87. Volt. Are you on the fence about buying surge protection

[cbshoestring]

I was told A/C could not be used, and friends who have stayed by the lake warned it was a single receptacle. Still, I paid for electric, I hoped I could at least make coffee.

87 volts when it first cycled, 94 by the time I took the pic, then rolled up my power cord

I guess we will run the fridge on propane, limit our battery use. I plugged Mr Coffee directly into the pole. Better a $20
00 coffee pot..inverters are expensive.

I guess I can re-hook to the truck for a daily "recharge".

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[CA_Traveler]

cbshoestring wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:

cbshoestring wrote:
When we got home
today, I could hear the fan on the inverter running ...

Seems to be difficult for many to distinguish between an inverter which converts 12 vdc to 120 vac and a converter which converts 120 vac to 12 vdc. I suspect you mean converter. 😉

Yes, I meant converter.

In another post, this topic, I even mentioned needing an inverter if I went off grid. I do know the difference...my brain must gotten confused.

OMG Let's not go down the path of converter vs charger! :@

[cbshoestring]

smkettner wrote:


Nothing wrong with that long cord for light use... as long as the mower does not get it.

Shed/trailer is just off the corner of the driveway. I could probably reach it with a 25' cord, maybe even just the trailer plug into the garage . The 100' runs from a plug off the back porch to the eave of the house, over to the shed, then back down. Keeps me from running it over.

[cbshoestring]

SoundGuy wrote:

cbshoestring wrote:
When we got home
today, I could hear the fan on the inverter running ...

Seems to be difficult for many to distinguish between an inverter which converts 12 vdc to 120 vac and a converter which converts 120 vac to 12 vdc. I suspect you mean converter. 😉

Yes, I meant converter.

In another post, this topic, I even mentioned needing an inverter if I went off grid. I do know the difference...my brain must gotten confused.

[SoundGuy]

cbshoestring wrote:
When we got home
today, I could hear the fan on the inverter running ...

Seems to be difficult for many to distinguish between an inverter which converts 12 vdc to 120 vac and a converter which converts 120 vac to 12 vdc. I suspect you mean converter. 😉

[time2roll]

cbshoestring wrote:
A couple weeks ago we went to a State park that claimed electric & water on the web-site. When we arrived, with our empty tanks, we discovered that "water" was conveniently five sites away. Luckly, it was just an overnight trip and I still carry that ol' blue 6 gallon jug from our tent days.

I carried water from a spigot exactly once in Yosemite. Now I carry 300' of that flat hose when visiting there or Death Valley as the fresh water runs out first and it is a long walk to carry water.

Nothing wrong with that long cord for light use... as long as the mower does not get it.

[pianotuna]

Hi CA,

Which is exactly why I want the autoformer.

I'm surviving without the autoformer, but to do so I have to limit the 30 shore power down to 15 amps using the ARC remote for the Magnum inverter. That forces the Magnum to do voltage support rather than just load support.

CA Traveler wrote:
However low voltage is one issue that often occurs later in the day and no amount of pre checking is going to uncover that problem.

[cbshoestring]

One last post on my voltage issue.

I have a 100' extension that runs from the house to the shed. It is just a typical, junky orange extension cord. The trailer is parked near the shed, I use that extension mostly to keep the fridge cool and the battery charged. When we got home today, I could hear the fan on the inverter running, wife had just taken out the food stuff that needed to go in the house, so the fridge was probably running as well. 4 amp draw, 113 volts, zero errors.

YES....I know that cheapy extension is not ideal for plugging the trailer in to. I need a new panel before I can run a 50 amp service to that area. Still, that extension is doing better than that CG's power source.

[SoundGuy]

smkettner wrote:
Yes with the experience you may now start venturing away from water and sewer too 😉

cbshoestring wrote:
Maybe some day we will fill the water tank, try a weekend without hook-ups.:B

Oh NO! Say it isn't so! Oh the horror of it all! :E :W

Methinks you'll somehow actually survive dry camping just fine. 😛

[cbshoestring]

smkettner wrote:


Yes with the experience you may now start venturing away from water and sewer too 😉

A couple weeks ago we went to a State park that claimed electric & water on the web-site. When we arrived, with our empty tanks, we discovered that "water" was conveniently five sites away. Luckly, it was just an overnight trip and I still carry that ol' blue 6 gallon jug from our tent days.

