Best location for RV inlet plug on side of bus?

[cwatkin]

I am working on my bus electrical system and wanted to pick a good location for my trailer inlet plug on the side of the bus. Someone has already told me that I want to place it on the driver side but do I want it near the rear or front of the bus body? I have a 12ft G30 short bus I am converting.

For simplicity's sake, I am planning to use a single pole 50A inlet. This will pull from one leg of a split phase 50A park outlet and make the inverter installation simpler. I think 6000W is plenty for what I need.

My plan would be to try and use as short of a run of 6/3 cord to connect to the park outlet as possible while having enough so that I am not having to stretch it or have to be super worried about how close I park the bus to the pedestal. So I want to have enough to connect at a park but not come up with tons of excess. Then if I run on my generator (30A), I will connect an adapter and cord for extra length so I don't have to hear and smell it. I can buy 6/3 SOOW by the foot at a supply house locally for less money than the pre packaged rolls at big box stores so can get as much or as little as I want.

Where is a good approximate location to place the trailer inlet and how much cord should I buy for good measure? I also plan to wire from the trailer inlet to the load center with SOOW wire so need to account for that as well. How far from the front or back of the bus should the inlet be? Does it really not matter on a bus of this length? I was thinking about placing the load center on the driver side below the 2nd of 4 windows back so could place it near that. I was looking at pictures of RVs parked at camps I found online and get the feeling it won't be critical on my short bus.

Thank you,

Conor

[johnbloem1974]

I have a 30 foot bus and I put my inlet right behind my tear tires on the driver side. I have a 25 foot cord and I've never run into problems. As long as you have a decent length cord, you should be good. Most RV parks have their pedestals towards the back of the site (closer to the road/entry of site).

John

[Booyah45828]

Mine is on the driver's side, all the way towards the rear.

That is where I found most campers and rv's to have theirs, so for simplicity's sake, I put it there too.

[cwatkin]

Originally Posted by Booyah45828

Mine is on the driver's side, all the way towards the rear.

That is where I found most campers and rv's to have theirs, so for simplicity's sake, I put it there too.

OK, these all look like good suggestions. I will place it as close to the rear as possible.

Conor

[RolesvilleMarina]

We have a short 7 window vista

our shore power plug is pretty much just aft of the drivers seat

I scored a couple of pop up campers and one i used the 25 ft power cord
and in the other one I found a 25ft thick RV 3 prong extension cord

We also are just 30 amps and hardly ever use that even with the roof top air.


but I find 50 ft is handy, so don't short yourself (pun intended)

being able to split it either 25 ft or the 50 ft total has always been more than I've needed to run any scenario you describe.. our onan 4k will be under the bus behind our rear wheels (when I get the onan right) The tow hitch was designed to hold the onan, and until I get it 100% wired I would be able to run the RV 25 ft cord and reach it

so I would run a pair of 25 footers and not 1 single length

Cheers

[turf]

electric code and rvia say:

within 15 feet of the rear and to the left of the longitudinal center of the vehicle

nfpa 70 article 551

[cwatkin]

That is good there is a code but I could put this right behind the drivers seat and still be within spec. I will probably put it next the my panel to minimize wire run. That will be right under the 2nd of the 4 windows from front to back and I will put it as far back as I can under that window.

I was actually thinking about splitting a cord as well. I was thinking about a 25 ft 6/3 cord which I would use for my 50 amp service. I have decided on going with a single phase/pole 50 amp service. This isn't quite as common and simply pulls from one leg of a 50 amp service while leaving the other prong dead.

My generator is 3400 running watts so just a tad under 3 amps. I thought about having a longer secondary cord to run my generator off at a distance. It is the quiet inverter type but it is still nice if they are far away. I was thinking a lighter cord should work fine (correct me if this is a bad idea). I have a roll of 10/3 still in the package so I could return it if needed.

I was thinking about mounting a hitch type platform for a generator, fuel cans, etc. as well. I would assume that running a generator on that platform wouldn't be safe though. This would just be to transport it, not for use. I could then take if off and place it farther away.

