30 Amp to 50 Amp Conversion
Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 8:05 pm
Hi Gang,
Been meaning to put some good technical stuff on here but just have been swamped busy.....
I've swapped out nearly everything on my '87 34X. Here I'll show a few pics of my 30amp to 50amp conversion.
I got tired of the breaker popping all the time when I had the a/c on, wife was using the hair dryer, and I wanted to microwave something. Finally enough was enough. Did my homework, and settled on a Progressive Dynamics 4560 full power station. It's their 4500 series, set up for 60 amp (but dialed down to 50). Nice thing about a 50amp RV setup is that you get two bus bars, not just one. So you get two bus bars of 50 amp times 120v = 6000amps times two = 12,000 watts. Before I had one bus bar of 30amps times 120v = 3600 watts. So I went from 3600 watts to 12,000 watts...we don't run out of juice now and I can make toast while wifey runs her hair dryer and kids are nuking a Hot Pocket.
Here's my setup: http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4500_1.html
I wanted it mounted so the breaker door swung side to side. It would have fit the factory hole (almost) if I'd laid it on its side, and I've seen some guys do that. I wanted it the other way. So I had to make the hole taller, and narrower. So I cut out the factory cabinetry across from the fridge and under the pantry to make it taller, then glued and screwed in some pieces to fill it in to make it narrower. The new Power Center was deeper than the old Univolt thing, so I had to shim it in toward the center of the coach. Made a spacer out of 3/4" plywood and painted it black to match the PD4560. I think it looks great. So now the power center fits in the hole.
I then had to upgrade the main wiring. For 50amp, if you check the codes, an 8 gauge wire will work under some circumstances. But not all. Depends on heat, length of run, etc. I decided to spend the money and go to a bigger wire. I put in a 6-gauge, and I'd recommend anyone else do the same. It's a beast of a wire, but you won't have to worry about over heating it. I strung the wire through the bottom cabinets, using pool floaties to protect the wire from chaffing as it passed through bulkheads, etc. Once I got directly across from the front half of the dinette, where the power plug goes to the outside, I dropped it under the floor, went across, then popped back up through the floor into that compartment. I then went out the factory hole, put a male end plug on it, and it's good to go.
It does get a little tricky with the wiring of the breakers and the fuses. You're doing both a 120v ac and a 12v dc system. But take your time and you'll be fine. I used GE breakers (I think....that or Square D....whichever, they were compatible with the PD panel and PD tells you which ones will work..). I got all my breakers and wires at Lowe's.
Have been very happy with it. I carry a 30amp to 50amp pig tail so that if we're at a place that only has 30amp, we're covered. I also have a 20amp to 30amp plug adapter. So if they have electric, we can plug in.
Anyway, hope this helps every one a little. I'll try to put some more stuff on here. I made new tail light housings, changed out the fridge, the a/c, the water heater, the toilet, the faucets, built a custom bunk bed for the front to replace the gaucho, converted the back to a rear king instead of twins, new shower curtain setup, new roof vents...not much left original but the shell. If I can do it, anyone can. I highly recommend Bob Livingston's book. It helped me a lot.
See ya on the road,
Jim
Been meaning to put some good technical stuff on here but just have been swamped busy.....
I've swapped out nearly everything on my '87 34X. Here I'll show a few pics of my 30amp to 50amp conversion.
I got tired of the breaker popping all the time when I had the a/c on, wife was using the hair dryer, and I wanted to microwave something. Finally enough was enough. Did my homework, and settled on a Progressive Dynamics 4560 full power station. It's their 4500 series, set up for 60 amp (but dialed down to 50). Nice thing about a 50amp RV setup is that you get two bus bars, not just one. So you get two bus bars of 50 amp times 120v = 6000amps times two = 12,000 watts. Before I had one bus bar of 30amps times 120v = 3600 watts. So I went from 3600 watts to 12,000 watts...we don't run out of juice now and I can make toast while wifey runs her hair dryer and kids are nuking a Hot Pocket.
Here's my setup: http://www.progressivedyn.com/all_in_one_pd4500_1.html
I wanted it mounted so the breaker door swung side to side. It would have fit the factory hole (almost) if I'd laid it on its side, and I've seen some guys do that. I wanted it the other way. So I had to make the hole taller, and narrower. So I cut out the factory cabinetry across from the fridge and under the pantry to make it taller, then glued and screwed in some pieces to fill it in to make it narrower. The new Power Center was deeper than the old Univolt thing, so I had to shim it in toward the center of the coach. Made a spacer out of 3/4" plywood and painted it black to match the PD4560. I think it looks great. So now the power center fits in the hole.
I then had to upgrade the main wiring. For 50amp, if you check the codes, an 8 gauge wire will work under some circumstances. But not all. Depends on heat, length of run, etc. I decided to spend the money and go to a bigger wire. I put in a 6-gauge, and I'd recommend anyone else do the same. It's a beast of a wire, but you won't have to worry about over heating it. I strung the wire through the bottom cabinets, using pool floaties to protect the wire from chaffing as it passed through bulkheads, etc. Once I got directly across from the front half of the dinette, where the power plug goes to the outside, I dropped it under the floor, went across, then popped back up through the floor into that compartment. I then went out the factory hole, put a male end plug on it, and it's good to go.
It does get a little tricky with the wiring of the breakers and the fuses. You're doing both a 120v ac and a 12v dc system. But take your time and you'll be fine. I used GE breakers (I think....that or Square D....whichever, they were compatible with the PD panel and PD tells you which ones will work..). I got all my breakers and wires at Lowe's.
Have been very happy with it. I carry a 30amp to 50amp pig tail so that if we're at a place that only has 30amp, we're covered. I also have a 20amp to 30amp plug adapter. So if they have electric, we can plug in.
Anyway, hope this helps every one a little. I'll try to put some more stuff on here. I made new tail light housings, changed out the fridge, the a/c, the water heater, the toilet, the faucets, built a custom bunk bed for the front to replace the gaucho, converted the back to a rear king instead of twins, new shower curtain setup, new roof vents...not much left original but the shell. If I can do it, anyone can. I highly recommend Bob Livingston's book. It helped me a lot.
See ya on the road,
Jim