50A to 30A Source Distance Limitation
We have a 50A RV at our deer camp which provides a 30A dedicated connection. The RV is approx 135 ft from provided power (cannot move RV closer). My plan is to run direct buried 6AWG cable with a 50...
Forum Discussion
deercamp01 wrote:
Regarding source voltage, I verified the source voltage is stable and 120. I agree having 50A service end to end would be preferred but unfortunately limited with 30A source service so I need to either "jumper" the end or use a converter plug at the source end (50A female to 30A male).
If your unloaded source voltage is reliably 120 vac and you're planning on a maximum 30 amp load then you could actually do fine with 135' of 10 gauge rather than more costly 50 amp 6 gauge. Sure, voltage drop will exceed the nominally recommended max of 5% but you'll still be seeing ~ 112 volts at the camper under full 30 amp load. I in fact sometimes do this here in Ontario where runs to the campsite power post can often be quite long indeed. I carry ~ 140' total of 10 gauge main service cable and do find myself using all of it from time to time, 'though I typically don't draw anywhere near a full 30 amps at any time, usually 20 amps or less. It can be done though.
As far as connecting to that 50 amp service is concerned I'd just use a standard 50 amp male > 30 amp dogbone at the supply end to feed your 135' of cable. :)
