OT ELECTRICAL QUESTION

Here is the question--we want to run power from this new service to run 2-3 RV'S. Motor home 5th. wheel travel trailer.

What will we need as far as a main breaker in the main box on the shed and what will we have in the RV hookups.

Thanks for the help--just looking for some help before we go to the electrical supply business to buy the stuff.

thanks

Since your in the renting bizz are you putting your personal assets at risk for the type of work your doing to your rentals? Seams like to me there would be a huge libility risk.

I'm just currious on how that works!

T_Bone

You need at least 30 amps each for the 3 RV hookups, and likely a 45-60 amp hookup for the shed? What do you want for the shed breaker?

Will be tough to get by with 100 amp setup, and that is doing bare minumum stuff. As the others say, if you have 240v 50 amp hookups for the RVs, you really need to expand to a 200 amp main drop.

--->Paul

The larger RV's have a 120/240 volt 50 amp 4 prong receptacle so they can run 2 AC's at once, so if you want such a receptacle at each of the three RV stations we gotta refigure.

My guess is you probably just need three standard 30 amp RV receptacle stations which have the one 120 volt 30 amp 3 prong RV receptacle plus a standard 120 volt 15 amp duplex convenience receptacle next to it. OF COURSE, you could get by without the standard duplex convenience receptacle i.e. just have a 30 amp 120 volt 3 prong RV receptacle for each of the RV's cuz many have their own external 120 volt 15 amp weatherproof convenience outlet somewhere on the side. HOWEVER a standard 30 amp 3 prong 120 volt RV receptacle is the minimum I would place at each of the three stations.....

Nowwwww for the service it appears you need a standard 120/240 volt single phase three wire 100 amp minimum. A Typical installation would be a rigid conduit riser up through the roof or on the side of a building with a weatherhead on top where your 3 service entrance conductors (2 Hots and one Neutral) splice to the utilitys service and then run down into your service entrance panelboard. The utility likely wont hook up to your service till its been inspected and approved and either at the meter base or the service entrance panel the Neutral must be bonded to a proper grounding electrode such as a driven earth ground rod etc.

Your main panel must be a 100 amp minimum 120/240 volt with a 100 amp 2 pole main breaker suitable for service entrance and space for maybe 12 to 20 breakers breakers allowing room for expansion. It will have a Neutral plus an Equipment Ground Buss which is bonded together (plus metal case of panel is also bonded to the equipment ground buss) as its the service entrance. Then you would install at least the three 30 amp single pole 120 volt breakers to serve the three 30 amp RV receptacles, I would feed two on Phase A and the other on Phase B using 10 gauge wire with 3 conductors (Black Hot, White Neutral, Green Ground) to each RV station. Then if you go with another 15 amp 120 volt duplex receptacle at each station I would serve them with three more 20 amp single pole breakers and run 12 gauge 3 conductor wire to them.

Summary, you need at least a 100 amp 120/240 volt single phase three wire service (could run a 200 amp service if you want expansion and other use there) and a service entrance suitable panel with a 100 amp 2 pole main breaker and room for at least 12 breakers. Run 3 10 gauge wires to the 30 amp RV outlets and 3 12 gauge wires to the 120 volt NEMA 15R convenience duplex receptacles.

Normally the riser and weatherhead would run to a meter base with conduit and three wires rated for 100 amps and then from the meter base into your service entrance panelboard. Again, the Neutral bonds to a grounding electrode often at the meter base.

DONT FORGET TO BUY AND USE GFCI circuit breakers!!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!!! !!!

Now you gotta decide if you want only the 30 amp RV outlets or them plus the 15 amp convenience outlets at each station or wanna go whole hog and run 50 amps to each station CUZ THEN YOU NEED A 200 AMP SERVICE N PANEL !!!!!

Best wishes n God Bless

John T Retired Electrical Engineer

Next, you need to find out what kind of service they are willing to provide and at what charge. 60 amp? 100 amp? 200 amp? More?

You will have to provide grounding electrodes of some sort. Typically these can be two driven electrodes 10 feet apart, but a Ufer ground (reinforced concrete in contact with the soil) is better if you have it available.

If it were me, I'd go for 200 amp service and I'd probably buy a Siemens 200 amp meter combo panel from Home Depot. The 200 amp main breaker acts as your service disconnect means, your service overcurrent means, and protection for the panel itself, all in one breaker. There are 8 spaces for circuit breakers, you can use 4 spaces for 2 two-pole breakers for your two RV hookups. Two remaining spaces could be used to provide a feeder to a sub-panel inside the shed for lighting and convenience circuits in the shed. Or welders, compressors, whatever you want to do.

These panels even have a separate subfeed breaker position which can be used to power a well pump; this lets you kill the power to the panel, RVs, and shed (with the main breaker) but keep the pump alive for fire fighting.

All this costs only $99 or less. And the panel is NEMA 3-R rated for mouting on the outside wall of your shed.