While a 50 amp RV service requires four wires and uses a four-prong plug, it is still only three pole with hot, neutral and ground connections. This differs from the conventional 120 volt service in one major way – two separate legs of 120 volts each at 50 amps. Contrary to popular belief, a 50 amp service does not consist of a 30 and 20 amp service combined. Even the most larger RVs use this double-hot-pole setup instead when plugged into 50 amps in order to draw 120 volts from two distinct 120-volt circuits simultaneously for up to 12,000 watts of power at once. Some great options are the U075CP6010 for unmetered pedestals and the R075CP6010 or M075CP6010 for metered options. These Midwest 50, 30, 20 amp RV Pedestals are some the best selling and most popular rv outlets on the market

 

Step 1

An NEMA 14-50R is the outlet you need to buy. For safety and quality assurance, it should come pre-installed into an individualized, weatherproof product box. To ensure optimal performance, use ROMEX® #6 wire with both hot wires and a neutral wire of six gauges each.

Step 2

To install the new 50 amp outlet, begin by turning off the main breaker and disconnecting the corresponding breaker panel. Typically, single phase power is supplied to a circuit board with two hot wires, one ground wire and one neutral connection.

Step 3

To get started, first find a double-pole 50 amp breaker that hasn’t been used yet or install one in an available location. Connect the red wire to a terminal on the outlet side of your chosen breaker and attach the black wire to its other terminal. Then fasten the white cable to your neutral bus-bar and finally secure either green or bare wires onto their respective grounding block. And you’re good to go!

Step 4

Secure the “U” shaped receiver, commonly referred to as the “half-round,” which is located in the 12 o’clock position on a clock face, by connecting it to ground using either a green or bare wire. The terminal screw used for this connection will be painted green for recognition.

Step 5

Connect the receiver straight below the arc found at six o’clock on a clock face, attaching it to neutral with a white wire. The terminal screw should be painted in white for easy identification.

Step 6

Connect the two receivers on either side of the outlet – three and nine o’clock when viewing from a clock face- to each respective hot wire. The red and black wires are interchangeable since these provide dual 120 volt supplies instead of one 240 volts power supply, allowing for 180 degrees differential phase between them. Hence it does not matter which receiver is connected with either wire.

Step 7

To complete the installation of your new 50 amp outlet, you must switch back on the main breaker and then turn on its double-pole breaker.

Step 8

To ensure a safe connection for your RV, use the voltage meter set to 240 volts as specified by the manufacturer and test each receiver before plugging in. Insert one probe into an individual hot slot while placing the other prob into its corresponding neutral slot; you should receive a reading of 120V. Then move both probes to their respective hot slots and record that same result -120V- verifying that all is well with your wiring setup! Finally, place both probes within two distinct hot receivers simultaneously: now you should get your expected voltage rating of 240V confirming successful completion of this important safety check.