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Old 05-17-2018, 08:40 AM   #1
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50 Amp Conversion

Hi all - I'll be doing a 30amp to 50amp conversion on my motorhome, hopefully this weekend. My RV information is below. I've done a lot of research, and have read many articles (mostly in this forum, thank you Wizard!) on doing this conversion. I feel like I'm pretty competent when it comes to electrical work, and I'm pretty comfortable with the process, based on what I've read. One thing I do have concerns with is the actual installation of the wire. I looked in the storage compartment with the Automatic Transfer Switch, and I've identified all of the wire coming out of it. But they're going back behind the storage compartment, and look to be running into an area under the floor in the bedroom, but above (or in) a metal enclosure under the coach. I didn't see any way to access them under the floor from the inside, or from underneath. One of the previous posts I read regarding a conversion said that their ATS and Load Center (breaker box) were only about 5 feet apart. On mine, the ATS is in the second-from-the-rear compartment on the driver's side (right in front of the generator) and the breaker box is just inside the entry door in the middle of the coach on the passenger side. I'm guessing it will be a run of 15' to 20' feet. My first thought was to use the existing wire to pull through the new 6/3 cable, but I'm guessing it is fastened and secured in that space, so it wouldn't pull right out. Has anyone else done this conversion? If so, how tough was it to run the new wires? Thanks in advance for any feedback!

- Jeff
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Old 05-17-2018, 11:43 AM   #2
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Sounds like a big project to me, Jeff. Of course I have zero experience and no advice, but I will be following along to hear how you progress. Be sure to take lots of pics and document your progress.

I have seen threads on iRV2 about conversions to 50 AMP, but I don't remember if any of them were Winnebago owners. If you participate on that forum you might search for info. Good luck.
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Old 05-17-2018, 12:33 PM   #3
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Will do! I did a conversion on a 1995 Bounder several years ago, but I kind of cheated when I did it. Basically, I put a 4-prong 50amp plug on the wiring that went to the ATS from the generator. Then I installed two 50amp outlets, one being fed from the generator and one being fed from a new 50amp shore power cord. I still had the factory 30amp cord and plug, too. So when I ran it on 50amp shore power, the coach basically thought that it was running on the generator, which would run both A/C units. It worked really well - but since this Winnebago has all of the equipment to make the conversion, I'm wanting to do it the "right way". I'm just concerned that fishing the wires down half the length of the coach is going to be a royal pain. But I'll follow up with some pictures and results. Stay tuned...

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Old 05-17-2018, 02:05 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by WarrenJA View Post
Will do! I did a conversion on a 1995 Bounder several years ago, but I kind of cheated when I did it. Basically, I put a 4-prong 50amp plug on the wiring that went to the ATS from the generator. Then I installed two 50amp outlets, one being fed from the generator and one being fed from a new 50amp shore power cord. I still had the factory 30amp cord and plug, too. So when I ran it on 50amp shore power, the coach basically thought that it was running on the generator, which would run both A/C units. It worked really well - but since this Winnebago has all of the equipment to make the conversion, I'm wanting to do it the "right way". I'm just concerned that fishing the wires down half the length of the coach is going to be a royal pain. But I'll follow up with some pictures and results. Stay tuned...

I'll be following along to see how it goes.
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Old 05-17-2018, 03:15 PM   #5
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I've subscribed to this thread. Been planning on doing this for a long time.
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Old 05-17-2018, 06:41 PM   #6
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You may have seen these videos but they're a good overview of what's involved in a 30 to 50 amp conversion (not Winnebago specific). It's more involved and more expensive than I thought it would be.

(part 1 of 4)
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Old 05-17-2018, 09:51 PM   #7
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Lightbulb

