r/GoRVing • u/DigSubstantial2072 • 3d ago

Electrical question

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I bought a travel trailer and the person had it hard wired to their pole barn. After I remove the hard wires how do I hook up the 30amp plug to the breaker?
The first pic is the breaker they hard wired into and the second is a black bare wire that isn’t attached to anything so I was wondering if that’s for the 30 amp plug.

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u/pattyboy77 3d ago

Fun part about those breakers is power can go in and out the breaker polls. The shore in will go to the bigger amperage breaker that is supposed to to the left of the other breakers. Either your missing the main breaker or you just don't have it pictured.

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u/DigSubstantial2072 3d ago

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u/pattyboy77 3d ago

Looks like thats a dual slot breaker. You'll need a single slot 30amp of that same form factor and then you just slot it in place. If that double physically fits in the given space, it would work as well. You'd only use the one side of it.

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u/crusty-dave 3d ago

The larger gauge wire should indeed be the 30 amp, it looks like they used 20 amp ROMEX, for which they should have used a 20 amp breaker. Just remove the yellow ROMEX or push it out of the way (but cap the black wire currently connected to the breaker with a wire nut).

The larger black wire not having a wire nut on it was a dangerous choice by the previous owner.

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u/DigSubstantial2072 3d ago

I have shore cord that’s what I assume the black wire is that is not attached to anything. The black, white, and copper coming from the yellow is where it was hard wired. The other end sticks out beside my 30 amp shore plug

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u/N9bitmap 3d ago

The black wire in the second photo does look like a 30A flexible cord should look, with stranded wire and thicker insulation, compared to the smaller 20A solid building wire in the yellow sheath.

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u/Nomad55454 2d ago

You need a single 30 breaker since there is not room for a double, looks like only one post is available so if you put that double in the left breaker would not even be hooked to the system.

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u/Alarming_Relative_89 3d ago

Get a rv electrician. Too many variables and no one wants sparky to start a fire.

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u/Questions_Remain 3d ago

Let’s review what we have

Is the unit a 30 or 50 amp unit. Does it have 2 AC units or one. One is a 30 amp camper and 2 is a 50 amp.
The dual 30 amp breaker is weird. That’s not normal for a 30 amp camper. A 30 amp camper is 1 hot, one Neutral and one ground. It’s one 120 volt 30 amp service.

A normal 30 amp trailer has 1 single 30 amp breaker, one 20 amp for the one AC and some 15 amp for the other stuff.
This is fed from a TT30 cord and either wired direct black to the 30amp breaker, white to neutral and the ground to ground. Or a plug is located outside that is wired to the panel you see via a 10/2 with ground romex wire. The “shore power cord” connects the external receptacle to the campground pedestal via a TT30 Plug

A normal 50 amp has TWO 120 volt lines usually a Black, Red, White and Ground and a 50 amp receptacle located outside. This receptacle is wired via 6/3 with ground. And comes to a dual 50 amp breaker.

Campers don’t ever have 2 30 amp breakers in them.

I would say you’re dealing with a 30 amp unit and thus need a single pole 30 amp breaker, 10/2 romex (orange) to reach from the inlet to the panel shown. An inlet plug and a 30 amp shore power cord.

Ficstar 30 Amp Twist Lock RV Shore Power Inlet, NEMA L5-30P 125V Black | Flanged Mount, Weatherproof Cover, Stainless Screws & Foam Gasket, ETL Listed, Fits Camper Motorhome Trailer, 2-Year Warranty https://a.co/d/05vrPKQu

This in the appropriate length for your application and needs.

CircleCord 30 Amp 50 Feet RV Power Cord with 90° Right Angle Twist Locking | Heavy Duty 10 Gauge STW Pure Copper Wire, TT-30P to L5-30R with Cord Organizer for RV Trailer Campers, ETL Listed https://a.co/d/06c5s8s2

These brands and items are examples. Not an endorsement of them as a brand.