# Wiring up a mobile home



## ThreeCreeks (Sep 7, 2004)

I just bought a used mobile home, and I need to wire up the electric. I live in the county, not in any city limits, and don't have any permit or inspection requirements. I just want it ot work and be safe. 

I have an existing 200 amp panel tied directly to the meter that feeds the cabin we live in now. I will removing everything from it except a light/outlet circuit. 

Can I feed the mobile home from this panel, from say two 60 amp breakers?

If so, do I treat the mobile home panel as a subpanel?

The mobile home has three cables coming out of a conduit underneath, coming from the main panel inside. They look to be 4gage, i think aluminum. Is there a way to splice to these wires, or do i need to remove these and run the new wire all the way to the panel?

Thanks for any answers and any other info I might need.


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## Cosmic (Jan 19, 2005)

If the mobile home is going to become your main house might want to think about relocating the cabin meter / panel and making the cabin feed a sub panel off the main panel. Or even just run a couple circuits back to the cabin if you are just going to have a couple circuits.

What is the mobile home service panel rating??? 

The important thing is to only have the system grounded at one place. The sub panels are not tied to ground directly but are wired back to the main service panel ground.

Might be good to check in with your electric company. They usually are the guys that oversee installations where no inspections are required. Not good to be making splices in the main service cable, usually is prohibited. The electric company should have a hand out explaining what they want in terms of main service cable sizes, grounding, etc. Should be helpful in pointing you in the right direction and they will come and put eyeballs on the installation as it stands. Moving a meter / panel is not a big deal or expensive as you already have most of the parts.

Probably want to think this one through and get a pretty standard installation instead of some back arsed jury rigged type of thing.


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## cfabe (Feb 27, 2005)

I'd leave the 200 amp panel in the cabin alone, and run the mobile as a sub panel off the main. If the mobile has a 60 amp main panel, you'll need to install a double pole 60 amp breaker in the 200 amp panel, and run 4-wire (2 hots, neutral, and ground) cable to the mobile. I would just replaace the entire run into from panel to panel, not a good idea to splice big wires like that. I'm not sure if you'll have to un-bond the ground and neutral at the mobile home panel and install a seperate ground bus, or if they should be bonded togther and to another ground rod there. Check with an electrician or read the NEC to find out for sure, I'm pretty sure with a subfeed to a seperate building it is different than a subpanel within a home.


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## Fire-Man (Apr 30, 2005)

ThreeCreeks said:


> I just bought a used mobile home, and I need to wire up the electric. I live in the county, not in any city limits, and don't have any permit or inspection requirements. I just want it ot work and be safe.
> 
> I have an existing 200 amp panel tied directly to the meter that feeds the cabin we live in now. I will removing everything from it except a light/outlet circuit.
> 
> ...



What are you doing with the mobile home?? Shop? Living in it? How far away is it from the cabin service(length or wire run)? Do you feel you are qualified(want get killed) hooking it up??
Sure you can wire it to the service you have now, but the things above need's to be took into consideration. A double 60amp breaker will allow for some things--------need to decide what you are going to use in the trailer--"Amp Draw". I would Never Splice the entrance wires, but it can be done--to do it properly would cost more than the few extra feet of wire it would take to hook it up without a splice. 
So, figuring you have taken the above into consideration---Yes, use the trailer panel as a subpanel---------------I don't understand your reason for removing everything, but a light/outlet circuit from your cabin---------I would just leave everything as is, then I would just make sure I hooked to the existing service in your cabin "properly" through conduit, pull out box etc. Wire it to the trailer properly. Bury the wire etc. Good Luck Randy


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

We would need to know the distances involved, and if either of these buildings are to be a dwelling or for livestock to give you _real_ answers.

However, you can use a single double-throw (220v) breaker to run to the mobile home. You cannot use 2 seperate breakers to run to the same building in most cases - this sets up very odd wirung loops that are not a good idea. If you need more power, then run a single 100 amp double-throw breaker.....

However, most mobile homes if a little older are wired for 50 or 60 amps to begin with, so you probably can't exceed that limit without major rewiring.

Splicing the main feeds is possible but as stated, costs more than just buying long enough feed wire. Those splices are _spendy_ and trying to get by without the proper splice is not a good idea.

Since you mention aluminumn wire, any time you tie copper to aluminumn you need to pay close attention. the box used or splice used _needs_ to be rated for such use - it will cost more but is _needed_ - these type of connections the aluminumn likes to expand & contract & the dis-similar metals set up a rust/corosion that you have to really watch for. A proper box/ splice will account for this. Otherwise you get lots of arcing and a fire waiting to happen in 2 years or so.

As the others say, not sure why you are gutting the wiring in the cabin, would leave well enough alone there?

You need one ground point at the firest box, whichever way you wire this. From there you need to run a seperate ground wire to all other boxes (hot wire, hot wire, neutral wire, & bare ground wire for a total of 4 wires out of the main first box for 220v service) and all other boxes must _not_ have the ground buss bar connected to ground in those boxes.

General overview, not to be confused with real, good electrical advise.  You do need to follow the NEC anywhere in the USA. If not inspected, you still have insurance issues - if the building burns down they will not pay you if the wiring is wrong, & they look real real close on a mobile home with aluminumn wiring......... because they burn down so often due to bad wiring. Be aware.

--->Paul


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## ThreeCreeks (Sep 7, 2004)

Thanks for all the replies. Right now, we are living in the cabin; it has fridge, electric stove, window ac, water heater, etc. We will be moving in to the mobile home therefore all these things will go to the mobile home and the cabin will become workshop/storage and will need only minimal electric service. The mobile home service entrance is about 50 feet from the existing meter pole and service panel. It is a 1998 Fleetwood.
The cables going in were copper. The service panel is a seimens 1632mb1200f, 200 amps. It says on the front that the ground and neutral are isolated, and to run 4 wires , two hot, a ground, and a neutral.


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## desdawg (Jul 18, 2004)

The requirements here in AZ would be as follows:
You will need a 200 amp breaker in your main (cabin) panel and 2" EPVC conduit from there to the panel in the MH. You should use 2/0 copper wire for the two hots and the neutral, 4/0 copper for the ground. Where the conduit comes out of the ground to the mobile home you will need to install a piece of 2" flex conduit 12-18" in length. Since the mobile home will have some movement the flex is required rather than rigid piping. Remove the old wires that were left behind from the last installation and wire directly to the MH panel. This will pass inspection here and I will assume where you are at as well.


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## rambler (Jan 20, 2004)

ThreeCreeks said:


> We will be moving in to the mobile home therefore all these things will go to the mobile home and the cabin will become workshop/storage and will need only minimal electric service.



Ha!!!!! Famous last words.

Then comes the welder, the air compressor, & dimming lights......

We never learn, same mistakes over & over. 

--->Paul


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