30 amp service on home

[Bisjoe]

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, just about 12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage. We can plug into a 20 amp and run most everything but the AC. I will sometimes sleep out in the trailer with the grandkids when they stay over, they love it, but on summer days it can get hot until well after their bedtime.



Has anyone gotten an electrician to install a 30 amp plug on the outside of their home, and if so, what did it cost?

[mfifield01]

I run my 15k AC off of my 20 amp on occasion. Typically, I don't have anything else running at the time.

[flybouy]

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, just about 12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage. We can plug into a 20 amp and run most everything but the AC. I will sometimes sleep out in the trailer with the grandkids when they stay over, they love it, but on summer days it can get hot until well after their bedtime.



Has anyone gotten an electrician to install a 30 amp plug on the outside of their home, and if so, what did it cost?

As has been stated if it's a 20amp circuit (20 amp breaker and #12 wire) you should be o.k. on the air con as long as your fridge and hwh are not on electric. A 30 amp service will vary in cost dependent upon the length of run and the area. You said 12' away so you could look up online at Lowes or Home Depot and get a sense for material costs. You need 30 amp breaker to match your panel, a 30a rv receptacle and box,and guessing at 25' of 4 conductor # 10 wire. Then add labor and any permit costs if applicable. Most electricians will offer a free estimate for that type work.

[itat]

If you hire an electrician to install a 30A receptacle for your trailer, have them use this. Its a 30A 120V, not 240V.

[xrated]

My Toy Hauler has a 50 amp service and I keep it beside the detached garage under a 36' long carport/shelter. I installed a 50 amp recpt. on the side of the garage to plug it into. I have a 100 amp panel in that garage so it was a pretty simple thing to do. Weatherproof outdoor box/recpt was about $35 and 50' of 6/4 MNB cable was an additional $120 or so. Misc fittings etc another$15-$20, so the total project was well under $200. The catch is, I'm a Journeyman Electrician so there was no installation cost as I did all the work myself. To have it done professionally, would likely be in the 600-$700 range. A 30 amp service would be slightly less.

[xrated]

If you hire an electrician to install a 30A receptacle for your trailer, have them use this. Its a 30A 120V, not 240V.

That is the correct recpt, just make sure it is installed in a NEMA 3R rated enclosure (outdoor approved useage).

[Carrottop]

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, just about 12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage. We can plug into a 20 amp and run most everything but the AC. I will sometimes sleep out in the trailer with the grandkids when they stay over, they love it, but on summer days it can get hot until well after their bedtime.



Has anyone gotten an electrician to install a 30 amp plug on the outside of their home, and if so, what did it cost?
We had a 50 amp box mounted on the side of the garage with the panel in our basement for the electrician to add the breaker at the panel run the wiring and a subpanel in the garage and then to the box outside it cost us $950 Canadian. Best money we ever spent. Plus my neighbor has a welding machine and often borrows my 50amp when he needs to weld something and will throw me some money to cover power and I am sure a little more.

[cookinwitdiesel]

My dad put in a 30A for our Class A back in high school (2003 Beaver Marquis 42' - actually had a 50A hookup but that was not needed for driveway use), now I have the house and my TT and it works great. He made sure to get heavy gauge wire that is rated to be buried in the ground (we ran it about 30 yards buried to the TT from our garage).

[Ken / Claudia]

I paid for 2 different 30a RV outside outlets. #1 at the WA coast on a 4x4 post.
With wiring running around 20 to it was under 200 bucks in 2008.
#2 At my home, I added one to the garage. It was 200 bucks in 2006 wire run was maybe 30ft from the breaker box. Both done by licensed electricians.

[wiredgeorge]

I installed my own 30A service at two sites on our property. One is a bit short for parking the RV but I use the other site which is actually a pad now. Put a box on the side of the breaker box and put a 30A RV outlet inside the weather proof box. If memory serves, I used 6 ga. wire to connect to the outlet. Ground goes to the ground strip, white to the common ground (neutral) and black to the Hot lead on the 30A breaker. It took all of 15 minutes or so. I did shut off the power for safety while doing it. I think the box the plug comes in tells you what wire to use for what length and although 6 ga may have been a bit overkill, I had plenty as I have run my own feeder lines and wired up my four shops using it. If you live somewhere where there is an local govt electrical code, have an electrician do the work; buy the stuff yourself at a box store. Even an idiot like me can wire this outlet to code (we don't really have one where I live).

[Rick]

Another route is to do what I did before I got 30A RV service at the house for the AC. Bought some thick board and made it fit the escape window. I forget how I kept it from falling out, but then bought a $99 window AC at a big box store and cut an opening in the wood to slip the AC thru. Worked great! Just another option.

