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Apartment laundry center OK in a rv?


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My toyhauler has a 50 amp electric service.

A previous owner had installed connections in the garage for a laundry set.

The installed Square D breaker labelled  “dryer” is marked 30 amp 120/240v and occupies 2 slots in the panel and has one “switch lever” on one side.

The recepticle is a type 14-30R.

When I look at specs for small 24” wide stacked laundry centers electrical requirements are listed as 30 amp 120/240 volt.

Can I install such a laundry center and be good to go?

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As Kirk said... Be aware that the dryer will only work properly when you have a true 50 amp 120/240 service. A 30 amp only site will be problematic, as will some older 50 amp sites where the "upgrade" to 50 was done by simply running a second hotline to the second leg of the 50 amp outlet with it still connected to the same side of a split phase supply as the other leg. That's not code compliant, but there are likely still some out there.

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3 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Consider going with a propane dryer instead of electric.  For example, this GE 24 inch wide laundry center can be outfitted with a 10,500 BTU gas dryer.  With a gas dryer the unit plugs into a standard 15 amp 120 volt socket and uses just a tad over 1/10th of a gallon of propane per hour of drying time.

This would be my choice also. Gas dryers are great!

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3 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

Consider going with a propane dryer instead of electric.  For example, this GE 24 inch wide laundry center can be outfitted with a 10,500 BTU gas dryer.  With a gas dryer the unit plugs into a standard 15 amp 120 volt socket and uses just a tad over 1/10th of a gallon of propane per hour of drying time.

Just be sure they are vented properly and avoid the use of a "Flexible" vent. That being said, I have used the laundry drop off service at a laundromat where ever I set up for my contracts. I have been happy with almost all the services. Some places actually have separate machines for the drop off clothing.   I drop off the clothes and they come back clean, folded and ready to be put away. The cost is just a little more than me sitting there putting in the quarters and sometimes coming home with less dry clothes because I was tired of just waiting on them to dry. 

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You have 50A service in your RV; HOWEVER it is still  120VAC. You do not have 240VAC available in the RV. The main breaker panel keeps each leg separate instead of being configured so a double breaker can connect to both legs.

Do not buy a 240V dryer unless you plan for extensive electrical work to the RV in order for the dryer to be usable.

 

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12 hours ago, Ray,IN said:

You have 50A service in your RV; HOWEVER it is still  120VAC. You do not have 240VAC available in the RV. The main breaker panel keeps each leg separate instead of being configured so a double breaker can connect to both legs.

Do not buy a 240V dryer unless you plan for extensive electrical work to the RV in order for the dryer to be usable.

This may or may not be true.  It depends on the type of power panel installed.  Some 50 amp RV panels have the main feed 50 amp breaker in the center and then L1 feeds one side of the panel going out from the breaker and L2 feeds the other side of the panel going out from the breaker.  If this is the case, then you can’t make 240 volts without some rewiring.

If the main panel is a standard style panel with the main feed 50 amp breaker at one end, then there is no issue.  In this case, each alternating breaker position after the main breaker will be L1, then L2.  In this case, installing a double pole breaker to make 240 volt is quite easy and no different than doing it in a residential panel.  This is what I have in my RV and why I was able to have a 240 volt dryer wired up from the factory.  Of course the dryer will only work when I have 50 amp service available.

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Chad I think my panel and laundry plug is set up as you describe. My panel main is on one end. The dryer circuit breaker spans two locations but has one “switch” handle. When I get back to the trailer I plan to look up a diagram for measuring polarity and voltage at the 14-30 receptacle and check it out.

Thanks for everyone’s replies 

"Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

noteven, I've heard this type of question for yearssssssssssssssss and a lot of lay persons don't understand this "120" or "240" or "120/240" and electrical appliances such as some older stoves or dryers that used BOTH 120 and 240 volts. 

