Camp ground power

[hotpepperkid]

I have noticed that some camp grounds the power voltage varies all over the place and some it never varies. Have been in some where voltage runs from 110 to 125 and other it never get off 118

[We_Cant_Wait]

We camp at the same campground a lot and usually have a site in the middle of a line run and had 118 consistently. Over Labor Day we had a site at the very end of the circuit run, and had voltage of 108-112. Went and got a Hughes Autoformer problem solved consistent 122-124 voltage after that.

[myredracer]

Low voltage is quite common and the reason is because of the minimum requirements of the electrical code (NEC) that were in effect at the time a CG or RV park was built. The NEC has evolved and improved over the decades but is still way behind all the RVs out there that are running high demand appliances, 1 or more AC units, etc. as well as all the RVs with 50 amp services that are being sold nowadays. Summer heat is hard on CG wiring with so many AC units running at the same time.

Until the 2005 edition of the NEC, only 5 percent of CGs were required to have 50 amp pedestals, when it was changed to 20 percent. If you go back far enough, no 50 amp pedestals were required. Some more upscale RV parks, casino RV parks, gov't CGs and others have intentionally built above the min. requirements.

If you stay in CGs like Thousand Trails for ex., many of them were built in the 70s and simply don't have electrical systems adequate enough for today's RV's power demands. The NEC can't force owners to upgrade.

If you want better voltage, avoid older CGs - the older they are, the worse the voltage can be. If you have a 30 amp RV, snag a 50 amp site and use an adapter. When you look around for a site when you get to a CG, try to get a site as close as possible to a pad-mounted transformer (a square "box" about 3x3x2' high on the ground) which will have a shorter wire/cable run to a pedestal. Arm yourself with an autoformer.

Upgrading the power system in a CG is very very costly and if a CG is going to do that, expect to pay higher rates for a site so they can recoup the costs.

[elivi8]

GordonThree wrote:
This year, I've found I really like the campgrounds where I provide my own power. The sites are bigger, the crowds are smaller, there's way more stars at night. Oh, there's no line at the shower. And the best thing, no huge class A or 5th wheels leaving their massive flood lights (scare lights) on all night long because they're afraid of the dark.

Yeah! Turn those frickin lights off! No need for them and ruins camping for everyone.

[westernrvparkow]

You would likely find the same thing if you monitored the voltage at your home. But, truthfully, how often do you check the voltage at your house? My guess, close to never.
The voltage in any electrical service will rise and fall with usage on the lines. The NEC allows voltage variation of +/- 5 percent at the service entrance. Then you will have a certain amount of voltage drop thru your lines. Unlike at your home, the loads on the lines in an RV park will vary without any input from you, because you never know when your neighbor is going to run his microwave or turn on an electric heater, actions which will likely cause a small voltage drop. Between the variations caused by usage, and the variations the power company is allowed to have, you will see voltage changing.

[WILDEBILL308]

hotpepperkid wrote:
I have noticed that some camp grounds the power voltage varies all over the place and some it never varies. Have been in some where voltage runs from 110 to 125 and other it never get off 118

I don't plug in without my Surge Gard to protect my electrical system.
Bill

[GordonThree]

This year, I've found I really like the campgrounds where I provide my own power. The sites are bigger, the crowds are smaller, there's way more stars at night. Oh, there's no line at the shower. And the best thing, no huge class A or 5th wheels leaving their massive flood lights (scare lights) on all night long because they're afraid of the dark.

[TNRIVERSIDE]

That's why I use an electric management system. My Progresive Industries EMS has saved my AC many times. I wouldn't leave home without it. Actually I use it at home too.

[K_Charles]

Thats about what it is at our house. Also the only cell phone that works is AT&T sometimes with one bar sometimes no signal. We love all the stuff the world has to offer when we leave home.

[time2roll]

Normal and common. Monitor closely as you dip under 110 with the air conditioner running.
104 to 108 is about minimum the compressor should continue running.

[Old-Biscuit]

Different systems, different wiring schemes, different demands, etc.

Same with water supply

Same with size of sites.....spacing of sites

[Sam_Spade]

Yes.....and......???
That is nothing new. Some campground owners are too cheap to upgrade their service level or to fix the distribution problems that exist in their own wiring.
Others have a level of service and a quality of wiring to handle their peak load.