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Old 03-30-2014, 04:10 PM   #1
wazeaz
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30amp 240volts?

I just got a new to me 07 outback.

so when you say 30amp is that 120 volts? or is it 240 volts?
I was told not to run the AC when using the 110 adapter and plugging into the house 120volts. Is that because the ac needs 240 volts or because the 120 volt from the house is not able to handle 30 amps.

thanks
bill (I gots lots to learn)
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Old 03-30-2014, 04:49 PM   #2
JRTJH
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DO NOT PLUG YOUR RV INTO A 240 VOLT OUTLET !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you do, you'll have a significant repair bill that won't be covered by warranty !!!! The shore power cord must be plugged into a 110VAC outlet. If you don't have a 30 amp RV outlet, you must use a 15 amp adapter to connect to a standard 120 VAC outlet (like your refrigerator or a lamp).

The reason you were told not to run the A/C while plugged into a 15 amp outlet is because you'll trip the circuit breaker or overload the small outlet causing the voltage to drop possibly burning up the motor in your A/C. It needs a good reliable 15+ amps to operate and most 120 VAC 15 amp outlets can't provide enough amperage to reliably power the A/C.

The "240 looking outlet" is NOT 240 VAC, in a 240 socket, there are two hot legs and a neutral/ground. In the RV outlet, there is ONE hot leg, one neutral (where the other hot was in the 240 socket) and a common ground.

If you measure across the two hot leads in a 240 outlet, (like your dryer) you'll get 240 VAC... If you measure the same location on an RV outlet, you'll get 120 VAC

Plugging your RV into a "dryer outlet" will destroy most of the electrical appliances and the converter within seconds of powering them on. DON'T DO IT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Old 03-30-2014, 05:08 PM   #3
wazeaz
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thanks

OK I understand now. It's just that the RV's three prong plug looks like a 240 volt plug. Thanks for the reply.
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Old 03-30-2014, 06:31 PM   #4
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OK I understand now. It's just that the RV's three prong plug looks like a 240 volt plug. Thanks for the reply.
No, it doesn't. The 30A plug has three prongs, if the plug has 4 prongs, it's a 50A plug(240V)
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Old 03-30-2014, 09:09 PM   #5
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No, it doesn't. The 30A plug has three prongs, if the plug has 4 prongs, it's a 50A plug(240V)
It can be confusing. Some of the older dryer outlets for 240V had 3 prongs, see this image. The current standard 50A plug does have 4 wires, and requires 4 wires.

Here's a good video showing the different types:

Just watch the first 2 minutes - the rest is advertisement for a brand of 'universal type of adapter' for power. It's not bad, but shows the differences.

Importantly though, the 30A RV plug is 120v.
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Old 03-31-2014, 01:00 AM   #6
wazeaz
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No, it doesn't. The 30A plug has three prongs, if the plug has 4 prongs, it's a 50A plug(240V)
my welder has 3 prongs and its 240
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Old 03-31-2014, 03:50 AM   #7
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I'm talking about RV plugs and campground pedestals, not dryers and welders.
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Old 03-31-2014, 06:46 AM   #8
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Here is a comparison wiring plan for a 30 amp 120VAC RV outlet and a 30 amp 240VAC dryer or welder outlet. Notice that the RV outlet has ONE hot, a neutral and a ground, the Dryer outlet has TWO hots, and a neutral/ground wired to the three connectors. Theoretically, there is a physical difference: the RV outlet has a "U" shaped ground and the Dryer outlet has a "L" shaped ground/neutral. The RV plug can't be plugged into the dryer outlet because they aren't supposed to fit, but many times, they can be "jammed" in enough to make electrical contact.
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Old 03-31-2014, 08:52 AM   #9
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RV Plugs

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I'm talking about RV plugs and campground pedestals, not dryers and welders.
Just precautionary, since to an inexperienced person, the 30A 120V plug on RV's can easily be mistaken for a 30A 240V plug.
We'd all hope if someone doesn't know, they would speak with someone who does. The availability of many of the different types of electrical outlets and plugs at the consumer building material stores has made many unsafe connections. I've seen 50A 240V wiring done by someone on 16 gauge lamp cord... they said it was cheaper.
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Old 03-31-2014, 02:52 PM   #10
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Here is a comparison wiring plan for a 30 amp 120VAC RV outlet and a 30 amp 240VAC dryer or welder outlet. Notice that the RV outlet has ONE hot, a neutral and a ground, the Dryer outlet has TWO hots, and a neutral/ground wired to the three connectors. Theoretically, there is a physical difference: the RV outlet has a "U" shaped ground and the Dryer outlet has a "L" shaped ground/neutral. The RV plug can't be plugged into the dryer outlet because they aren't supposed to fit, but many times, they can be "jammed" in enough to make electrical contact.
I had forgotten about the "L" shaped ground on the 240V/30A plug. I remember now that when I was at Lowes buying the stuff for my breakout box, the packaging for the outlets were marked as "RV".
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