Water and electric to 5th wheel

[N2DFire]

My 5th wheel is 115V/30A. 30A is needed to run the AC unit.

I don't plan to have anyone stay in it; in 10 years we had guest use it once, when we had a lot of family in town for a funeral. So the need for 30A will be minimal. But, as long as I'm trenching etc might as well run it for 30A.

I want the water for filling the fresh water tank, washing the 5th wheel etc. No plans staying in the 5th wheel. Septic tank is too far away on other side of drive and other side of house.

If I need to dump, would do that before leaving campground or there are a couple dump station just a few miles away.

The electric will be for charging batteries, chilling fridge before trip, running vacuum while cleaning etc.

My folks do the same thing with their Class A as far as the pre-chiil & cleaning and they just adapted down to a 20A service and run an extension cord from the Shop to the RV so they don't have to uncoil that 50A monster pigtail.

I'm not trying to be "that guy" but if your usage is going to be minimal & infrequent as you say, you could buy a 100 ft 30A rated extension cord & a 100 ft water hose and put the requisite outlet & tap in your well house for less than the cost of the backhoe rental.

Plus you have none of the potential future worries of "What happens if ...". If something happens either patch it or buy a new cord / hose. Done.

Definitely not as fun or "sexy" as having water / power installed to your pad & I get the potential issue of cords / hoses in the way trying to walk, play, mow, etc.

At the end of the day it's your money & project, just something to think about. Best of luck with whatever you decide & happy camping.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Check local codes. Local codes are really all that matters.

Are you sure you have a 110V and not 220v? maybe worth future proofing by runnig a 50 amp service out to the pad?

Contrary to some beliefs, campers do not have 220v service. You can plug into a 220v since the camper uses the same plug, but it will burn out the transfer switch on the camper (don't ask me how I know). The specs for campers even call it 220v but in essence it is two separate 110v lines running to get 50amp service (one line if only 30 amp is required). The wiring is a bit different than 220V typically used for a welding or electric dryer connection (google it for exactly how to wire a camper 220v service)

 

[Groo]

Contrary to some beliefs, campers do not have 220v service. You can plug into a 220v since the camper uses the same plug, but it will burn out the transfer switch on the camper (don't ask me how I know). The specs for campers even call it 220v but in essence it is two separate 110v lines running to get 50amp service (one line if only 30 amp is required). The wiring is a bit different than 220V typically used for a welding or electric dryer connection (google it for exactly how to wire a camper 220v service)

Pretty much any residential 220 single phase electrical in the US is two 110v hots phased oposite of each other.
a 50 amp camper plug is the same as a 4 wire stove plug; 2 hots, a neautral and a ground. It gives the option of either 220v or 110v. The plug calls out exactly what power is used on what terminal. If your RV was wired direrently, it was done incorectly. The specs on the plug are clear.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Pretty much any residential 220 single phase electrical in the US is two 110v hots phased oposite of each other.
a 50 amp camper plug is the same as a 4 wire stove plug; 2 hots, a neautral and a ground. It gives the option of either 220v or 110v. The plug calls out exactly what power is used on what terminal. If your RV was wired direrently, it was done incorectly. The specs on the plug are clear.

The plug is the same, but it is wired differently at the breaker and receptacle in order to get you 2 independent 110v circuits. Many professional electrician don't know how to wire a camper circuit for 50 amp service that really is two 25 Amp 110v circuits. The confusion is when they look at the camper and it will state 220V so they assume it is just like a dryer or stove 220 V. If it is wired that way, it will burn up some very costly equipment at minimum will be the transfer switch if your camper has it own generator. If not then the whole system may go up.

 

[Groo]

Nema 14-50 is Nema 14-50. If you can't handle the power configurations specified by Nema, it should use a different plug. If using the standard Nema 14-50 configuration causes a fire, that liability is going to fall on the guy who wired things incorectly, not the guy who wired them corectly.