I really think 50 amps will be plenty, even in single phase. As you mention, 30 amps is probably enough. 50 amps should be good enough no matter what. This is my first one of these conversions.

Conor

[Native]

With a bus as small as yours,you really have not restrictions. Placing it where it is convenient for you is a good idea.


Power cords ... best to have the largest wires as possible/affordable. Longer wires drop more voltage, even in AC wires.

[musigenesis]

I'm curious: does anybody ever install the plug through their floor, so that you don't have a visible receptacle on the outside? I have a box that projects below my factory by about a foot, behind the rear wheel, and I'm considering mounting the inlet on the back side of this box. It's a little bit difficult to reach under the skirt and attach the plug right now, but I'm going to be hingeing the skirt later on so it won't be a general problem.

Wondering if there's some good reason to not do this, since nobody ever seems to do it.

[RolesvilleMarina]

Originally Posted by turf

electric code and rvia say:

within 15 feet of the rear and to the left of the longitudinal center of the vehicle

nfpa 70 article 551

Interesting. I had no idea.

However none of my bus is gonna pass anyone's code anyway so I nae worried about where the shore power plug was going

RVIA though isn't that the "company" what won't inspect or approve a conversion anyway?




Our Onan is not on the back platform, it is UNDER the bus. We can run it while we drive (once the project is complete) I built my hitch so it will hold the onan 4k tucked under the bus)

and 10/3 would work for 30 amps. I am not sure what all your power needs are. We have a rooftop air and mini fridge. Everything else is 12v, low amp draws. But if you have more leccy things you would want 50 sure.

either way still find a split cord is a good idea, as you always want the shortest you can, and sometimes you get lucky and close to a pedestal and don't need the other 25 ft

[peteg59]

I too have a 4 window, and have mounted a 30A. marine grade outer receptacle on the left/driver side about mid point on the body. I placed it there to minimize internal wiring to my breaker panel.

50A. service on such a small bus is really overkill, and adds cost to a conversion that in my opinion, is unnecessary for my needs.

If your concern is that you won't be able to hook up to a 50A. service outlet if you use a 30A. outside receptacle, there are cord/receptacle adapters that convert 50 down to 30.
Most parks with shore power offer both 30 and 50A. outlets for their guests, (IF you can even get in with a skoolie?).

[WIbluebird]

50a is only really necessary on a larger coach with multiple ACs or if you are doing something crazy like an onboard workshop with a ton of power tools.

[ol trunt]

My bus build pretty much mimics RIVA's simperings and recommendations albeit in a mirror image. Using RIVA strategies isn't a bad idea but loosing sleep over them in a conversion that will probably be shunned by the snooty RV campgrounds anyway is silly.
Jack

[Native]

Originally Posted by musigenesis

I'm curious: does anybody ever install the plug through their floor, so that you don't have a visible receptacle on the outside? I have a box that projects below my factory by about a foot, behind the rear wheel, and I'm considering mounting the inlet on the back side of this box. It's a little bit difficult to reach under the skirt and attach the plug right now, but I'm going to be hingeing the skirt later on so it won't be a general problem.

Wondering if there's some good reason to not do this, since nobody ever seems to do it.

Why yes, our "temporary" installation is at rear of the battery box UNDER the bus.


With a hinged skirt, you would not have to crawl under to get to the power connector like I do.


Bonus: With the cord going up under the bus, it looks like it is a long cord attached to the bus and thus not something that could easily be taken.

[Native]

Here is what it looks like as one might see it walking up to it:





Here is the connection:

[musigenesis]

Originally Posted by Native

Here is what it looks like as one might see it walking up to it:
Attachment 51766




Here is the connection:
Attachment 51767

Looks great, that's exactly what I'm hoping for. If my landlady will let me run an extension cord to the building, I'll be able to run it around and behind my bus and it won't be as obvious as it would be with a regular RV inlet.