 HERES THE DEAL In years past a stove or dryer may have used 240 volt THREE wire feed for the 240 volt burners butttttttttt maybeeeeeeeeee they had some 120 devices onboard like say a clock or some of the control circuitry or I've even seen a 15 amp 120 volt convenience receptacle on them. ALSO many were served with ONLY three wires, two hots L1 & L2 plus a bare/green safety Equipment Grounding Conductor. SO HOW DID THEY GET 120 VOLTS ?????????? They got it between L1 or L2 PLUS the bare/green equipment grounding conductor !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 That problem was cured in later years by running FOUR wires to such appliances. Two Hots, Neutral, Equipment Grounding Conductor that way 120 was Line to Neutral as it should be THATS A TRUE 120/240 VOLT FOUR WIRE FEED.

 If an appliance is labeled and actually uses 120 PLUS 240 that's a 120/240 volt appliance and NOTTTTTTTT a 240 that cheats n uses the bare/green equipment grounding Conductor to get 120.

 

SOOOOOOOOOOO can you use a true 120/240 volt appliance in your RV ???

 THE ANSWER DEPENDS

 a) You MUST run FOUR wires to it, two hots L1 & L2, Neutral, Ground.

 b) Your RV panel must be a 120/240 volt single phase three wire unit such that there are two hot L1 & L2 busses into which you can plug SINGLE pole breakers for 120 VAC Line to Neutral  orrrrrrrrrrrrr TWO pole breakers for 240 volt appliances... If it lacks the capacity to use two pole breakers with one leg L1 and the other L2 (that's 240 L1 to L2) its not gonna work without modifications.

 CHECK TO SEE WHAT KIND OF PANEL IS IN YOUR RV AS THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE If it has no L1 and L2 busses for installing TWO POLE 240 volt breakers you're outa luck !!!!!!

 

Hope this helps

John T Tooooooooooo long retired power distribution design engineer and rusty as an old nail on this stuff so NO WARRANTY codes and appliances change over the years......  

 

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RV washers and dryers, vented or not, work pretty good for the size they are.  I'm no electrician but after owning 4 RVs with them I can tell you that they all plug into regular outlets.  So if your breaker panel is OEM and no previous owner go in there and played around, then there shouldn't be an issue just plugging in a regular RV w/d.  My buddy's toyhauler was the same way, plug-and-play.

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23 hours ago, FL-JOE said:

I can tell you that they all plug into regular outlets.

That's indeed true iffffffffffff what you call "regular" outlets are suitable for what the appliance requires, be it 120 only or 120/240 (like some household units) or three or four wire with adequate ampacity (he mentioned needing 30 amps and 240 volts, typical home or RV 120 volt ONLY outlets are 15 or 20 amp rated) and the panel is configured correctly. The RV industry has come a long way in planning and wiring for more n more bigger n better n modern or household type appliances.

Nice chattin with you I will be headed your way soon after it cools there some n gets cold here lol   

 

 John T

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The breaker and receptacle equipment that is installed now by the first owner is described in my original post. When I get back to camp in a few days I’ll post some images of how it is wired.

I do use wind and solar except where I’m at the rinse cycle has been running off and on every day.

thanks

"Are we there yet?" asked no motorcycle rider, ever. 

 

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Noteven, a NEMA 14-30R Receptacle is a 125/250 Volt 3 Pole 4 wire Grounding receptacle. Assuming its wired correctly to a proper panel (which I suspect is all okay) it has BOTH 120 and 240 VAC, a Neutral and an Equipment Ground.

 Your Square D "Dryer" labeled occupying 2 slots (per your description) sounds like a Two Pole 240 Volt (L1 To L2) Breaker.

 If so and if there are Four wires (L1, L1, Neutral, Ground) from the panel (with L1 & L2 on the Two  pole breaker) to that 14-30R Receptacle AND ifffffffffffffff the Panel is like a home residential Type with two L1 & L2 legs,,,,,,,,,

SOUNDS LIKE YOURE GOOD TO GO but I cant say sitting here so still no warranty

 

 John T

 

 

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