[sourdough]

I installed my own 30A service at two sites on our property. One is a bit short for parking the RV but I use the other site which is actually a pad now. Put a box on the side of the breaker box and put a 30A RV outlet inside the weather proof box. If memory serves, I used 6 ga. wire to connect to the outlet. Ground goes to the ground strip, white to the common ground (neutral) and black to the Hot lead on the 30A breaker. It took all of 15 minutes or so. I did shut off the power for safety while doing it. I think the box the plug comes in tells you what wire to use for what length and although 6 ga may have been a bit overkill, I had plenty as I have run my own feeder lines and wired up my four shops using it. If you live somewhere where there is an local govt electrical code, have an electrician do the work; buy the stuff yourself at a box store. Even an idiot like me can wire this outlet to code (we don't really have one where I live).


Joe, George brings up a good point. If you are comfortable with doing the wiring you could save a lot. Even if there are inspections they just generally make sure you comply with standard wiring guidelines (need to know them). We have building/electrical inspectors but I wired both my shops (electrician installed mast and breaker panel) - one a real power hog. Inspector reviewed my installation of dozens of outlets, lights and 220v receptacles plus the wiring of the breaker panel and installation of the breakers. Said the tidiness of wiring looked better than most of the installs he reviewed. So, you can do it if you're comfortable and save a few bucks.

[Local150]

I did my own 30 amp had only about 25 feet to run wire,, and bought a waterproof rv type box,, about a 100 $for material. Live in small town in Illinois and bought everything from local electrician,, he doesn't try to gouge everyone

[Bisjoe]

Thanks for all of the help. I actually have done wiring and could probably manage this, but with the permit process and inspections here in our city thought it best to have it done by a licensed electrician. The 15' distance is for the trailer power cable, from the breaker box to the outlet is just 2- 3' below, same wall, so very easy installation, and I have an unused 30 amp breaker in the box. It's just drill a hole in the wall, run a cable down and out, attach the outlet. I have run the AC with 20 amps before, but when I tried it with the fridge on electric it blew the breaker after about 20 minutes. I think the first thing to try is the fridge on propane, but of course, will have to wait now until about July when we need the AC again.

[Frank G]

Thanks for all of the help. I actually have done wiring and could probably manage this, but with the permit process and inspections here in our city thought it best to have it done by a licensed electrician. The 15' distance is for the trailer power cable, from the breaker box to the outlet is just 2- 3' below, same wall, so very easy installation, and I have an unused 30 amp breaker in the box. It's just drill a hole in the wall, run a cable down and out, attach the outlet. I have run the AC with 20 amps before, but when I tried it with the fridge on electric it blew the breaker after about 20 minutes. I think the first thing to try is the fridge on propane, but of course, will have to wait now until about July when we need the AC again.

Pull the permit, get-r-done, and have it inspected. Improve your self confidence. Don't be intimidated by "you need a Licensed …"

[mfifield01]

Thanks for all of the help. I actually have done wiring and could probably manage this, but with the permit process and inspections here in our city thought it best to have it done by a licensed electrician. The 15' distance is for the trailer power cable, from the breaker box to the outlet is just 2- 3' below, same wall, so very easy installation, and I have an unused 30 amp breaker in the box. It's just drill a hole in the wall, run a cable down and out, attach the outlet. I have run the AC with 20 amps before, but when I tried it with the fridge on electric it blew the breaker after about 20 minutes. I think the first thing to try is the fridge on propane, but of course, will have to wait now until about July when we need the AC again.
Is the 20 amp circuit powering anything else? I installed a dedicated 20 amp circuit just inside the front of the garage. It only has one receptacle, so the RV is the only thing plugged into it.

[Bisjoe]

Is the 20 amp circuit powering anything else? I installed a dedicated 20 amp circuit just inside the front of the garage. It only has one receptacle, so the RV is the only thing plugged into it.

Just the garage lights, which have been off when I tried it. Probably was the fridge on electric.

[ctbruce]

I had one of the Orange outside extension cords. 1 of the heavy duty looking ones. Well it wasn't and that is what was tripping my breakers. Replaced it with a heavier cord and my problem was solved. Just a thought.

[kksfish]

Another option that I went with......installed a female, matching cord cap on a length of #8 SO cable at the panelboard. Roll it out or in as needed thru the corner of garage door.......No holes to drill in house and out of sight when not needed. No need for waterproof either as I can run the cord from camper inside to connect if I wish. Went with #8 to compensate for any voltage drop.

[mazboy]

you can run one A/C from 20 amp. is it 15 or 20 amp?

and cost to upgrade just too many variables. figure $300-500 if not too much work involved. go to 50 amp is you go that way.