I've converted my last 2 class A's from 30 to 50 amps, look up my threads and you'll find a full post on my page, as well as adding a 2nd ac to my 2013 Winnebago Vista 30t. There is alot to consider, I worked from outside to the inside starting at the ats, some are both 30 and 50 amps, some are not and need to be replaced, then running the new wires from the ats to the new breaker panel (and dont forget yoy will be doing both the 110 ac volt system as well as thev12 volt dc system), also are you changing out your Generator? I removed my 4 kw Onan and installed a 5.5 kw Onan providing 50 amp service to the ats. It was big under taking and as long as your comfortable working with electricity you should be fine. Look up my post and if you have any questions shoot me a message.
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Old 05-17-2018, 10:00 PM   #8
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Look in the electrical/ charging, solar and electronics thread then look for 30 amp to 50 amp conversion with adding 2nd ac, by robval1987.
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Old 05-18-2018, 06:58 AM   #9
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I appreciate all of the feedback and responses. Just as a follow-up, I spent most of the evening last night doing some research and trying to lay out a game plan. As I figured, the wiring from the ATS to the load center (breaker box) looks like it will be a bear. I didn't take pictures, but I will this weekend. I have full access to the inside and the back of the breaker box, and I've identified the "feed" cable between the box and the ATS. The cables start off at the box (by the steps in the entry way) above the floor level running behind and through the cabinets. I can access the cables by removing the drawers below the oven and the refrigerator. Then they drop below the floor into a hole below the fridge. There's actually an access panel in the outside storage compartment under the fridge. I couldn't completely remove this panel (held on by several sheet metal screws) because the top-left screw is under the rear fender - I didn't try too hard to remove the fender because I didn't want to break it, but I did give it a pretty good tug after removing all of the screws from the fender. But I could see where the cables dropped through the floor and appear to be laying on top of the gray water waste tank. From there, I have no access to that area or the cable until it comes out into the storage compartment where the ATS is. My plan is to try to remove that panel (and the fender, without breaking it) completely and run a fish tape from the ATS to that access panel.

Rob - I will look up the posts you're talking about. I'm not changing out the generator, it's an Onan 5.5kW. It has two legs, a 20amp and a 30amp. We don't really do a lot of dry camping, so I'm not too concerned about the total wattage the generator can put out. My biggest concern is that it runs both A/C units at once while traveling, and it seems to do fine with that. My ATS is set up for 50amp service, so I won't need to replace it.

Bob - you're right, I have seen that video, but I appreciate the guidance. Like I mentioned, I'm comfortable with the actual wiring - my biggest concern is physically getting the cables from Point A to Point B.

Thanks again, everyone. More to come...
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Old 05-18-2018, 09:13 AM   #10
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Lightbulb

Running my cable (from the ats to the newbreaker box) was a bit of a challenge, I to used a fish tape and had my daughter for a second set of hands and eyes, (we were able to run it through in about a half hour or so) did run a new wire leaving the old wire in place for later use, (later I wired in a outlet in the bay giving me 110 volt access for my Macerator), better then pulling it out then having to run another line, it was already there.
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Old 05-18-2018, 10:04 AM   #11
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Good deal. I like the idea of leaving the existing cable. My first thought was to use it to pull through the new one... but if something goes wrong I can always fall back and reconnect it and stay with the status quo.
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Old 05-19-2018, 07:11 PM   #12
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Why not run the second AC power cord directly to the 15-20 amp pedestal plug in and avoid all this 30 to 50 amp RV rewiring?
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Old 05-21-2018, 10:18 AM   #13
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Why not run the second AC power cord directly to the 15-20 amp pedestal plug in and avoid all this 30 to 50 amp RV rewiring?
Because the rig is already set up for 50 amp, and all I had to do was run some heavier gauge wire to a new breaker, and move a couple of things around... and I'd rather do it "right" as opposed to jack-legging it.
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Old 05-21-2018, 10:19 AM   #14
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Okay, that's done. But it was an absolute pain in the rear! Just as I feared, the actual wiring wasn't an issue at all, but getting the cable from the ATS to the breaker box was a real chore. Detailed post with pictures to follow...
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Old 05-21-2018, 11:26 AM   #15
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Thumbs up Finished

Warning, long post ahead! And, I also see that I can only link to pictures... there's no option to upload them on this forum. So I won't have any pictures at this point, but maybe I can send them directly to someone if they're interested.

