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Old 11-13-2004, 06:16 AM   #1
Montana_1892
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: airway heights
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M.O.C. #1892
Adding heater outlet

Hi All,
i was doing some exploring in my electrical area on our '02 3670RL. i got the fifty amp/W/D option when we purchased. i assumed incorrectly that the extra 20 amp circuit would go to the W/D and second Air Conditioner circuit. When i traced all the wiring, the 20 amp incoming breaker went to the main Air Conditioning unit and no other place.
My solution was to remove the panel in the floor of closet/storage area as you come in the door, which is above the eletrical panel. real easy once you get all the staples out. Then i wired a 20 amp receptical into the 20 amp main breaker and located it next to the C02 detector, which is on the side of that closet/storage area, near the floor, per code height.
we only use this outlet when we are not operating the Main AC unit, ie in the cold months, were we plug in a 1500 watt electric heater, electricy being cheaper here than propane. i took a new Holmes heater and replaced the original cord with a heavy duty cord of sufficent length to place the heater in the center of the living area.
All components were readily available at Home Depot.
my 2 cent up grade ...
 
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Old 11-13-2004, 06:21 AM   #2
NJ Hillbilly
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M.O.C. #242
I did a similar thing and utilized the unused breaker for the front a/c. I put as receptacle under the oven since my panel is a few feet away. I was able to run the wire under the kitchen cabinets once I took the drawers out.
My h/w heater is under the kitchen sink so I ran a switch inside and mounted it under the sink so I don't have to go outside to turn the electric on and off.
I also pulled the wire out from the outside receptacle and out a switch in it, this way I can shut off the awning lights without going outside.

John
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Old 11-13-2004, 06:28 AM   #3
Montana_1892
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M.O.C. #1892
good plan NJ, so it is not just me who assumed that extra power would go to the W/D?
how does the amsoil filter work? i'm on my second K/N...
retired volunteer battion chief, just got to old and "um, hum" to do the job ...
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Old 11-13-2004, 04:07 PM   #4
sreigle
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Our setup is similar. But on ours I think the extra 20amp goes to the 2nd AC prep. We have the prep but not the AC. I think our primary AC, the w/d, and everything else goes towards that first 30 amps, much to our disappointment. I understand later models have a better setup where you really get to use the 50amps.

My question to those of you who have run a new circuit to a location NOT right next to your power converter, just where did you route the wires? Is there any way to snake them through the belly or through the ceiling? I'm thinking of running an outlet from the unused 2nd AC prep to up on the kitchen peninsula somewhere.

Thanks.
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Old 11-14-2004, 08:04 AM   #5
Montana_1892
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here is one way to check sriegle, put a volt meter on the outlet in the washer area and make sure you have power there, then flip the 30 amp main breaker, if you still got power then the 20 amp goes there, if not, and i figure you will not, yours is wired like the rest of ours with the extra 20 amp main breaker going to the main AC.
pulling the underside covers will give you access up to the peninsula, the only hard part is real sealing the artic pak insulation on the under belly. been under mine and there is alot of space for wires and such.
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Old 11-14-2004, 09:52 AM   #6
sreigle
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Thanks for the information, grey-ghost. I have a VOM but don't think I can do as you suggest. Our main breaker is a double breaker with both sides locked together. I don't have a 30 separate from a 20. There's a 20 and a 30 but they cannot be moved separately. I guess I need to go to the individual breakers and check it there.

One of the individual breakers (labeled by the dealer, I think) is labeled "AC/Washer" and another is "AC/CON". I don't know what the CON is for. Wouldn't be for the converter, would it? And I'm not sure which AC is for the primary AC and which for the 2nd AC Prep. I could turn on the AC and trip each breaker to find out but it's about 40 degrees and I doubt the AC would come on. Can't get the thermostat that low. So when it warms up I'll try that.

Thanks.
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Old 11-14-2004, 01:15 PM   #7
NJ Hillbilly
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Grey Ghost, I like the Amsoil better than the K & N's I've had before and tests have shown that the Amsoil traps more dirt.

Steve, do You have breakers above and below the main. If You do then the upper ones draw from the upper main and the lower ones draw from the lower one.

This is what mine looks like.

John
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Old 11-14-2004, 05:11 PM   #8
sreigle
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John, ours is entirely different. The mains are in a separate panel, the one to the left in this picture. The converter is on the right, with 110v breakers on the left half and the 12v fuses on the right. The main has a 30 and a 20 linked together. Cannot move just one of them.
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Old 11-18-2004, 02:38 PM   #9
Montana_1892
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sreigle, ours looks like yours, except the two main breakers are not tied together. amazing some many differing configurations from one manufacture
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Old 11-18-2004, 03:16 PM   #10
sreigle
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I just checked the mains again, hoping I'd missed some way to flip up the connection between main breakers or somehow be able to move them separately. No dice. They appear to be permanently tied together. I can move one a fraction of an inch without moving the other but then the connecting link kicks in. I see no way to separate them short of a hacksaw.
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