[peteg59]

An underside mounting for electrical might not be ideal, being it would be difficult to keep water out while going down a wet road.
But if done right it might work.

Having a typical RV style side body mounted receptacle, would eliminate scrunching down underneath to hook up an extension cord. Especially if doing so in the rain, or at night.

[cwatkin]

The under bus connection is a neat idea and I haven't thought of that. I plan to mainly use this in state and national parks around my area. I see people camping in box trucks, homemade campers on Harbor Freight trailers, etc. I don't think a Skoolie will be a problem there. I also wouldn't mind boondocking it out in the woods but am somewhat concerned about crackheads and such around here. Odds are this wouldn't be a concern in the winter but I live in the Missouri Ozarks. This is where the movie "Winter's Bone" was set and filmed.

I went ahead and ordered the 50amp single phase connectors. I really think even this style of 50 amp service is probably going to be overkill for me so that is why I didn't really want to mess with the more common split phase setup. That and the fact it makes easier feeding back with an inverter easier. I plan to upgrade to a different converter/inverter system down the road but this will work better for now. I kinda have to choose between lead-acid and lithium unless there are setups that will work with either. I have a boatload of deep cycle lead acid batteries around for now so would rather use them up but don't want to be married to that system.

My 50 amp system is going to be half the more common setup for the large 40ft class A systems and such. 6000 watts should be plenty. I think I will have my first section of cord be the 6/3 so that I can plug into a 50 amp service safely and then my extension for the 30 amp generator be 10/3. I already own 100ft of 1/3 SOOW and will buy 25 ft or so cut to the ft from a supply house here locally. I have no qualms about buying extra so if you think I should, I will get more than 25 ft. I could do 30 ft or 32ft. It doesn't matter to me. $2.50 per foot isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things. I could also just return the 100ft roll as I haven't cut into it yet and buy from the supply house by the ft.

I have also thought about having a generator hanging off the back to run AC while driving. I figure this isn't really a big deal as long as the bus is in motion.


Conor

[Doktari]

I have a 4 window Chevy G30 also. I charge with a 15 amp plug on a 20 amp extension cord from the grid or my Honda eu2000i generator. 50 amp!. 6000 watts!. What are you running?. I’m impressed.
I am limited to turning my appliances on one at a time using this 15 amp service. So far it hasn't been a bother.
On my prior conversion I had a Victron Energy Multiplus inverter/charger with “powerassist”. This was great when running big loads. The inverter would boost the generator from the batteries to run big loads like my air compressor. So again a 12 gauge extension cord worked fine. I miss that setup.
If your G30 is like mine it is not a good rig to run in hot conditions. I get way to much heat coming from the floor board and doghouse and it’s very uncomfortable. Air conditioning would need to be directed directly onto my legs and feet and I’m not sure how to accomplish that. There’s no factory A/C and the only A/C I plan to add will be on the rear. I stay near the Puget Sound during Summer so there’s natural air conditioning. I don’t want to drive it in high heat anyway as I worry about toasting my transmission, engine, and alternator.
Are all cutaway vans this uncomfortable?

[cwatkin]

Yeah, 6000W might be overkill. This is my first one so don't want to regret not having enough power. It looks like most campsites offer 50A service so why not just design the thing around what is available? I will mainly be using state and national parks so don't think anyone will be too snooty. Besides I want to boondock it quite often so will run off the generator which is essentially 30A. This is probably enough but it isn't hard to design around 50A. I think 15A would be a tad small, especially with my girlfriend. I figure I would want to at least be able to run two pretty high draw appliances at once which would be 30A.

I have noticed that about the heat from the floor and doghouse. I did redo my heater lines and removed the rear bus heater so will reinstall a shutoff valve on the heater core to disable it in the summer and prevent coolant circulation but haven't installed the valve just yet. I bought the hose but the parts store didn't have such a valve. I have it on hand now and just need to install it.

I will have a window unit or something running and figure a generator on the rear of the thing can be running as a go down the road. It may not be perfect but better than nothing. Once parked the engine heat will not be an issue.

Conor