Its like the idiot on ebay that sold me a welding extention cord made from 12 ga SJOW and slapped Nema 6-50 plug/receptical on the ends, then assumed he was in the clear because he mentioned a couple low amp welders it works with. It doesn't work that way. If it can handle only 20 amps, you stick a 20 amp receptical on it and change the plug on the other end. Once you stick a 50 amp receptical on it, you are basically saying it is safe to draw 50 amps through it. You can have a higher amp plug on something than it can handle (like a 1/2 amp cell phone charger with a 20 amp plug), but not vice versa.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Nema 14-50 is Nema 14-50. If you can't handle the power configurations specified by Nema, it should use a different plug. If using the standard Nema 14-50 configuration causes a fire, that liability is going to fall on the guy who wired things incorectly, not the guy who wired them corectly.

Its like the idiot on ebay that sold me a welding extention cord made from 12 ga SJOW and slapped Nema 6-50 plug/receptical on the ends, then assumed he was in the clear because he mentioned a couple low amp welders it works with. It doesn't work that way. If it can handle only 20 amps, you stick a 20 amp receptical on it and change the plug on the other end. Once you stick a 50 amp receptical on it, you are basically saying it is safe to draw 50 amps through it. You can have a higher amp plug on something than it can handle (like a 1/2 amp cell phone charger with a 20 amp plug), but not vice versa.

If you knew anything about campers, you would understand. ALL campers use the same type plug (30 amp or 50 amp) and ALL are wired the same way so no matter what campground you go to, the hook up will be the same. Almost everyone who owns a camper knows this (especially if they have owned one for a while). NEMA does not tell you how to wire a plug, It just specs the voltages/amps that the plug is designed to handle and the camper plugs are rated for the amperage used.
If you think you know everything about setting up a camper but insist that you wire it just like a normal 220v, then by all means, buy yourself a camper, wire it up for 220v and see what happens.
Don't attempt to direct others when you know not what to do.

 

[Deere Dude]

If you knew anything about campers, you would understand. ALL campers use the same type plug (30 amp or 50 amp) and ALL are wired the same way so no matter what campground you go to, the hook up will be the same. Almost everyone who owns a camper knows this (especially if they have owned one for a while). NEMA does not tell you how to wire a plug, It just specs the voltages/amps that the plug is designed to handle and the camper plugs are rated for the amperage used.
If you think you know everything about setting up a camper but insist that you wire it just like a normal 220v, then by all means, buy yourself a camper, wire it up for 220v and see what happens.
Don't attempt to direct others when you know not what to do.

Just like looking at a 30 Amp plug and considering it needs to be 220 but in reality it is 110 and some thinking needs to be involved in wiring one. I personally know of at least 3 people that wired them 220 and wrecked some stuff in the camper, expensive stuff.

Everything I heard is it is the 50 Amp plug is a standard 220 plug but there are no 220 receptacles in the camper. Everything is 110 V.

To the OP, I would run a 30 amp wire and plug. I ran one but whenever I hook my camper now, I just run a 50' 14-16 gauge extension cord to the camper just for lights, the refrigerator and charging the battery. I have a 37' fifth wheel with a 50 amp plug but just reduce it down. The 30 amper would probably be necessary for air, if that is ever run.

 

[R_Walter]

Make sure you call the 1-800 number to have your underground lines marked before you dig.

 

[Groo]

Just like looking at a 30 Amp plug and considering it needs to be 220 but in reality it is 110 and some thinking needs to be involved in wiring one. I personally know of at least 3 people that wired them 220 and wrecked some stuff in the camper, expensive stuff.

Everything I heard is it is the 50 Amp plug is a standard 220 plug but there are no 220 receptacles in the camper. Everything is 110 V.

To the OP, I would run a 30 amp wire and plug. I ran one but whenever I hook my camper now, I just run a 50' 14-16 gauge extension cord to the camper just for lights, the refrigerator and charging the battery. I have a 37' fifth wheel with a 50 amp plug but just reduce it down. The 30 amper would probably be necessary for air, if that is ever run.

the 30 amp plug is a 110 plug
the 50 amp plug is both 110 and 220. 220 exists in a residence as two 110 legs. If you only need 110, you use one hot and a neutral. If you need 220, you use both legs. They are oposite of each other.

 

[EddieWalker]

Dig two trenches