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Old 05-13-2019, 10:47 AM   #1
Mini-Skoolie
 
Join Date: Jul 2018
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Shore power question

Hi all,

I wired the @bedbusandbeyond bus for solar and 12v power but the time has come to install an AC panel for our 30 amp shore power connection. I (perhaps foolishly?) picked up a 100 amp panel from the ole Home Depot to this end. However, it looks like this sort of panel accepts *two* hot wires and I only have the one in my 10/2 wiring (along with neutral and ground of course). Will simply hooking up the one hot wire suffice? Follow up question: do I need to install a 30 amp circuit breaker? We’re parked outside of Austin for the rest of the month and I’d love to power our new rooftop ac unit! I have a maxxfan running off solar but it can only so do much...

Any advice is much appreciated!

www.instagram.com/bedbusandbeyond

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Old 05-13-2019, 03:40 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by neuronmisfires View Post
Will simply hooking up the one hot wire suffice? Follow up question: do I need to install a 30 amp circuit breaker? We’re parked outside of Austin for the rest of the month and I’d love to power our new rooftop ac unit! I have a maxxfan running off solar but it can only so do much...
Yes. That type of panel typically splits the 240 VAC input and (in some fashion) some breakers are fed from one leg and the others from the second leg. In your case, you could either use only circuit breaker slots that are connected to your one hot leg or add a jumper so that all CB slots can be used.

Your shore power connection is protected (should be protected) by a breaker (of some sort). You do not need to add a breaker to that input line. If running air conditioning from a 30 amp shore power circuit, you'll likely have to self-manage power consumption. Depending on your equipment, it is entirely possible to overload it (A/C, microwave, hot water heater, etc.) and throw the breaker at the pedestal (or wherever the shore power protection occurs).
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Old 05-13-2019, 09:27 PM   #3
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Ah okay! Thanks so much. As for overloading, the rooftop AC is our only major well... AC.. applicance so we should be okay on that front. Will update when we’re nice and cool!
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Old 05-14-2019, 04:46 AM   #4
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Very welcome! If it helps, air conditioning is typically abbreviated as "A/C" and alternating current as AC. Which is intended is often obvious occasionally it gets a bit confusing.
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Old 05-16-2019, 03:20 PM   #5
Mini-Skoolie
 
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Ah that works! So we set up both A/C and AC (power) and it is a godsend. I don’t know how much longer we would’ve lasted in texas. Thank you!
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Old 05-16-2019, 03:44 PM   #6
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I would suggest picking up a copy of the book "RV Electrical Systems" by Bill and Jan Moeller. House breaker panels tie the ground to the neutral, that's bad in an rv if you intend to run a generator hooked to your ac box. It's cheap.
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Old 05-16-2019, 04:04 PM   #7
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So I didn’t insert the screw that connects the neutral bar to ground, but I did install a separate ground bar in the box (which I wired to the seat rail/chassis). I’ll take a look at the book! I imagine I would help me sleep a bit more soundly. Will post some pics later of our current setup.
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Old 05-16-2019, 05:45 PM   #8
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That's what the book says to do too, so good job there. I love this book because it doesn't just tell you the right way, it tells you what you might find, what's bad and most important it tells you WHY it's bad. It's easy to follow.
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Old 05-16-2019, 05:49 PM   #9
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Are there any sites that publish any portions of that book without having to pay for it?
Remember, most Skoolies are poor, and just can't afford to spend $$ like a drunken sailor to get their busses up and running!!!...
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Old 05-16-2019, 05:56 PM   #10
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$18 on Amazon, less than a case of beer, a little more than a keg of Natty Light.
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Old 05-16-2019, 06:43 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Evil Morty View Post
I would suggest picking up a copy of the book "RV Electrical Systems" by Bill and Jan Moeller. House breaker panels tie the ground to the neutral, that's bad in an rv if you intend to run a generator hooked to your ac box. It's cheap.
Generally the residential load centers come with a bonding jumper that connects ground and neutral at the panel. This is not appropriate for RV installations. The jumper is removable. For RV applications you need to remove the bonding jumper.

If you run a generator or inverter you want ground and neutral bonded at the source.
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Old 05-17-2019, 01:58 AM   #12
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Ah that works! So we set up both A/C and AC (power) and it is a godsend. I don’t know how much longer we would’ve lasted in texas. Thank you!
You have not even been close to the hot days in Texas. This is nice weather right now. Well, 100 degrees is also nice if you are outside. 100 degrees INSIDE is stifling!
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Old 05-17-2019, 07:50 AM   #13
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You have not even been close to the hot days in Texas. This is nice weather right now. Well, 100 degrees is also nice if you are outside. 100 degrees INSIDE is stifling!
Absatively! Got my rooftop A/C disconnected ATM, and've been seeing interior temps in the mid-90s for a couple weeks, now!
That is, when it isn't pouring down a choad toker...
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Old 05-18-2019, 12:58 AM   #14
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been seeing interior temps in the mid-90s for a couple weeks, now!
That is, when it isn't pouring down a choad toker...

Yeah, it has been WET lately ... we are due for another round tomorrow,
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Old 05-18-2019, 05:08 AM   #15
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Yup, more'n a mite damp of late. I, for one, grow weary of feeling fresh as a Summer's Eve...
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Yeah, it has been WET lately ... we are due for another round tomorrow,
Here in Grimes Co., they're calling for rain today, too. "Damaging winds, large hail, scattered tornadoes." Yay skippee.
Gonna have to batten hatches, open scuppers, and move my semi-finished soft wood 8-foot tongue n groove planks inside the bus.
It has been a wet Spring, thankfully not Harvey wet!!! 🤞
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