Electrical question for Inspector 507, and others.

[Inspector507]

GaryM,
Sorry, been out of town for 4 days, just catching up.

<font color="blue"> Can I make a pigtail and box with two 110V outlets and feed it from this outlet </font color>
Don't do this unless you can put some sort of 20A protection on it.

<font color="blue"> My wirefeed welder wants 20A </font color>
You can get 20A devices at the box stores, Lowes, Home Depot. Just replace one of your current 15A ones, provided you have a 20A breaker on it.

<font color="blue"> Could I get 50A at 110V to feed a friends RV if they came by to stay for a while</font color>
Yes you can make a pigtail to go from 4-wire 50A 220V to 3-wire 110V. If they make a 50A 110V receptacle. I've used 30A. maybe they make 50 as well. Make sure it is marked RV outlet.

[Bird]

</font><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr />
If they make a 50A 110V receptacle.

[/ QUOTE ]

Very common for RVs now-a-days.

[Inspector507]

With all the dual roof top AC's it probably is.

[GaryM]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The rush to feed the RV is over because they decided to leave the RV in Bolivar MO, and drive only the tow vehicle. So didn't need the power feed.

Now I have plenty of time to look for a good enclosure or sub-panel to give me 220@50A as well as 110@20A.

Thanks again.

[Inspector507]

Gary,
Get yourself a 4 or 6 circuit panel at a box store, Home Depot/Lowes. Remove the 50A 4-wire outlet and run that wire into the panel to feed it. Then run another 50A cable out, connected to a new 50A breaker, to your original 50A outlet. Then install 2 20A 110V breakers to feed two new 20A outlets. Just make sure nothing else is in use when the welder is being used.
That's the cheap/easiest way out [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[beenthere]

Inspector507
I think your suggestion is a real good way to go, for Gary to get all that he wants, IMO.

[GaryM]

Sounds good to me! That's a sub panel, right?

The 50A service is in surface mounted EMT. So I need to run more EMT to the sub panel. Not a problem. I need to splice more wire to the existing 50A wires. That's what, #10 or so? I'll look before I go to the store, but would I use wire nuts, or perhaps split bolts for wire that size. I suppose there are several choices that could be used.

It would probably not be correct to use a 50A service cord to connect the existing outlet to the new panel! [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img] I know it's not!

[Inspector507]

Gary,
I think the #10 will be a little small for a 50A feed, try #6.

But...in the NEC® there are always exceptions. A 50A welder outlet can be run on #10 with a 50A breaker. Make sure you DO NOT have that scenario before you put a sub-panel on it. The wires may only be good for 30A if they used #10 [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[GaryM]

I was just guessing on wire size. Now that I think about it I realize that #10 would be too small. But what about splicing it if it is #6? Wire nuts or something else? I know that split bolts would work, but surely there's something more high tech. I some of the electrical panels at work I've seen what look like plastic connectors where the wires go in from each end and a allen bolt fastens the wires at each end. Then there's plastic caps that close off the bolt heads. This is on wire feeding 200A breakers.

Hope to make it to the home center tomorrow.

[Inspector507]

Split bolts will work, so will the splices you refer to. There are also wire nuts that will accept 2-#6's. I won't use them. My preference is split bolts for #6 and larger.