wiring temp 50amp camper hookup

What's the deal with everything requiring 2 hots, a ground and a neutral. Back in the old days 2 hots and a ground which connected to the neutral/ground in the box sufficed. I read somewhere they required the neutral and ground be isolated from each other in the box. Around here everything has neutral and ground connected to each other in the box and supposed to use the bonding screw. I know just enough to get in trouble. I'm sure there's a reason for everything but I don't understand it all. Education appreciated.

Codes change as the ideas of safety become known .
Use to be range wire used a outside jacket for the neutral kind of wrapped around hot leads , and covered with insulated covering . 
 As this depended on this to also serve as neutral when one lead was tapped for 110 a load could change on one leg . So a parallel load of 220 on the 2 legs , so adding a neutral wire , but now needing a separate ground or the actual cabinet or fixture could carry voltage .
 So the 4th wire grounds the full system . One can see other code changes Ground Fault breakers or circuit protection , Arc Fault for bedrooms and other areas where someone might run wires or extensions under rugs or other covered areas . 
 Yes neutral and ground are bonded to panel - and a wire is run to a grounding source , but yet from transformer of power company a 3 wire is run to building  , and from transformer only 2 wires are run a hot and neutral wire for supply . 

Steve... the deal is the RV plug is really TWO 120v plugs ... each has a HOT, neutral and ground.  They SHARE the neutral and ground, with their own HOT wire.. If you hae the neutral and ground connected together, and something goes wrong, you may not have a GROUNDED system... Not that big of a deal on the welder or dryer... but COULD be a big deal on an RV that travels around..

Sounds like your 'Male Twist Lock" is like the style used for Marine.

If you look close at the Male Plug, you will see that it has a small metal knose that makes contact inside the female receptacle to a metal surface and becomes the 4th wire, the ground.

G

Many years ago  as a beginner electrician I had to run power to a new typesetting machine for a small newspaper.  I combined the neutral and ground and when we turned it on, the screen displayed gibberish and wouldn't stop scrolling.   One call to the manufacture and I then pulled another wire and all was good.  With today's computerized electronics requiring clean power, it's a necessity to separate the ground and neutral.

just like the PLUGS in your house... 60 years ago they were TWO PRONG.. No GROUND... still works, but no safety... Having an EXTRA wire for the GROUND, not connected to the WHITE wire is a good idea.... but will it work without ???  Probably... until something happens !!

gee, decades ago my 'remote energy control systems' USED the 'ground ( Mother earth) TO carry current. Doing this allowed us to communicate about 15 MILES on one single copper wire AND have a the ability to know WHERE that wire was cut or shorted. It was also hacker proof, unlike every other means today. Could also tell when the Don river was low. If the FEDS hadn't put the screws to us, I would have been a multimillionaire. Sigh, I miss the old days.

YEP... that would be PERFECT !!

After reading Steve's report again about his install it made sense and did as he with the ground rod buy the pedestal. 2 hots and a neutral in the breaker box and it works like a champ. Thanks all.

When I built my SHOP back in 2015 with a 100 amp Sub Panel, I installed a Ground Rod like Steve stated.

When the licensed electrician came to connect up the Sub Panel and saw the

Ground Rod, it wasn't Perfect, it was WRONG.

As I recall he removed the Ground Tab inside the Panel and connected the Ground Wire from the Feed to the Panel Ground Bar.

Same as what Coke has stated.

G

use to ground everything at each panel and run 3 wires between them... "NEW CODE" is to only ground the MAIN and the subpanels are not suppose to be grounded..... but 90% of everything in the Country is PRIOR to that.( like COKE said above)... There is a REASON to not ground the sub... but many still do it... I ALWAYS ground everything... and i ALWAYS strap the Neutral to the Ground lug terminals in the breaker boxes.

Edited by steve(ill) - 09 Nov 2024 at 9:30am

just for some odd information... Today i took a 100 ft extension cord and plugged into the garage and walked out into the middle of the driveway about 50 ft from the house and power pole... It had rained a little earlier so the ground was damp.. The driveway is gravel CA6.... I took my volt meter and  stuck one probe 3/4 inch into the gravel driveway and put the other lead into the HOT side of the extension cord... I measured 124 v from HOT to the wet ground... not even a ground ROD, just the probe of my meter.

Here is a Link to the 'Facts' - straight from the Horses Mouth.

NFPA 70 (National Fire Protection Association Code 70)
   which evolves to be the NEC (National Electrical Code)


The National Electrical Code (NEC) has several requirements for grounding in a 100 amp "Sub Panel", including:

Separate neutral and equipment grounding termination bars.

Sub-panels must have separate bars to isolate the grounded conductors' neutrals from the equipment grounding conductors and metal cabinet.


No Main Bonding Jumper.

The green Main Bonding Jumper (MBJ) should not be installed in a sub-panel.


No bonding of grounded conductor and equipment grounding conductors

Bonding these conductors together in a sub-panel is a common mistake and can create a significant hazard. This is known as a bootleg ground and is prohibited by the NEC.



Link to total NEC 250.32(B)(1)

https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+NEC+relating+to+Grounding+in+a+100+amp+sub+panel&sca_esv=7e818a552f6284eb&sxsrf=ADLYWIL3smwuRj6MZn0znyCcJJ3-brZJTQ%3A1731434890023&ei=ipkzZ-KIAZLSp84PiZzL2QE&ved=0ahUKEwji9cjMsdeJAxUS6ckDHQnOMhsQ4dUDCA8&oq=what+is+NEC+relating+to+Grounding+in+a+100+amp+sub+panel&gs_lp=Egxnd3Mtd2l6LXNlcnAiOHdoYXQgaXMgTkVDIHJlbGF0aW5nIHRvIEdyb3VuZGluZyBpbiBhIDEwMCBhbXAgc3ViIHBhbmVsMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCMgUQIRirAkiunQVQ_hRYiLUEcAF4AZABAJgBvAGgAY9FqgEENS42MrgBDMgBAPgBAZgCNKAC7znCAgoQABiwAxjWBBhHwgIIECEYoAEYwwTCAgYQABgHGB7CAgYQABgIGB7CAgsQABiABBiGAxiKBcICCBAAGIAEGKIEwgIEECMYJ8ICChAjGIAEGCcYigXCAgsQABiABBiRAhiKBcICDhAAGIAEGLEDGIMBGIoFwgIFEAAYgATCAgsQABiABBixAxiDAcICCBAAGIAEGLEDwgIOEAAYgAQYkQIYsQMYigXCAgoQABiABBgUGIcCwgIKEAAYgAQYsQMYCsICBxAAGIAEGArCAgYQABgWGB7CAggQABgWGAoYHsICCBAAGBYYHhgPwgIIEAAYogQYiQXCAgcQIRigARgKmAMAiAYBkAYIkgcEMi41MKAH2_gC&sclient=gws-wiz-serp



Edited by Gary - 3 hours 43 minutes ago at 12:51pm