by inspection &
meter.

Instead the pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ > 100 amps. That is

hazardous to my coach, more hazardous to 30 amp > coaches they may have
intended to protect.

Assistant park manager said they had been aware of > problem for 3 years.

Had my coach not been protected by a $400 surge & > wiring mistake

protective device, it would have used more than the > 50 amp limit of

ground wire. Ground wire is not fuse protected & > could have burned.

I do not know if this applies to parks not in > panhandle park district.

It seems the Tallahassee park office has decided > that intentional mis

wiring of RV power outlets causes safety, not > hazard.

Eric Lee Elliott

Re: Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Reply #2 –
Yahoo Message Number: 22823
Eric, I don't understand what the problem is with the wiring you describe. All 50 amp RV plugs are made up of two 110VAC 50amp lines for a total of 100amps at 110VAC. In addition, it wouldn't matter if they were both 110VAC 500amps. Your coach breaker panel will protect you from over current. If they did this 3 years ago, and it is a problem, there must be a long list of people with electrical damage.
I know that I may not understand what the problem is but it is ok if there is 100amps of current potential as long as it is 110VAC.

George in Birmingham
'04 Allure 31038

Quote from: Eric Lee Elliott\[br\
] > > The pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ 100 amps, double the correct > current.
> Recently we were in Saint Joseph Peninsula FL State Park. Our coach > indicated 30 shore power while on 50 amp power pedestal. Park > maintenance man told me Tallahassee office ordered 240 VAC 50 amp > pedestals be wired for 120 VAC to protect people that use adapters to > 120 VAC 30 amp RVs. Two 50 amp breakers were parallel to supply 100

amps!

Quote
>

The pedestal was wired with 240 VAC & could have been connected

properly

Quote
to supply 240 VAC @ 50 amps to my coach, that I verified by

inspection &

Quote
meter.
> Instead the pedestal was wired to supply 120 VAC @ 100 amps. That is > hazardous to my coach, more hazardous to 30 amp coaches they may have > intended to protect.

Assistant park manager said they had been aware of problem for 3

years.
George in Birmingham
2003 Magna 6298

Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Reply #3 –
Yahoo Message Number: 22835
Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Kevin,

Inspire Intellitec power manager indicated 30 power. Intellitec did not allow concurrent use of water heater, ACs, oven & washer as it should have on 50 amp service.

Eric

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Eric,

How did you figure out the pedestal was wired incorrectly initially.

Did you test the wiring before you plugged in your coach.

I would like to know how to protect against this type of damage as this could occur anywhere.

Thanks,

Kevin

05 Intrigue

Re: Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Reply #4 –
Yahoo Message Number: 22846
George,

If you are correct, we have no need for breakers in our houses because the appliances have internal fuses & breakers.
If your surge protector shorts, or your transfer relay shorts or your coach power cable shorts, that 500 amp pedestal breaker will not save you or your coach. Your 50 amp coach breaker would not carry the short current or protect you from a short before it.
A cable rated 50 amps maximum should be protected with a 50 amp or smaller breaker or fuse. Having a 50 amp breaker after the cable provides no safety for any problem before the breaker. That assuming the breaker does work near the current value it should work at.

'but it is ok if there is 100amps of current potential as long as it is 110VAC'. Not true!
100 amps 120 VAC + 100 amps 120 VAC = 200 amps in you ground wire. It is a 50 amp wire or smaller.
100 amps on each leg of 240 VAC = 0 amps in your ground wire. The 2 legs or 240 VAC power are opposite phase & power in one leg cancels ground wire current from other leg of 240.
A more likely load on shore power would be like this: 1 AC, 1 microwave & battery charging on one side of 240 VAC line for a total of 41 amps in leg 1 & 41 amps in ground wire. 1 AC, water heater & washer for a total of 32 amps on other leg of 240 VAC line & 32 amps subtracted from 41 amps in ground wire. Isn't that better than 41 + 32 amps in ground wire?
The electric utilities have been plagued by molded case circuit breakers that fail to open on over current and that fail to open when switched off. Your coach has molded case circuit breakers. Maybe the $3 breakers we use are more reliable than the expensive breakers the utilities use.

Re: Florida State Parks RV power wired wrong intentionally

Reply #5 –
Yahoo Message Number: 22879
George, not quite. There is one more factor to take into account. The 2 120v circuits are 'out of phase'. Thus the center return line can never have more than 50 amps going through it (when one leg is at 50 amps and the other is at 0. If you are drawing the full 100 Amps, the return leg will actually have 0 current, since the out of phase currents cancel each other out...

If the 2 legs are NOT out of phase, then you could have 100 amps flowing through the return line, and that line is only rated for 50 amps AND is not protected by any breaker.

John 04 Inspire 51078