SO, technically we have camped without the big three hook-ups, we just haven't done it all at the same time. Maybe some day we will fill the water tank, try a weekend without hook-ups.:B

Then again, I am pretty sure the trailer only has a converter, not an inverter. We would have to rectify that, must have a place to plug in the coffee pot. My days of perking coffee over the fire are done...still carry the perker, wife loves coffee made that way..me LAZY, I just plug in Mr. Coffee.

[rockhillmanor]

cbshoestring wrote:
Tuesday morning, most people have gone home & those that stayed were still in bed as I made my morning coffee. I got out the volt meter just out of curiosity. We have 105 at the pole. This CG needs an upgrade to their electrical grid.

Leaving today, so I guess we survived 3 nights on propane and battery. Does this make me an experienced off-grider?

Yes, just don't post any pictures of you parked at the CG while you did it!! :B:W

[SoundGuy]

myredracer wrote:
We carry a 2nd 30 amp shore power cord and a generator adapter that allows us to make up a 50' cord. The 2nd one is also good in case our nice Marinco cord walks away or is damaged.

I carry 140' of 10 gauge main service cable, including the trailer's 25' cable. Here in the Ontario provincial park system I would rarely use less than 75' to reach the campsite power post but 100' is likewise not that uncommon. Last year we managed to get a premium site in the newly opened Holmes Bay campground at Inverhuron provincial park - even my 140' of cable wouldn't get me to the post so I had to move the trailer forward. This particular park, originally opened in 1967, had been closed for years but 11 yrs ago was completely rebuilt and reopened - in doing so the main power trunks were buried alongside the campsite roads, with the power pedestals located just a few feet into each site. The purpose (I assume) was to avoid the significantly increased cost of running main service cable all the way from the road to the rear of the trailer pad but the end result is that anyone camping in this park would be wise to have at least 75' of main service cable, preferably more. This is not to say every campsite in every OPP is like this but across the system long runs to the power post are not unusual at all.

[time2roll]

cbshoestring wrote:
Tuesday morning, most people have gone home & those that stayed were still in bed as I made my morning coffee. I got out the volt meter just out of curiosity. We have 105 at the pole. This CG needs an upgrade to their electrical grid.

Leaving today, so I guess we survived 3 nights on propane and battery. Does this make me an experienced off-grider?

Considering the 105v in the morning I believe if you had stayed plugged in the battery would have been charged overnight.

Same with solar on the roof. Might have some shade and clouds but they are always waiting even for that one hour of good sun to give a boost.

Yes with the experience you may now start venturing away from water and sewer too 😉

[myredracer]

CA Traveler wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:
True, and an argument that favours having the EMS wired in at the trailer rather than the campsite power post because it's also accounting for any voltage drop that may occur due to main service cable length. Here in Ontario where the runs can typically be 100' or more that's an important issue, not so much for those just running out the trailer's 25' cable to reach the post.

Wow - Haven't found that is Western Canada and I only carry 60' of 50A cord. 😞

I do carry an additional 50' of 30A cord for my sons house. Plus with 100' of 10ga 20A cord I already have a basket full of cords. 😉

The NEC specifies where a pedestal has to go on a site and where the shore power cord has to enter an RV. The CEC has no such rules. In fact, the CEC rules for RV parks is next to nothing compared to the NEC. Only twice have we found that our 25' 30 amp cord isn't long enough and that was in older CGs when the code was probably different. We carry a 2nd 30 amp shore power cord and a generator adapter that allows us to make up a 50' cord. The 2nd one is also good in case our nice Marinco cord walks away or is damaged.

[SoundGuy]

Chuck_thehammer wrote:
test voltage at times when load will be the greatest. there load... campground load,, or branch of main line.

Sure, but there's no need for those of us using an EMS at the trailer end that constantly monitors and displays incoming source voltage under load and current draw. By far the best solution IMO. :B