Pro Power Onboard - B side never takes power

[PungoteagueDave]

This is not always true, as I mentioned above. Several campgrounds take a 100A single ungrounded conductor to BOTH hots in the pedestal. This is not 240V but rather only 120V. In the past year alone I've encountered this four times.

Most RVs will still work because you have 120V A-N and B-N but 0V A-B. And yes, MANY campgrounds are wired this way and you CANNOT get 240V from them!

You will get 0V if trying to charge an EV on these receptacles, because the same hot goes to A and B. I have had this happen many times to me when using campgrounds to charge during the past decade.

Would it be ideal to use 240V to feed it? Yes! But since most 50A RVs have only 120V loads, it's not necessary to provide 240Vand some campgrounds did not go that direction. 2 current carrying conductors (admittedly larger) compared to 3.

Calling BS. This is not code. I was one of the earliest Tesla owners in 2012 (#2,609), drove all over the U.S. before Superchargers were a thing, used MANY campground 14-50 hookups, never found one that would not charge my car. I have a huge box of adapters for marinas, welders, various versions of stoves, dryers, etc., and have even bare-wired a few times. No properly wired campground has 14-50 4-prong outlets that will not provide 240. And if you understand electricity at all, the fact that both sides have 120, MEANS that 240 is there.

Sponsored

 

[jerock]

I think this explains it pretty well.
https://www.myrv.us/electric/Pg/50amp_Service.htm
I've checked many 50amp pedestals at camp sites with a meter & have never seen one that is not a common 120/240 wiring. I'm not saying some may be wired incorrectly, but fail to understand the advantage of wiring it otherwise.

 

[FlasherZ]

Calling BS. This is not code. I was one of the earliest Tesla owners in 2012 (#2,609), drove all over the U.S. before Superchargers were a thing, used MANY campground 14-50 hookups, never found one that would not charge my car. I have a huge box of adapters for marinas, welders, various versions of stoves, dryers, etc., and have even bare-wired a few times. No properly wired campground has 14-50 4-prong outlets that will not provide 240. And if you understand electricity at all, the fact that both sides have 120, MEANS that 240 is there.

Call BS all you wish.

Here are my credentials:
#4 Tesla Model S delivered in St. Louis (Signature), #1 Tesla Model X delivered in St. Louis (Signature).
I wrote the Tesla charging FAQ used by Tesla itself (the one found on TMC).
First person to charge at a Supercharger outside of California (before the political opening!)
And yes, I've carried the box of various breakers, wires, etc.

As I said, FOUR campgrounds I've visited in the past year have exhibited 0V L-L, and 120V L-N.

It is, BTW, legal and to code to wire this way as it's considered a common-trip dual 50A 120V circuit. And most RV's will work this way.

Here's the diagram for those who can't picture it:

So - trivia questions for you... answers below.
Q1. What voltage do you get A-N in this diagram?
Q2. What voltage do you get B-N in this diagram?
Q3. What voltage do you get A-B in this diagram?
Q4. What voltage do you get A-GND in this diagram?

Answer key:
A1. 120V
A2. 120V
A3. 0V - you're measuring the voltage on the SAME WIRE.
A4. 120V

You CANNOT get 240v from this setup.

There are many campgrounds wired this way. I have experienced 4 of them in the past year.

 

[FlasherZ]

I think this explains it pretty well.
https://www.myrv.us/electric/Pg/50amp_Service.htm
I've checked many 50amp pedestals at camp sites with a meter & have never seen one that is not a common 120/240 wiring. I'm not saying some may be wired incorrectly, but fail to understand the advantage of wiring it otherwise.

Ok, I give up.

I've installed hundreds of EVSE's and have used hundreds of campground receptacles to charge. 350,000 miles in 10 years of daily driving an EV. I have found tens of campgrounds wired with the same 120V leg connected to A _and_ B and you cannot get 240V service from it, no matter how much you try.

You *can* get 240V service if you connect hots between pedestals.

But since you know better than someone who has done so, I wish you all luck.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

So….if I lick the wire. Will it tingle?

The rest here is way over my head

 

[PungoteagueDave]

Call BS all you wish.

Here are my credentials:
#4 Tesla Model S delivered in St. Louis (Signature), #1 Tesla Model X delivered in St. Louis (Signature).
I wrote the Tesla charging FAQ used by Tesla itself (the one found on TMC).
First person to charge at a Supercharger outside of California (before the political opening!)
And yes, I've carried the box of various breakers, wires, etc.

As I said, FOUR campgrounds I've visited in the past year have exhibited 0V L-L, and 120V L-N.

It is, BTW, legal and to code to wire this way as it's considered a common-trip dual 50A 120V circuit. And most RV's will work this way.

Here's the diagram for those who can't picture it:

So - trivia questions for you... answers below.
Q1. What voltage do you get A-N in this diagram?
Q2. What voltage do you get B-N in this diagram?
Q3. What voltage do you get A-B in this diagram?
Q4. What voltage do you get A-GND in this diagram?

Answer key:
A1. 120V
A2. 120V
A3. 0V - you're measuring the voltage on the SAME WIRE.
A4. 120V

You CANNOT get 240v from this setup.

There are many campgrounds wired this way. I have experienced 4 of them in the past year.

I’m not sure where your hubris ends and your BS starts, but I’m sure of one thing. You haven’t charged at hundreds of campgrounds. So there’s that. But your claim of EV mileage trumps my roughly 250k. So you win. But I have used 14-50 outlets at dozens of campgrounds and have never experienced a fail. Not one. Maybe you are just unlucky. Or just full of talk. I think you just like to hear yourself talk. Because wiring any 14-50 outlet without 240 capability is against any electrical code in the country.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Please consult your licensed electrician in the jurisdiction you live in for proper & safe operation of back up power to your home, lives depend on it being done correctly, regardless of unconventional settings in the wild.

DONE!

Sponsored