??? upgrading shore power to 50A 220V

[nopEda]

I've been on 30A 120V power at the dock for years and would now like to upgrade to 50A 220V, or what they refer to as 50A 250V at the marina office. I haven't put a meter on it yet but so far suspect it's closer to 220 than 250. The socket on the pedestal is like the one pictured here:

Layout 1

They say it's 3-pole 4-wire. I'm guessing X and Y are the two hot legs and W is the neutral. Between X or Y and W would be 120V+/- and between X and Y is the 220/250V. Right? How does the ground tie into it though? With only 3 poles do we run a separate wire from the boat to the pedestal, and if so how do we tie in?

Also can anyone suggest the cheapest place to get a plug like that? So far the best price I've found is $68.18 here:

Cooper Wiring Devices 63CR65 Plug CR 50A 125/250V 3P4W H/L Armored

Thank you for any help!
David

 

[alldodge]

Re: ??? upgrading shore power to 50A 220V

I've been on 30A 120V power at the dock for years and would now like to upgrade to 50A 220V, or what they refer to as 50A 250V at the marina office. I haven't put a meter on it yet but so far suspect it's closer to 220 than 250. The socket on the pedestal is like the one pictured here:

Layout 1

They say it's 3-pole 4-wire. I'm guessing X and Y are the two hot legs and W is the neutral. Between X or Y and W would be 120V+/- and between X and Y is the 220/250V. Right? How does the ground tie into it though? With only 3 poles do we run a separate wire from the boat to the pedestal, and if so how do we tie in?

Also can anyone suggest the cheapest place to get a plug like that? So far the best price I've found is $68.18 here:

Cooper Wiring Devices 63CR65 Plug CR 50A 125/250V 3P4W H/L Armored

Thank you for any help!
David

Hi David, the connector is called a 125/250 which handles up to 50AMPS. Wiring is as follows:
G to Green (Ground)
W to White (Common)
X to Red (120V hot)
Y to Black (120V hot)

The 125/250 connector is good because it will allow you to connect to a 220V source using a Hubble 125/250 volt standard connector. This also allows you to connect to 2 each 30A 120V using 2 standard 30A 120V connectors by using a 125/250 Y connector. The reason for the terms (125/250, 408V, etc) is to clearly separate what they do, much like why there are 408V panels. The panels do not state the voltage inside, it indicates for those who would understand that the 408V panel is 3-phase power.

You can continue to look around but the connectors are expensive, and the Y-connector is around $300. The Y-connector cost so much because they have circuits in them so when one of the two 30AMP connectors is plugged in, it will not make the other exposed connector hot, just the cost of the parts.

 

[KD4UPL]

Re: ??? upgrading shore power to 50A 220V

3 pole 4 wire does have a ground. It's the 4th wire. The 3 pole is to distinguish that this connection has a neutral and is thus dual voltage 120/240. If it were 240v only it would be a 2 pole 3 wire connection.
The voltage should be roughly 240v or a little higher with no load. The standard voltage in the U.S. has gradually been increased over the years in an effort to get more power thru existing wires. It used to be 110/220, then it was 115/230, now it's 120/240 but usually runs higher. You can tell the old electricians because they still say 220 even though it hasn't been that voltage in probably 40 years or more.

 

[UncleWillie]

Re: ??? upgrading shore power to 50A 220V

To get technical, it would be a ...

. . . . .Plug = MEMA SS2-50P = CS6365 Config
Receptacle = NEMA SS2-50R = CS6364 Config

Not to be confused with the very similar NEMA 5L-50P/R series.

There are three Pins Carrying Power and Neutral, Ground is on the surrounding shield, 4 wires total.
Some Receptacles include a center aligning pin.


Have you checked Home Depot?