Okay, here's what I used -

A new 20/50/50/20 amp breaker
A new 6/4 SOOW stranded cable - I used 30'
6/3 w/ ground (stranded is all they had at Lowes, but solid would work) cable - 25'
Flex metal conduit - 25'
Few wire nuts, conduit ends and cable ties
50amp receptacle plug

I'll first say that picking such a hot day - this past Saturday - to work inside of a motorhome with no A/C (power turned off, obviously) was not such a smokin' hot idea. But I needed to get it done before our trip to Cedar Point in less than 2 weeks. As I feared, running the new cable was by far the biggest hurdle to clear. It's a good thing I bought 25' of the 6/3 w/ground cable from Lowes because I used every inch of it. There was an access hole under the bed in the back where I could run a fish tape from the storage compartment where the ATS is, and get the cable to the bedroom... that was easy. The next place where I had access to the area below the floor was a hole in a storage compartment just in front of the passenger rear wheel - I'm guessing it was 36" wide by about 10" tall. There was a piece of sheet metal with about 8 or 10 sheet metal screws and some black adhesive holding it in place. Oh, and the fender over the rear wheel was covering two of the sheet metal screws - I could remove one of the with a very short screw driver, but couldn't even get on the other one - so I basically had to pivot the cover on the one remaining screw and bend it back a little. I spent quite a bit of time trying to remove the fender, but I got to the point where I figured it would be easier to work around than to risk breaking it and having to replace it. Inside of the compartment was the gray water storage tank. The wiring for the level sensors were on this side, so I'm guessing that's why there was access here. Basically, if I could get the wire to that compartment, I knew I would be home-free because there was a hole in the floor that came up under the oven, where several other cables were running. From there, I could follow the cable path for the rest of the wiring under/behind the counters and drawers to get to the fuse box located at the doorway steps. To get the cable here, I used 3 4' poles that are used to sweep my chimney. They're somewhat flexible, so I was able to maneuver them around and push them toward the front from under the bed. As I pushed one in, I would connect another one... and it took 3 (12') to get to where I could see them in that compartment. The pole came up right in the middle of the coach, on the other side of the gray water storage tank. The tank was about 4' deep, looking at it from the side. Plus, there was only about a 3"-4" gap between the front of the tank and the compartment wall. So I used a 4th pole, got some pull string and made a lasso, used a little bit of electrical tape just to hold the lasso on the end of the pole. I was able to lasso the end of the pole running from the bedroom, and used the pole to pull the string to the back. Then I used the string to pull the cable / conduit from the bedroom to the compartment under the stove. Making the turn between the gray water storage tank and the compartment wall was a little tricky, but once I got the cable to that compartment, it was simply a matter of running it up through the floor and routing it under the counters with the rest of the wiring. I didn't get any pictures of pulling the new cables, so hopefully that was descriptive enough. Hopefully anyone making this conversion won't have the same setup that I do, and won't have as much trouble. Just for posterity's sake, again, I have a 2002 Adventurer 35U... the ATS is in the back, in the compartment just in front of the generator. The breaker box is in the stairway coming up into the coach. And it has "basement" A/C all the way in the back, on the opposite side (passenger's side) from the generator.

Once the new cable was in place, the wiring was pretty simple. The cable that back-feeds the "aux" terminal on the ATS was disconnected at the ATS and the breaker box. I put wire nuts on both ends and wound it up tight and left it in place, just in case I need it for something else. The original 10 gauge wire that was feeding the main 30amp breaker could have been pulled out or abandoned, but ended up using it, and here's how... in order to connect the #2 compressor on the A/C to the breaker box (instead of the ATS switch in the back), I would have needed to pull a new cable, because the 12 gauge cable going from the A/C to the ATS would not have been long enough. Plus, after spending several HOURS pulling the new 6 gauge cable to the front, I didn't want to fight that battle again. So, since both the wiring from the A/C and the old "main" wire going to the breaker box where already in the compartment with the ATS, I just used wire nuts to "extend" the #2 compressor cable on the 10 gauge cable already running to the breaker box. At that point, all of the wiring was in place, so here's what I did as far as connections -

On the ATS side -
Disconnected the 10 gauge wiring supplying power to the breaker box - used later
Disconnected the 12 gauge wire from the breaker box that is used in back-feeding the #2 A/C compressor - abandoned
Disconnected the 12 gauge wire going TO the #2 compressor, and connected it to the 10 gauge wire going to the breaker box
Disconnected the 30 amp shore power cable (going to make a nice, heavy-duty extension cord from it )
Connected the new 6/3 w/ground cables "Load Center" terminals
Connected the new 6/4 SOOW power cord to the "Power Cord" terminals
Made no change to the "Generator" terminates