[Kevin H]

Just my two cents. If your panel is close and you have room install a 50 receptacle. Lowes and Home depot both sell the waterproof rv outlets, I don't think it was more than $50. If your like me you will eventually want something bigger, so why do it twice. I put one on my house and one on my well house for my son or anyone who needs to use power. I end up leaving a/c set as high as it can during summer and a small space heater in winter just to temper the extremes. FYI 30 amp requires 10 ga. copper wire and 50 amp requires 6 gauge copper wire.

[Local150]

Another option that I went with......installed a female, matching cord cap on a length of #8 SO cable at the panelboard. Roll it out or in as needed thru the corner of garage door.......No holes to drill in house and out of sight when not needed. No need for waterproof either as I can run the cord from camper inside to connect if I wish. Went with #8 to compensate for any voltage drop.
My brother in law did the same thing,, he just turns the breaker off, rolls it up till next time

[BadmanRick]

Pay and have a 30 amp or 50 amp plug Put in. You may upgrade in the future to 50 amp.

[W7PSK]

My brother is an electrician and we ran underground rated cable to the trailer spot. It was pretty easy to do and I think I could have done it myself. I have mine on a post so a water proof 30 amp box is a must.

[duker]

So if you have #12 wire you can buy the 30 amp plug for outside and a larger 30 amp breaker breaker and install it yourself, Home Depot or Menards can help, Or find a handy man, I did mine for less than 20 dollars

[3wheeler]

So if you have #12 wire you can buy the 30 amp plug for outside and a larger 30 amp breaker breaker and install it yourself, Home Depot or Menards can help, Or find a handy man, I did mine for less than 20 dollars

You need #10 wire for 30 amps

[beaglething]

We had a 50Amp line installed in our barn. The existing box handled the new service and the line was run through the rafters of our barn to an outdoor weatherproof outlet. Wiring was about 90feet. Our electrician charged $500. Best thing ever!

[garroum]

I did my own. 30 buck for all the parts few basic tools. A couple of scraps of drywall and plenty of mud, tape and sanding. Works like a champ

[SkiSmuggs]

I bought a 30A RV box with breaker from Home Depot online. A friend with electrical experience wired it directly to my meter box that is on posts near the transformer. He just ran #10 wire through the knockouts after pulling the meter to cut power to the bottom half of the meter box. The electric company gave me some flak for not calling before breaking the seal, but living in a small town has its advantages. I don't recommend doing that however.
Before that, I used an extra heavy duty 75' outdoor extension cord to run from a 20A outlet in an out building and used a dog bone adapter to connect to the RV. Since our bedroom isn't air conditioned, we slept in the RV during heat waves. I checked the cords after hours of running the AC and they were barely warm.

[Garyd1612]

I have installed a 30 amp breaker myself, not too difficult. I just added a new single pole 30 amp breaker to the panel and wired in a 30 amp rv plug. I used 10-3 wire and waterproof PVC conduit with a waterproof box, only needed about 3' of wire.

[xrated]

I bought a 30A RV box with breaker from Home Depot online. A friend with electrical experience wired it directly to my meter box that is on posts near the transformer. He just ran #10 wire through the knockouts after pulling the meter to cut power to the bottom half of the meter box. The electric company gave me some flak for not calling before breaking the seal, but living in a small town has its advantages. I don't recommend doing that however.
Before that, I used an extra heavy duty 75' outdoor extension cord to run from a 20A outlet in an out building and used a dog bone adapter to connect to the RV. Since our bedroom isn't air conditioned, we slept in the RV during heat waves. I checked the cords after hours of running the AC and they were barely warm.

I will venture a guess that there are MULTIPLE code violations with that install. :eek:

[jack65]

It may be a stupid question:confused: but since I'm not an electrician, my question is:
I always thought the outlets from the house could handle anything in the trailer, so how do I find out exactly what my garage indoor panel or trailer can handle? I've ran things like power saws etc from that outlet.

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, as you can see in my signature below, about 10-12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage where I will plug it in from time to time, mostly for lights etc. Haven't tried the microwave, fridge or AC yet.

[Steveo57]

It may be a stupid question:confused: but since I'm not an electrician, my question is:
I always thought the outlets from the house could handle anything in the trailer, so how do I find out exactly what my garage indoor panel or trailer can handle? I've ran things like power saws etc from that outlet.

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, as you can see in my signature below, about 10-12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage where I will plug it in from time to time, mostly for lights etc. Haven't tried the microwave, fridge or AC yet.Just look at the breaker that supplies the outlets in question. It will be a 15 or 20 amp circuit and that's you're limit. Plenty to run most of the small loads in the trailer but running an AC or microwave could be problematic.

