What Size Wire 30amp
I would like to put a 30 amp RV plug on my garage. The service pole is about 80 feet from the garage. I was wondering was size wire I will need to support 30 amp service.
Forum Discussion
Important thing is to adequately power any sensitive, power hungry devices (Air conditioners, other large draw motors, 12V converter) and be able to maybe power them together. AWG #10 meets the ampacity of 30 amps of current requirement. If having a run of wire close to 100', AWG #8 would be a much better choice.
Rationale for installing a 50 amp pedestal has a lot of merit but costs often overrule best possible solutions. With 50 amp service and the larger wire (also multiple outlets), you would never suffer a loss of power.
Here's a tip for those wanting larger wire: shop a local electrical surplus reseller. Large metro areas typically have at least one reseller in the area. I bought single conductor AWG 6 with a very good jacket for $.50/ft, recently.
FWIW, I used two lengths of this to power a 50 amp subpanel, the ground terminated at the subpanel location. The subpanel powers a welder receptacle, my 50 amp RV receptacle, and 4 x 15 amp 120V receptacles. Yes, I'm kind of cheating on the total ampacity, but none are all used at the same time and I'm using a larger load center box.
Rationale for installing a 50 amp pedestal has a lot of merit but costs often overrule best possible solutions. With 50 amp service and the larger wire (also multiple outlets), you would never suffer a loss of power.
Here's a tip for those wanting larger wire: shop a local electrical surplus reseller. Large metro areas typically have at least one reseller in the area. I bought single conductor AWG 6 with a very good jacket for $.50/ft, recently.
FWIW, I used two lengths of this to power a 50 amp subpanel, the ground terminated at the subpanel location. The subpanel powers a welder receptacle, my 50 amp RV receptacle, and 4 x 15 amp 120V receptacles. Yes, I'm kind of cheating on the total ampacity, but none are all used at the same time and I'm using a larger load center box.
