Hi Friends.Here is my situation.Camping at a music festival with CAT Generators. Paying for a 30 amp hook up. My TT is 30 amp. 1 AC unit. My TT is newer (2012)Although it may be closer they state I will need at least 75 feet to get to the junction. I use a high end surge/voltage drop protector (the one that's like $300) and it plugs in externally. I cannot run the 25 feet of the TT cord cause then the surge protector would be out on the lawn somewhere between the extension and my TT cord. I'm obviously not going to put my surge protector at the CAT junction 75 feet away either. Therefor I need 75 feet of extension from the TT plug/surge protector. If I buy a 50 ft and a 25 ft (or even 2 50 ft) 30 amp extensions will there be an issue running the AC? With the TT cord length this will put me 100-125 feet from the power source. I do have a surge protector that will trip should volts/amps drop therefor protecting the AC motor. I don't want to pay the extra money for the 30 AMP spot if it wont run the AC from that distance. Oh yeah,,, only the fridge will be on and a couple of LED's at night. No other amps.Thanks a bunch Mike.

Since your A/C draws probably 15 amp, if you use a 15 amp cord (that's 14 gauge) that is 100 feet long, you should be ok. If it were me, I'd go the extra bucks and buy a 12 gauge extension cord, which is rated for 20 amps. A 30 amp cord, which would be a 10 gauge, would be great but would set you back some serious cash.

I would bring a 100' roll of 10/3 cord from Home Depot and make the cord to the length I needed adding my own 30a ends. If the voltage is solid at the plug you should be fine. If the supply sags you really need a voltage booster more than a surge/voltage protector.

Buy two additional 30 amp 25 foot cords from Walmart. These along with your rig's cord will give you 75 feet.

If you know a RV dealership real close maybe you can borrow a couple of RV30AMP extension cords. This is what they use to power up all of their trailers on display all over their lots...I would not go any smaller than 12-3 cable size. The 10-3 is what I would want to have.Whatever you end up with make sure all three conductors are there and used. This is where your required 'SAFE' grounding comes from for your trailer.Roy Ken

I use three of these 50' 10/3 extension cords to hookup at my house. I put my EMS on the cord attached to the trailer just in case, but I have noticed no voltage drop or heat.Bruce

Extension Cord (need some opinions) | Good Sam Community

gmw_photos
Explorer
Jun 22, 2014
Bob Landry wrote:
Be sure that the 10/3 is AWG and not SAE. SAE is 12 to 18 percent smaller and will not carry as much load as AWG

Bob,
Thanks for pointing that out. I did not know that.
The one I have ( that I posted the link to at lowe's ) says AWG on it.

EDIT... I edited my above post.
Bob_Landry
Explorer
Jun 22, 2014
Be sure that the 10/3 is AWG and not SAE. SAE is 12 to 18 percent smaller and will not carry as much load as AWG
gmw_photos
Explorer
Jun 22, 2014
If you change your mind and decide you want to use a regular extension cord, here is a choice:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_67702-66906-UTP711935_0__?productId=3191731

I have one of these, and keep it for around the barn use, etc, and I have run my trailer on it, with the 15.5K BTU A/C running on a 20 amp breaker. Voltage at the camper remains at 118VAC with the A/C compressor running, so I call it good.

EDIT.....CORRECTION......the cord I linked to above is not in fact the cord I have. I went and looked at mine, and see that it is Ridgid brand. I got it at Home Depot, not lowe's. The following is the one I have ( 10/3 AWG, 100 feet ) Sorry for the confusion.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-100-ft-10-3-Extension-Cord-AW62628/100661447

If I am not mistaken, to be rated at 20A, it has to have a t-blade male end, where a 15A rated plug is what we normally see in regular household outlets.
Bob, jump in here and correct me if I'm wrong on that. Thanks, and again, sorry I confused the issue.
Aluminum_Siding
Explorer
Jun 22, 2014
Just want to say thanks for all the awesome opinions and advice. From all the reading I think I'm going to go with two 50 foot 30 amp extensions like some posted. If the junction is near i'll only need one. If it's the full 75 feet (that they say I may need) I'll use both. My Shurepro will trip if the amps/volts drop but hopefully not. A dry camp spot is $300 less so if the AC wont run the whole thing will be a waste. My gut tells me I should be fine. I'm going to test it out at a 30 amp pedestal next time we camp too. I also like the recommendation of locking the extension cords to each other. I always lock up my surge protector with a padlock and cable but this is a great Idea to keep $60 cables from growing legs.

Again thanks for all the advice.
myredracer
Explorer II
Jun 22, 2014
tenbear wrote:
Here is a little food for thought.

100 feet of #10 wire with a current of 30 Amps will have a voltage drop of 6 volts. # 12 would drop 9.5 v and #14 would drop 15 v. This is in addition to any drops due to the connectors. Of course you may not be using 30 A. Half the current, half the drop.

Yes true, but that's at a continuous/steady load and you also need to consider that the momentary inrush current of an AC unit is up around 60 amps (or maybe more depending on size and brand) and the resulting voltage drop can be too much for the AC to start. If things are marginal though, that's where a hard start cap or the Dometic smartstart can help. Also depends on the voltage at the supply end and for the CAT generator (I'm assuming a larger one), what size it is and what the voltage regulation is like.
tenbear
Explorer
Jun 22, 2014
Here is a little food for thought.

100 feet of #10 wire with a current of 30 Amps will have a voltage drop of 6 volts. # 12 would drop 9.5 v and #14 would drop 15 v. This is in addition to any drops due to the connectors. Of course you may not be using 30 A. Half the current, half the drop.
DiskDoctr
Explorer
Jun 21, 2014
At 75ft and lots of others doing the same thing? May want to add two padlocks with a steel cable between them, one attached to each cable on either side of any connections.

Prevents theft and unplugging, both accidental and otherwise.
BubbaChris
Explorer
Jun 21, 2014
Aluminum Siding wrote:

Oh yeah,,, only the fridge will be on and a couple of LED's at night. No other amps.

If this is accurate, then virtually anything would do. However his converter is also likely to be trying to charge the battery too. I'd go with 100' if 12 gauge and have the surge protection next to the TT.
ChooChooMan74
Explorer
Jun 21, 2014
If you need that length, harbor freight has a 10-3 extension cords up to 100 feet. It is amazing what you can make out of them.
myredracer
Explorer II
Jun 21, 2014
I would not go less than #10 gauge. The problem you will run into is the momentary inrush current which can be quite high. If the wire size is too small, the AC may not start. You could consider installing a hard start capacitor or the Dometic Smartstart (expensive) but probably not worth it for a one time event.

Here is one thread for example that talks about AC unit inrush current. http://www.accuride.com/Woodworking/Product/Details.asp?ProductID=63&CatID=&ProductName=Woodworking-9301

If you have a detachable shore power cord, you can connect two cords together with a generator adapter which are inexpensive. We've got a spare 30 amp cord as a spare and if we use the adapter, we can make 50'.

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