OKWe now have the luxury of a 50 amp power chord reel (nice)Now we want to set up the luxury of a maximum longer 50 amp cord & reel, and a maximum 50 amp extension cord on a power wheel (removable at the bow/other end?), an interior mounted 50amp autoformer w/surge protector (and fire control?)How did you pros do it?!!! Thanks in advance !!!

You can do a internet search for Hughes Autoformer, find the company, find a local dealer, and buy one, have them install it.You can also have a local electrician install it too. There is only input wires from your cord reel, and output wires to the RV where they disconnected the wires to the cord reel. Congratulations on the new power cord reel! I hear they are nice to have. Personally I would rather put up with the portable cord that plugs into the side of the RV than desire to spend $1,000 on a power cord reel. . .AS for a extension cord. It is always best to camp as close as possible to the RV power inlet cord location, to not require a extension cord. But if you should need it, then I would be using a portable 25' - 30' extension cord, and not putting it on the reel.The reel will act like a transformer to some extent. You will have 4 wires going around the reel, however if it is really long part wound up on the reel, then it can overheat and act like a transformer. It is best to wind out most of the cord - especially on a hot day, and avoid leaving more than 2 winds left on the cord reel. Say that the cord is 1/2" diameter and the reel is 5" wide, leaving space for 8 or 9 cords side by side, and two layers would leave about 10 - 20 feet of cord on the reel, and still not get hot. But if you leave it all on there, it can overheat. something to check on a warm day, when 2 A/C units are running.. . . Have fun camping!Fred.

you need to make sure that the size of the wires support the total length of your reeled cord plus extension cord(s).it will probably never come up unless your long cords overheat and cause a fire that damages someone else's property and a lawsuit ensues, but HUD regulations limit the length of a plug in power cord to 35 (or maybe it's 36) feet.

A power cord on a reel does not act like a transformer. It may heat up due to resistive heating, and being confined to a smaller area than if it were strung out, but there is no net inductive heating because the net current within the cable is zero. (The current that flows one direction through the hot conductor(s) flows back the other direction through the neutral, and they cancel each other out.)If the cable is properly sized and rated for use on the reel, it shouldn't get too hot even at maximum rated current. That's basically what being properly sized and rated means, after all—it's suitable and safe for its application.

DrewE wrote:A power cord on a reel does not act like a transformer. It may heat up due to resistive heating, and being confined to a smaller area than if it were strung out, but there is no net inductive heating because the net current within the cable is zero. (The current that flows one direction through the hot conductor(s) flows back the other direction through the neutral, and they cancel each other out.)If the cable is properly sized and rated for use on the reel, it shouldn't get too hot even at maximum rated current. That's basically what being properly sized and rated means, after all—it's suitable and safe for its application.X2 Good accurate information.

Golden_HVAC wrote:The reel will act like a transformer to some extent. You will have 4 wires going around the reel, however if it is really long part wound up on the reel, then it can overheat and act like a transformer. It is best to wind out most of the cord - especially on a hot day, and avoid leaving more than 2 winds left on the cord reel. Say that the cord is 1/2" diameter and the reel is 5" wide, leaving space for 8 or 9 cords side by side, and two layers would leave about 10 - 20 feet of cord on the reel, and still not get hot. But if you leave it all on there, it can overheat. something to check on a warm day, when 2 A/C units are running.. . . Have fun camping!Fred.How did you deduce this piece of info?I do have Glendinning power cord which gets coiled inside a drum and have never experienced any of the effects you mention

50 Amp Cord, Pwr Reel, Cord Ext, AutoFrmr w/srge/fire contrl

Popsie
Explorer
Dec 07, 2015
you need to make sure that the size of the wires support the total length of your reeled cord plus extension cord(s).

it will probably never come up unless your long cords overheat and cause a fire that damages someone else's property and a lawsuit ensues, but HUD regulations limit the length of a plug in power cord to 35 (or maybe it's 36) feet.
Golden_HVAC
Explorer
Dec 07, 2015
You can do a internet search for Hughes Autoformer, find the company, find a local dealer, and buy one, have them install it.

You can also have a local electrician install it too. There is only input wires from your cord reel, and output wires to the RV where they disconnected the wires to the cord reel.

Congratulations on the new power cord reel! I hear they are nice to have. Personally I would rather put up with the portable cord that plugs into the side of the RV than desire to spend $1,000 on a power cord reel. . .

AS for a extension cord. It is always best to camp as close as possible to the RV power inlet cord location, to not require a extension cord. But if you should need it, then I would be using a portable 25' - 30' extension cord, and not putting it on the reel.

The reel will act like a transformer to some extent. You will have 4 wires going around the reel, however if it is really long part wound up on the reel, then it can overheat and act like a transformer. It is best to wind out most of the cord - especially on a hot day, and avoid leaving more than 2 winds left on the cord reel. Say that the cord is 1/2" diameter and the reel is 5" wide, leaving space for 8 or 9 cords side by side, and two layers would leave about 10 - 20 feet of cord on the reel, and still not get hot. But if you leave it all on there, it can overheat. something to check on a warm day, when 2 A/C units are running.. . .

Have fun camping!

Fred.

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