[Gegrad]

I had an electrician install one at my house. Cost me about $200, materials included. Mine only needed to run from my garage and in the crawl space under one bedroom to the back of the house. They mounted an exterior weatherproof receptacle per code. The electrical cord run was only about 30-35 feet or so.

[sourdough]

It may be a stupid question:confused: but since I'm not an electrician, my question is:
I always thought the outlets from the house could handle anything in the trailer, so how do I find out exactly what my garage indoor panel or trailer can handle? I've ran things like power saws etc from that outlet.

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, as you can see in my signature below, about 10-12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage where I will plug it in from time to time, mostly for lights etc. Haven't tried the microwave, fridge or AC yet.

Hey Jack,

Unless specially modified for higher amperage, the outlets from your home cannot handle "anything" in your trailer. At minimum your trailer will be rated at 30A. Your regular home circuits will be rated at 15A or 20A max. With that you can't run at full capacity in the trailer.

I run my trailer on a 20A dedicated circuit when it is here at the house while it is being prepared for travel. It cannot be used like you are "living in it". It is a "make do" to give you necessary power to run essential stuff: I power up the fridge and get it ready to go; I depend on the AC to run the converter to keep the batteries topped off, my lights then work perfectly.

I guess my thoughts would be that you need to assess electrical loads and what you are using. Many ways to do that and many folks on this forum that can help.

[Tireman9]

As has been stated if it's a 20amp circuit (20 amp breaker and #12 wire) you should be o.k. on the air con as long as your fridge and hwh are not on electric. A 30 amp service will vary in cost dependent upon the length of run and the area. You said 12' away so you could look up online at Lowes or Home Depot and get a sense for material costs. You need 30 amp breaker to match your panel, a 30a rv receptacle and box,and guessing at 25' of 4 conductor # 10 wire. Then add labor and any permit costs if applicable. Most electricians will offer a free estimate for that type work.


Why 4 conductor for 120v 30A outlet?
Hot, Neutral and ground. What is #4 wire for?


You might check out THIS (http://noshockzone.org/15/) web site for more info on RV electrics.


Here is graphic (http://noshockzone.org/accidentally-plugging-into-240-volt-outlet/) of outlets

[flybouy]

Why 4 conductor for 120v 30A outlet?
Hot, Neutral and ground. What is #4 wire for?


You might check out THIS (http://noshockzone.org/15/) web site for more info on RV electrics.You are correct on 3 conductors. Thinking 50 amp. My bad. Thanks.

[Bisjoe]

It may be a stupid question:confused: but since I'm not an electrician, my question is:
I always thought the outlets from the house could handle anything in the trailer, so how do I find out exactly what my garage indoor panel or trailer can handle? I've ran things like power saws etc from that outlet.

We keep our trailer outside next to the garage, as you can see in my signature below, about 10-12' from where the electric service panel is inside the garage where I will plug it in from time to time, mostly for lights etc. Haven't tried the microwave, fridge or AC yet.
I also use power saws, even my 110 welder from the garage plug. I have been able to run the fridge, 2 TVs the microwave on the 20 amp from the garage but the AC kicked out the breaker. The fridge is not always running but I think for me the AC was doing OK for a while when the fridge came on and that did it.

[efrulla]

Just ran 40' of conduit from my house across the driveway to a dedicated 30 AMP trailer drop. Dug the ditch and laid the conduit myself. Wish I could tell you what it cost to have an electrician pull the cable and wire everything up but my daughters fiance is a professional electrician. You probably figured out by now that he did it for free.

Now would be a good time to consider a dedicated water supply as well. I did not think of that until I had back filled the trench. At least I have a spring project on the list.

[Tireman9]

Thanks for all of the help. I actually have done wiring and could probably manage this, but with the permit process and inspections here in our city thought it best to have it done by a licensed electrician. The 15' distance is for the trailer power cable, from the breaker box to the outlet is just 2- 3' below, same wall, so very easy installation, and I have an unused 30 amp breaker in the box. It's just drill a hole in the wall, run a cable down and out, attach the outlet. I have run the AC with 20 amps before, but when I tried it with the fridge on electric it blew the breaker after about 20 minutes. I think the first thing to try is the fridge on propane, but of course, will have to wait now until about July when we need the AC again.


Check the RV owner's manual to confirm the Amp draw for the A/C or look at the on board circuit breaker for the AC. That will tell you what is needed to run the A/C. Good chance 20A is sufficient as long as that is all you are running the the RV but check the RV breaker first.
It is possible that you can just run a regular 120v extension cord 12Ga or 10 Ga and by pass the special socket. I assume you have a 30A female to 20A male power cord adapter. This should be Ok if you have good clean contacts. keep the cord as short and needed (Don't use a 50' extension if you only need 20') Maybe even a short 15' extension will work. but learn the amp needs first.