How Do You Know If Your Camper Is 110 Or 220?

It's quite confusing as a new camper owner to know which appliances you can bring from home and whether your camper is wired for 110 or 220 volts.

It would be not very pleasant connecting the power leads to the RV park's electrical services, and you blow your camper's circuits. If you follow some simple rules, there is very little chance of a problem occurring.

The easiest way to check if your camper is wired for 100 volts or 220 volts is to check the type of electrical plug and socket installed in the RV. If the plug has only three prongs, then, in North America, the RV is wired for 110 volts, whereas if there are 4 prongs, it is wired for 220 volts.

Knowing what voltage an RV accepts; how the current is delivered makes it easy to identify. In addition, if the circuit voltage is 220- 240 volts, this arrives at the RV split into two 110 – 120 volt streams, making it easier to ensure the correct current is used.

After spending most of my adult life camping in various parts of the world, I would like to share some of the simple tricks I have learned to guarantee a great vacation in a camper.

‍The Ways You Can Tell If Your Camper Is 110V Or 220V

There are three ways you can check if your camper is wired for 110 volts or 22 volts.

Check The Plug Socket

Two plug designs will immediately tell you whether the voltage is 110 volts or 220.

110 Volts Connector Plug

The 110 volts are connected using a 15 or 30-amp circuit for the RV and have a 3-prong plug as well as a 30-amp dedicated breaker.

A 110-volt input will have a 30amp plug with three pins for the neutral, hot (live wire), and Ground.

As it only has one hot wire, it only provides 110 volts, and this plug connection is called a TT-30 connection. It will be the same for a unit with a 15amp plug.

220 Volt Connector Plug

A 50-amp provider has 4 wires with two 110/120-volt Live feeds. It is a standard 120/240 50-amp with 4 prongs used for numerous applications. It is called a 14-50 connection.

A 50amp RV plug socket can run at 110 volts and 220 volts, and these plugs have four prongs, namely two hot wires, neutral and Ground.

It is the most flexible connection because it delivers 110 and 220 volts of current. Each hot wire has 110 volts combined with the appliances, which need 220 volts.

The 14-50 plug has two live wires to run those appliances and regular 110-volt appliances. The leads on a 14-50 pin are as follows.

1. The half-round or “U” prong is the Ground.
2. The one directly below it is the WHITE or neutral.
3. The two black wires on either side of the neutral are each of the 110/120-volt hot wires. These are 180 degrees out of phase with each other and collectively are at 220 – 240 volts.
4. The RV effectively has two 120-volt services running into it.

An RV will have a 50 amp plug running with two 110 volt pins (14-50 plug).

1. In higher-end RVs, there will be high voltage consumers such as air conditioners or an oven, and so the 14-50 plug uses two hot wires(110 volts on each wire) combined within those appliances and then produces 220 volts together.
2. Appliances that only need 110 volts (such as the refrigerator) will only be connected to a single hot wire and only receive 110 volts.
3. 50 amp RVs will be capable of using 220 volts due to the fact that there are generally more appliances on board. When you have more devices, you will have one hot wire (110 volts)  run some of the appliances while the other hot wire (110 volts) runs the other.
4. Splitting the hot wires into two enables the load to be distributed more equally. For example, apart from where they combine for the high-consuming appliances, the load for the 110 volts consumers will be split between the two hot wires.

Use A Voltmeter

If you are still unsure, you can connect a voltmeter to the power source and check.

How To Check A TT-30 (Three Pin) Plug

The safe way to check the voltage in a TT-30 (Three Pin) plug is as follows.

Set your multimeter selector switch to the highest-value "AC Volt” position available.

1. Ensure the plug is off
2. Connect the red lead into the voltmeter socket labeled (+) or (VΩ)
3. Connect the black lead into the voltmeter socket labeled (-)  or COM.
4. On the RV plug, connect the red cable to the WHITE or neutral (middle) socket.
5. On the RV plug, connect the blacklead to the BLACK or hot socket.
6. Switch on the plug and check the voltmeter for the voltage value.

If the TT-30 (Three Pin) plug is correctly wired, it will have registered a 110-volt value.

How To Check 1 14-50 (Four Pin) Plug

The safe way to check the voltage in a 14-50 (Four Pin)  plug is as follows.

Set your multimeter selector switch to the highest-value “AC volt” position available.

1. Ensure the plug is off
2. Connect the red lead into the voltmeter socket labeled (+) or (VΩ)
3. Connect the black lead into the voltmeter socket labeled (-)  or COM.
4. On the RV plug, connect the red cable to the WHITE or neutral (middle) socket.
5. On the RV plug, connect the blacklead to the BLACK or hot socket.
6. Switch on the plug and check the voltmeter for the voltage value.
7. Switch off the plug and connect the black lead to the other BLACK or hot socket.
8. Switch on the plug and register the voltage value on the voltmeter.

If the 14-50 plug is correctly wired for 220 volts, it will have registered a 110-volt value on each of the measurements taken from the two hot wires.

Check For Manufacturer Indications

If the manufacturer's instructions are still available, they will have a section describing the electrical system and the voltage used by the appliances in the RV.

There may also be a tag in one of the compartments which details the voltage used.

How Can You Tell Which Are Live, Neutral, and Ground?

RVs have three distinct wiring systems, and if that is not complex enough, there is not always a standard employed by the different manufacturers. You are likely to find several other color codes in a typical RV. You will likely encounter varying color codes in the same trailer from the chart above!

The following provides a little bit of clarity regarding which wires do and what.

12 Volt DC Wiring

There are three standards used with DC wiring, namely.

1. SAE Standard
2. RV Alternate
3. Chinese Common

SAE Standard

Red/black: the most typical color code is 12v, represented by red, and Ground, represented by black.

1. Hot 12volt wire                 -        Red
2. Ground                        -        Black

RV Alternate

Red/white: an alternate color code is 12v, represented by red, and Ground, represented by white.

1. Hot 12volt wire                 -        Red
2. Ground                        -        White

Chinese Common

Chinese appliances use BLACK for 12V and WHITE for GND. It is a poor practice as this is the same color code used in 120Volt wiring.

1. Hot 12volt wire                 -        Black
2. Ground                        -        White

110 - 120 Volt AC Wiring

The National Electrical Code (NEC) dictates the black wire as ungrounded 120 volts ac (called hot), white (called neutral) is typically grounded 120 volts vac, and a green or bare wire for Ground.

1. 120 Volts AC (hot)         -        Black
2. 120 Volts AC (Neutral)        -        White
3. Ground                        -        Green

220 – 24 Volts AC Wiring

The wiring scheme is black = hot lead 1, red = hot lead 2, white = neutral, green = ground.

Hot lead 1 and hot lead 2 are leg 1 and leg2; both are "hot" (above Ground).

Neutral is typically attached to Ground at the power pedestal.

1. 240 Volts AC (Hot Lead 1)        Black
2. 240 Volts AC (Hot Lead 2)        Red
3. 240 Volts AC (Neutral)                White
4. Ground                                Green