On the breaker box side -
Disconnected the #1 A/C compressor wire, the 10 gauge "supply" wire, and the 12 gauge back-feed wire (in order, left to right) from the existing 20/30amp breaker and the 20amp breaker to the right of it.
Installed the new 20/50/50/20amp breaker - I didn't have to move all of the other breakers because there was another slot / post to the left of where the original breaker was. All I had to do was remove the punch-out from the breaker panel cover.
Connect the #1 A/C compressor to the first terminal (20amp) on the new breaker
Connected both legs (black and red) from the 6/3 w/ground cable to the two 50amp terminals (second and third) on the new breaker
Ran the neutral wire through the automatic switch sensor loop
Connected the #2 A/C compressor (now coming in on the original 10 gauge "supply" wire) to the last 20amp terminal (fourth) on the new breaker.
Removed the green stranded cable that tied together both legs in the breaker box

Overall, I probably spent 6-7 hours on the project. I would say 60% of the time was spent pulling 1 cable half the length of the RV. But now that I know where all of those passages go and how to access them, I probably could get that wiring pulled in less than an hour. I spent most of the time trying to run it on the outside of the gray tank instead of in the middle of the RV and then making the turn. It definitely took some dexterity with the lasso, but without a doubt that was the best wire route to take. Hopefully this will help someone else out just a little. The posts that I read were from several years ago and they helped me IMMENSELY.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:19 PM   #16
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I'll be interested in what you realize in terms of actual benefits by going to 50 amps. I also have a 2002 35U but mine is an Itasca Suncruiser, which should be pretty much identical to your's. My power management system also has a 50 amp setting on the display. Is there anything else you were referring to when you said your's was already set up for 50 amp except for the heavier cable?
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Old 05-21-2018, 11:07 PM   #17
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Hi I just replaced my 30amp with a 50amp panel. I’m out of town now when I get home installing the outside 50amp rec. and replacing the extension cord. I have run some new wires for another roof ac unit and outlets to the new side of breakers. It hasn’t been as bad as I thought it would be. Good luck with yours
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Old 05-22-2018, 06:04 AM   #18
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Of course you can attach photos to your post. Just use the full text editor and click on the paper clip icon to attach photos.

Two ways to get the full text editor:
1. Click on the Post Reply button at the top left of the thread
2. Click on Go Advanced at the bottom of the Quick Reply form

In the Full Text Editor you’ll see a complete set of editing icons and one of them is a paper clip. Click that and a window will open that will allow you to select image files from a hard disk (or a phone gallery if you’re using a tablet or phone).
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Old 05-22-2018, 07:32 AM   #19
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ATS with the original wiring, and the new 6/3 w/ground cable (and flex conduit) pulled into the storage compartment. The ATS is mounted upside down from the schematic drawing, so it's the feed to the load center and the cable to the #2 A/C compressor on top, then the power cord and the "back feed" to the ATS from the load center in the middle, and then the generator feed on the bottom.
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The original 30amp service breaker setup. The 20/30 breaker on the left was replaced with a 20/50/50/20 breaker. I didn't need to move the other breakers because there was an open post on the left. The connections on the new breaker were #1 A/C, 50amp leg from ATS, 50amp legs from ATS, and then #2 A/C... from left to right. After those connections were made, the 20amp breaker (left side of the next combo breaker to the right) was unused. And the green "bridge" on at the upper-right of the picture was removed, giving two 50amp legs at the box. Everything else remained the same.
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Using the existing 10 gauge wire to extend the #2 A/C to the breaker box, in order to avoid another pain-in-the-butt wire pull.
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Old 05-22-2018, 07:39 AM   #20
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I'll be interested in what you realize in terms of actual benefits by going to 50 amps. I also have a 2002 35U but mine is an Itasca Suncruiser, which should be pretty much identical to your's. My power management system also has a 50 amp setting on the display. Is there anything else you were referring to when you said your's was already set up for 50 amp except for the heavier cable?
No, I was just referring to the ATS and the panel (showing 50amp capability) when I said it was already set up for 50amp service. As far as actual benefits, just by the numbers, I went from 3,600 watts of potential power (30amps x 120 volts) to 12,000 watts of potential power (50amps x 2 x 120 volts), so it's an increase of around 333%. Of course the biggest benefit is getting full power to both A/C compressors at all times without the load shedding. But also being able to run the electric water heater, the microwave, the hairdryer, both A/C units, the TVs, etc. without having to worry about popping a single 30amp main breaker is a plus...
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