Low voltage situation

[bigdave720]

Hi all. I'm spending an extended time with family helping take care of my elderly parents. (Actually dw does most of the "taking care of" but that's another story.)

Any way, when we first arrived I had an electrician install a 50/30/20 amp RV pedestal with our own meter on it. He pulled the power just after the house meter. I'm now getting low voltage (110) according to my analog meter. A neighbor checked it with his digital meter and we're about steady lately between 108 and 112. Needing to see 120, what can we do? Is the only answer to call an electrician or is there something I can do myself. Original electrician has moved on. BTW, readings on the house are rock steady at 120.

[SoundGuy]

Yet AGAIN, another classic case why using "protection" should be a no-brainer. :S

[Old-Biscuit]

Vannnce wrote:
Are you getting the same voltage measuring hot leg to neutral as you are measuring hot leg to ground?

Ding, ding, ding........

This will tell you a lot!

[Vannnce]

Are you getting the same voltage measuring hot leg to neutral as you are measuring hot leg to ground?

[bigdave720]

Thanks guys. The electrician came right off the meter box for the house and the run to my box is only about 3ft, if that, using #4 wire. I'm not comfortable with checking inside the box but tomorrow I will hopefully get someone to come check it for me. Thanks for the diagram showing me how to check the 30 and 50 amp outlets. That, I can do and will get to it in the am. Currently I'm getting 115 volts inside. Go figure.

[Coach-man]

kaydeejay wrote:

ScottG wrote:
I would double check his connections for looseness and heat.

Ditto.
If he pulled the new connection after the meter but before the main house panel and the house is at 120V, then there HAS to be a loose connection somewhere between where he hooked up and the outlets in the pedestal.
I would start with a voltmeter INSIDE the pedestal to see what you are getting there, then work back to where he hooked in.
Good luck, and BE CAREFUL, you may be messing with 240 Volts if he hooked up a real 50A service!

X2, the only way you would see that drop in volts is either because of loose connections, or the wire is to small for the distance run! As stated it should be at least a #6, or better a #4. Check at each of the connections, starting with the pedestal and working back to where it was connected. If all the connections are tight, then the wire size is to small for the length of the run.

[RoyB]

This is how you are suppose to measure the 50A/30A/20A Service at the pedestal...

50AMP SERVICE


30A-20A/15A SERVICE


You might want to check both LEGS of the 50AMP and see if they both read the same AC VOLTAGE. You could have a NEUTRAL PROBLEM... i.e if one HOT leg reads 105VAC and the other HOT leg reads 135VAC.

Just make sure the 0VAC readings between NEUTRAl and GROUND are not much higher that .5VAC or so...

I also would not plug my RV TRAILER into this setup until I know those AC VOLTAGEs above are confirmed.

Your electrician should have wired up your pedesstal like shown here.



The 20A SERVICE is wired just like the 30A service except it will be fed by a 20AMP Circuit breaker.

Roy Ken

[time2roll]

108 - 112 is how much lower then the main feed?

Is the wire #6 or #4? How long is the run?

108 - 112 is on the low side of normal. Is that with nothing plugged in?

[kaydeejay]

ScottG wrote:
I would double check his connections for looseness and heat.

Ditto.
If he pulled the new connection after the meter but before the main house panel and the house is at 120V, then there HAS to be a loose connection somewhere between where he hooked up and the outlets in the pedestal.
I would start with a voltmeter INSIDE the pedestal to see what you are getting there, then work back to where he hooked in.
Good luck, and BE CAREFUL, you may be messing with 240 Volts if he hooked up a real 50A service!

[ScottG]

I would double check his connections for looseness and heat.