Shore power question

[Bob Gil]

I am in a bit of a tight and need to know can I wire the shore plug to work on the dryer plug from my house? 
It is 220 but i don't know a lot about electricty. 

Just that the kitchen is not working in the house for a while and I would like to be able to cook in the bus with out having to run the genset the whole time I am cooking.

[Busted Knuckle]

should be able to, but please don't take my word for it! The guru's will be a long and answer the properly soon!   BK 

[HighTechRedneck]

Yes, you can easily build an adapter (Range outlet wired to a Dryer Plug using 6 gauge wire).  But the important thing to note is the rating of the breaker on the dryer circuit and keep your usage within that.  Dryers don't draw as much power as Ranges can.  That is the reason for the different plug.  IIRC a dryer circuit is 30 amps on each leg as opposed to a range circuit being 50 amps on each leg.  Hence they are built with lighter gauge wire.

hth

[Bob Gil]

I will just need some thing to run the convection oven microwave and maybe the one burner stove top.

The smoke got out of the kitchen wiring and the oven and stove top too it looks like.

Some days it just does not pay to get up.

[HighTechRedneck]

That connection shoudl be fine for those two things.

[bobofthenorth]

Sorry to burst your bubble Bob but there's no way to do what you want without violating code.  The problem is that your dryer has 2 hot plugs and a neutral safety.  You should read 120 volts from each of the hot plugs to the neutral safety and 240 volts across the hots.  But you can't use the neutral safety to carry the ground.  If it was me & I really "had" to use the dryer plug, I'd get a 10' ground rod and drive it into the ground near the plug and use that for my ground but don't tell anybody I said that.  And if you don't know what I mean then its a good sign that you shouldn't be messing with it.  By your own words you've already got escaped smoke on your hands - no sense making more of it.

[Bob Gil]

Sorry to burst your bubble Bob but there's no way to do what you want without violating code.  The problem is that your dryer has 2 hot plugs and a neutral safety.  You should read 120 volts from each of the hot plugs to the neutral safety and 240 volts across the hots.  But you can't use the neutral safety to carry the ground.  If it was me & I really "had" to use the dryer plug, I'd get a 10' ground rod and drive it into the ground near the plug and use that for my ground but don't tell anybody I said that.  And if you don't know what I mean then its a good sign that you shouldn't be messing with it.  By your own words you've already got escaped smoke on your hands - no sense making more of it.

I don't trust the wiring on the buss or me so I already have a rod in the ground with a #6 copper wire going to it from the frame of the buss just to make sure if there is not a good round I will be covered I hope.  And i have not got any thing pluged into it just two extention cords going to it.  I don't wnat one of them to short out on the bus if it gets pulled to hard or some thing and making the bus electfied.

[HighTechRedneck]

Bob's right it won't meet code if done that way.  On the other hand a 50' extension cord running from inside the house to the outside probably doesn't meet code either.

Since Neutral and Ground are generally bonded in a home installation, there are basically two wires going to the same place.  One as the official path, the other as a safety backup.  In this scenario, you are foregoing the safety back up.  You could put in a ground wire to attach to the adapter if you like.

[JackConrad]

Before you plug in anything in your bus, check your wiring to be sure you have 120 volt and not 240 volt.. 2 40 would quickly let the smoke out in your bus.  Better safe than sorry.  Jack

[Sojourner]

Amen to bobofthenorth and Jack Conrad!
I was about to warn that 2 hot 110/115v ac lines maybe 180° out of phase to make it 220/ 230v. If it not 220/230v, then it is 110/115v system.

Thank you for getting that out quick before a possible smoke and/or fire.

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

[bobofthenorth]

I don't trust the wiring on the buss or me so I already have a rod in the ground with a #6 copper wire going to it from the frame of the buss just to make sure if there is not a good round I will be covered I hope.  And i have not got any thing pluged into it just two extention cords going to it.  I don't wnat one of them to short out on the bus if it gets pulled to hard or some thing and making the bus electfied.

Sorry but that won't help.  I think its time to call a local electrician.

[HighTechRedneck]

Amen to bobofthenorth and Jack Conrad!
I was about to warn that 2 hot 110/115v ac lines maybe 180° out of phase to make it 220/ 230v. If it not 220/230v, then it is 110/115v system.

Thank you for getting that out quick before a possible smoke and/or fire.

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

A standard dryer outlet is 220/240.  Two legs of 110/120 relative to neutral, 220/240 relative to each other.

Found a couple of pics to help clarify on an electrical forum.

[Sojourner]

Very Good...HighTechRedneck!

A picture with labels saves the confused.

Thanks

Sojourn for Christ, Jerry

[belfert]

The NEC now requires four wire outlets for dryers.  Bob's house may certainly still have a three wire outlet.

Everything I have ever been told about three wire 220 volt dryer outlets is that the third wire is the ground, not the neutral!  220 volt circuits have two hots and a ground, no neutral.

New dryer outlets have a neutral for the 110 volt parts of the dryer.  In the old days with the three wire outlets the ground was used as the neutral for anything needing 110 volts.

[kingfa39]

since you say you dont know much about electricity id get a electrician and have him hook you up a outlet out of your elec panel, hooking up to the dryer outlet is not a good way to do this, not only out of code but could be dangerous as well. sometimes it pays to get someone profesinal on the job
Frank Allen