Thor Forums

[cavie]

Originally Posted by TurnerFam

this is why your are confusing 'home electrical' with 'rv electrical'... the simple answer is that the far majority of any 50amp RV's MAIN PANEL have incoming 240v power, from the 50amp Shore Power outlet and thru the Shore Cord, but the RV's main panel does NOT combine the two, or ALLOW the two to be combined for any 240v output. A home's 240v panel allows for double-pole 240v breakers, but an RV's typically does NOT.
Are there exceptions? Yes. If you are talking about a larger coach with a 240v clothes dryer, then certainly, that coach will have more of a 'home' type Main Panel, with 240v breakers.
The vast majority do not, and simply make use of both 'sides' of the incoming 50amp 240v power separately, as TWO DIFFERENT 120v POWER SOURCES. Just because one 'side' can be overloaded and the tripping of that side causes both 'sides' to then trip together doesn't effect the overall 100amps of usable power - a coach owner is already 'assigned' breakers for the circuits on each 'side' to be 'balanced', though it's never a perfect science in a situation, like an RV, where the main panel is controlling many differing loads.

I also don't think that just because we use the term '100amps of usable 120v power' is going to somehow make some owner decide to 'go into their main panel and start moving stuff around', or such, but I get your concern, though I think it's over reaching for the simple conversation about the true 'reality' of RV power.

You are preaching to a 69 year old Master Electrician with 55 years experience that is NOT gonna change his mind about how to explain electricity to newbies Sorry!!