We have an outdoor 30Amp outlet at our home that we could connect our travel trailer to, but it would require a 100' power cord. Does anyone know if such a beast exists and where we could buy one? Is it at all advisable to try to make one using a kit? Also, how much power would I be losing by using a cord of this length? We could, of course, use two 50-foot cords, but would prefer to use one longer length, if possible. Thanks for any advice. -J and G
100' at 120 volt 30 amps your voltage drop will be base on the wire size: National Electrical Code allows 5% voltage drop for branch circuit and 3% for feeders #10 wire will have 6.5% voltage drop #8 wire will have 4.1% voltage drop #6 wire will have 2.6% voltage drop I think you would be safe using #8 wire you can buy this in a 8/2 w/ground cord per the foot at any electrical supply company or big box and buy the male/female RV end caps at the same time and install them yourself
I'd go with #10 guage myself. For 30 amp (which I have), 100 ft., #8 guage might overheat. I've always gone with #10 guage, which my old neighbor recommended to me years ago, and he taught me many ins n' outs concerning RV's based on many more years of RV'ing then me, besides being a professional construction supervisor his whole life where they use a variety of cord guage to power various tools on the job.
The #8 cable is the correct size to use and #6 is better but cost more to buy. You can pick up all the parts at Home Depot.
Hi, #6 would be best. #8 may cause a voltage drop of over 3% Don't forget the existing wiring has to run to the breaker box in your home. That means the true distance "from the source" may be 200 feet.
QUOTE(Stujan @ Oct 28 2011, 05:06 PM) [snapback]28054[/snapback] #10 wire is good for 30 amps #8 wire is good for 50 amps # 8 guage wire is larger than #10 #10 is 30amp #8 is 40 amp #6 is 50 amp
Thank you to all who took the time to reply so far. It is very kind of each of you to share your knowledge and I am very grateful! The distance from the 30A outlet to the breaker box is not huge - approx 6 feet. However, checking today I find that the wiring used is 10/2. Does this make a difference in the type of wire I should use when assembling my 100' power cord? Is there any need to have Sparky the Expensive Electrician back to change to 8 gauge, in your opinions? Thanks again for your help. J (of G and J)
QUOTE(GandJ @ Oct 29 2011, 10:52 AM) [snapback]28063[/snapback] Thank you to all who took the time to reply so far. It is very kind of each of you to share your knowledge and I am very grateful! The distance from the 30A outlet to the breaker box is not huge - approx 6 feet. However, checking today I find that the wiring used is 10/2. Does this make a difference in the type of wire I should use when assembling my 100' power cord? Is there any need to have Sparky the Expensive Electrician back to change to 8 gauge, in your opinions? Thanks again for your help. J (of G and J) 10/2 wG will be fine for the run from the breaker to the outlet.
If you buy uf wire 6 or 8 what ever you get, you can bury it under ground. if you want to at some point. Wire it right into the outlet, put it on a post by your trailer and it would be like camping. It is more money. Romax is easier to work with and cheaper, but you can't bury it.
QUOTE(dog bone @ Nov 3 2011, 12:09 PM) [snapback]28084[/snapback] If you buy uf wire 6 or 8 what ever you get, you can bury it under ground. if you want to at some point. Wire it right into the outlet, put it on a post by your trailer and it would be like camping. It is more money. Romax is easier to work with and cheaper, but you can't bury it. Great Idea, sure beats stringing the cable across the driveway
QUOTE(dog bone @ Nov 3 2011, 11:09 AM) [snapback]28084[/snapback] If you buy uf wire 6 or 8 what ever you get, you can bury it under ground. if you want to at some point. Wire it right into the outlet, put it on a post by your trailer and it would be like camping. It is more money. Romax is easier to work with and cheaper, but you can't bury it. Brilliant!!! Wiish I had thought of that before purchasing my wire. It won't have to go across a driveway, but I will need to remember to move it before mowing. We got the 8/3 to avoid some of the line loss with 10 gauge that Stujan referenced. Also, STW wasn't available, so we had to get SO instead. Thanks again to all who took the time to reply. Your guidance is greatly appreciated!
