smkettner
Southern California
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No need to remove the breaker. Just measure voltage on the buss and on the breaker screw where the load connects. Voltage should be steady as you wiggle the breaker a bit.
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Finally have ruled out the cord: after five previous readings at the pole of 240 V across the hots, I am getting one leg as zero.
Above the plug, is the old main pole breaker box and above that the meter. As I understand it, the meter wires are the same dual 120 volt lines as in both outside and inside breaker boxes. Can I take a hot to hot reading off the main incoming lines or is this a bad idea?
I can also read off the main breakers, hot to hot, which seems to be the same as above. I would like to rule out a service end problem as this is most likely at the transformer or utility side (corrosion, loose leads etc)
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bpounds
Whittier CA
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You can check voltage across the utility companies leads. It won't hurt anything.
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Consistent 240V across utility lines. Knocked a wasp dirt nest off the hot bus bar. Only
have one erratic (zero volts on one leg) reading on the plug; seems more consistent than it should be.
The ground is an open copper wire running from the neutral/ground bar and wrapped around the plugs steel base. Should I run this ground direct to the plug ground terminal instead? Person who wired this up used a red line for the neutral, but it does go to the neutral bar. The box needs to be neatened up as it is has no wire inlet plugs, wires exposed from bundle etc.
Neutral was connected next to copper ground on the bar connected to utility neutral as all other grounds are.
Buying a new length of cable for the main box to the shore plug (two feet).
I am running off and buying a new 220 plug. Will be online before installing in a couple of hours (country time as I am way out on the plains). Thanks for the help!!!
Updated above as found ground wrapped to steel shank of plug.
* This post was
edited 09/21/11 11:07am by Cholla Bob *
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smkettner
Southern California
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Yes there should be a ground wire to the ground pin.
I would not plug in until the supply was checked by an electrician and brought up to code. Campground handyman need not apply.
My EMS will not allow power without proper ground connection and it is required by NEC.
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Just updated message above as found ground. I am bringing the shore box, plug, and cable to the hardware and RV store and updating. This will be done right by the end of the day. Will connect ground direct to ground pin.
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bpounds
Whittier CA
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Sounds like this is a power pole out in a field. Where is the driven ground rod?
You have 2 hots and a neutral coming down to the pole. You have a ground coming from a ground rod, maybe right at the pole, but you need to know where it is and check it. If this pole just serves your RV pad, then the neutral and the ground need to be bonded together at the RV disconnect box, and at that box ONLY. If this pole serves other functions, then it gets more complicated as to where neutral and ground should be bonded. Everywhere else, neutral and ground are not connected together.
* This post was
edited 09/21/11 11:52am by bpounds *
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Ground stake is at base of pole and runs to meter. Assuming that ground runs to main box from meter through steel conduit as there is no direct ground into main pole breaker box. Into the main breaker box runs utility neutral and two hots. The utility neutral runs to the neutral/ground post where all copper grounds run to, including the shore plug ground and neutral wire. The previous ground in the shore plug did not go to the ground terminal but to the shore plug steel shank, wrapped through holes and this could have been a problem. The shore plug supplies only the RV.
As I could not get 50 amp cord today (3 8 gauge strands with ground), I am using 6 gauge rated for 55 amps and conduit; only option until I get to the city which is a drive. New 50 amp plug and hoping to see an improvement, but it could be the cord. The new setup will replace three feet of the most beat-up 50 amp cord I have seen (between main box and plug box).
Almost out of laptop power and will check in once more before throwing the switch.
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Installed new wire, 50 amp plug, and cleaned up box; no change. I did switch the hots and the dead side of the house lit up perfect, so the problem is not past the cord. On this hot side, the breaker was making a slight electrical crack when switching. They are old and should be replaced as the box should also. A storm moved in and the overhead electrical line was swinging. The bad hot was fluctuating up to no higher than 109 volts. At the basement box, the reading was zero across the hots and 120 V from the good hot to the neutral bar.
Still wondering about the cord, the breaker, and the utility side. This is a pole out in a field linked to a transformer pole 200 feet away. This may all be on the utility side. It has been a good opportunity to clean up this box.
I was planning on getting an electrician out here to replace the main box as it is not in good shape, as obvious now. Survived all this and thank everyone for their help on this. Thanks!
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Cholla Bob
Palomas, NM
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Quote:If this pole just serves your RV pad, then the neutral and the ground need to be bonded together at the RV disconnect box, and at that box ONLY. If this pole serves other functions, then it gets more complicated as to where neutral and ground should be bonded. Everywhere else, neutral and ground are not connected together.
The main pole box serves the RV (two breakers), a well pump (two breakers), and an attached outdoor outlet. I figure whoever wired up this box may not have taken the above into account. Staked ground runs up to meter box, above the main pole box. Neutral and ground bar are bonded at the main pole breaker box. I will go over the ground/neutral problem and will look for an electrician to review everything, this month.
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