Shore Power - to the side or to the rear:
Now I don’t know about the rest of you folks but I have noticed that I always end up with a camp site with the utilities located along the side of my trailer. Ironically the water and sewer hookups to the trailer also happen to be on the side of my trailer. But here the good stuff ends. All of these sites have messed up and placed the electrical in the same general location - on the side of my trailer instead of at the rear of the site near where my trailer shore power connector is. I have yet to hit a single park that has gotten this ‘electrical at the rear of the site’ right.
So I have given up. Yup, thrown in the towel and decided that if they can’t get it right I will join them and install a second shore power connector on the side of my trailer.
I had several criteria in this project:
1. It had to be safe.
2. It had to be neat and clean.
3. It had to be easy.
I did not plan to replace my rear shore power connector so I had to make sure that the unused connector was not ‘electrically hot’ (no shock hazzard) when not in use. Kids & most adults have eyes in their finger tips - they have to touch everything. I did not want them to get an electrical shock. And I really did not want to have to drop the belly panels from the under side of the trailer just to expose the wiring.
What I came up with is so easy, clean and simple even my wife is impressed with me. When I opened the AC distribution panel inside the trailer, I found that the AC coming into the distribution panel was run thru a twin 50amp circuit breaker and then to the distribution buss. This is the way your house electrical panel is wired - flip this main breaker and the entire distribution buss is dead. This meant that I could install another twin 50amp circuit breaker and wire it from MY new side power connector. The ‘ON’ breaker would determine where the power was being fed from and the ‘OFF’ breaker would isolate the unused connector from inquiring fingers.
My pictures show what was done and how easy it can be.
http://community.webshots.com/user/mmrxboss
Parts:
1 - 50amp shore power BULKHEAD connector.
Mine is by MARINCO.
Check with your Rv dealer at around $80.
2 - Twin 50amp circuit breaker set.
Your local home center, Home Depot, Lowes, etc
3 - #6/3 wire in what ever length you need.
If in doubt, go long as this wire can not be spliced!
The #6 is the conductor size and
the /3 indicates how many wires are in the cable:
black, white, red and ground.
4 - Metal cable clamp for the back of the distribution panel.
Probably 3/4".
5 - cable clamps, screws and what ever you need to secure the
wire cable.
Install:
Locate a position on the side of your trailer where the bulkhead connecter can be mounted so that it will not have water from your fresh water or your out-side shower any where near it. If you actually use the shower be very care full as to where you locate this connector!
Check, check & re-check what is on the inside of the trailer wall where you plan to drill. I have noticed that stupidity strikes when I least expect it so again check, check & re-check.
Figure out where and how you will run the cable and how you will fasten it securely when done.
CAREFULLY drill the mounting hole. I found that a 2 1/2" hole saw did a great job and provided a great fit for my connector. Check your own hole requirements for your connector.
Attach cable to connector. On my connector the holes for the cable were color coded to the cable. IF IN DOUBT - remove factor connector, open it up and compare to you connector.
NOTE. My bulkhead connector is the same manufacturer as the factories but I noticed that the position the power cable plugged in was different - counter clockwise by 120 degrees. The internal part of the connector can be removed and repositioned. I repositioned mine so that my cable always plugs into both connectors in the same position.
Feed wire thru hole in trailer, position connector and screw to the trailer.
Feed wire thru trailer to the position needed to enter the AC distribution panel. Strap cable as you go.
UN-PLUG your trailer AC power cord!
Check that the power cord is UN-PLUGED!
Re-check that the power cord is UN-PLUGED!
If your trailer has a inverter - battery power is converted to AC - disconnect the batteries!
Open distribution panel covers.
Remove screws and pull distribution panel from the wall. BE GENTLE as there will be lots of wires behind this panel. Pay attention to resistance. Find out why the panel is not moving - a wire could be caught.
Open a ‘knock out plug’ in the back wall of the distribution panel and install a metal cable clamp into this hole. This connector will be used to secure the cable
Feed cable into the back of the panel and secure with the cable clamp.
Look at the factory 50amp breakers and wiring and wire your cable to your breakers and the ground buss EXACTLY like the factory did. PAY ATTENTION!
Install your breaker set into the panel.
Check your work!
Test. Plug in your AC cable to one outside connector and flip the necessary breaker set for power to the trailer. Then try the other connector and reset the breakers.
UNPLUG POWER.
Put distribution panel back in place - carefully! Reattach all trim panels.
Your done.
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