Info on electrical cord

[VelvetLounger]

Hello. I'm setting my bus up on a property and I need about 200 feet of electrical cord in order to connect it to the garage. The garage currently has its own breaker box and has 230 volts available. I believe I need 30 amps to run the bus.

Any idea what kind of cord I need to buy? The extension cords I see in Home Depot are all rated for 15 amps.

Thanks!

[bobofthenorth]

That depends on your intent.  If you want to do it right then here's a link:
http://www.paigewire.com/pumpWireCalc.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

You can probably tolerate a 5% voltage drop which gave me #6 copper or #4 aluminum for your numbers.

If you just want to cobble something together I'm sure there will be lots of input following.

[luvrbus]

For a 200 ft run you need at least 8/3 H/D sells the bulk cord last I bought was about $2.50 a ft

[richard5933]

If you have an electrical supply house near you, it may be possible to buy the cord there and get a better price that the box stores. Be sure that whatever you get is rated for outdoor use and is UV protected. Amazing what the weather can do to electrical cords in a hurry.

You say you need 30 amps to run the bus. Does that mean that you anticipate running 30-amps worth of devices in the bus or does that mean that your bus is wired for 30-amp service. Not necessarily the same thing.

Also, remember that 'standard' 30-amp service for motor homes is not 230v, it is 120v. The cord has three conductors - hot, neutral, and ground. The breaker in the garage that powers this will be a single 30-amp 120v breaker.

If your bus has 50-amp service, then you will need a four conductor cord - L1 (hot), L2 (hot), neutral, and ground. It's possible to also get 240v from 50-amp service, although that's not as common (and will create lots of discussion here).

If this was my bus and I knew that I was going to run 30-amps of draw I'd wire for 50-amp service IF the bus was set up for that. If you are only set up for 30-amp service then you might want to reconsider what you are planning to run. Never a good idea to push an electrical system near the rated max.

I'm not an electrician and would strongly recommend that you consult with an electrician before undertaking this if you are not certain what to do.

YMMV

Richard

[VelvetLounger]

Thanks all for your help.

[PP]

A few years back I assisted an electrician wiring an RV campground and we used 10ga wire in PVC conduit. The sites were only 30 amp but there were quite a few sites on each leg. A lot is going to depend on what you actually need in the bus. If you're thinking electric heat, or electric water heater, etc, you get the drift, 10ga will be woefully inadequate. But for a temporary solution, it's a 'cheep' alternative to the proper way of doing it. And always bear in mind that opinions are like ---- and everyone's got one, some are just cheesier than others.
Will

[gg04]

Since the 80's we have ran everything separate feed, 3-#6's and 1-8. Try to Keep runs under 160'  using separate feeder panels. 30a is jumped from one leg with #10 to separate breaker box. Wired to 100per cent of load. rdw

[RJ]

I was having a discussion with one of Pat's nephews, who's a journeyman electrician.  We were talking about running 120' of wire around the house in order to install a 50a plug-in for the coach, since it's impossible to run it under the slab, driveway, or thru the attic.

His suggestion was similar to Richard's: Buy a 500' roll at an electrical supply house of the appropriate gauge wire; 3/4" or 1" electrical pvc conduit plus fittings; a roll of white, black, red, and green electrical tape, plus the appropriate 50a plug - preferably as a kit in an outdoor box. 

Cut the 500' roll into four equal lengths.  Choose a color tape, take one wire, and tape the color to the wire every 5' or so, including both ends.  Repeat for each wire and each color tape. Now you've got wire for a 50a circuit: L1 (red), L2 (black), Neutral (white) and Ground (green.)

Lay out the pvc, but do not glue or connect together.  Now push/pull each wire thru the conduit pieces until you reach the end.  Now all that's left is to glue/connect the pvc together and make your connections to the plug and panel.  He also highly recommended an additional breaker at the plug, primarily for safety reasons.

He did not recommend the bundled wire of the correct gauge that's like an extension cord, primarily due to the difficulty of pulling it thru conduit.  Might be different if you get the type that's designed to be buried outdoors, however.

Whatever you do, consult with a professional electrician to help with the design and final connections was his final suggestion.

FWIW & HTH. . .

[eagle19952]

i hope i've read this right...you do not want 200 feet of SO cord.but, if you use 60 feet of it you'll have a cord that will add value to your coach and reduce the run from the source.

direct burial, doesn't have to be buried.
you can roll it up and take it with you....
one gauge over-sized never hurt a thing.

[brmax]

It may benefit others here if the ground conditions can be described.  IE is this a lot that had or in any event has traffic, be it autos, livestock or people.
Consulting with the specifications on conduit "fill" min/max as far as wire size and count of.
With this information it may be an owner and approved option to have a short post or concrete sono-tube built stand installed. The distance lf able to be viewed from the main disconnect could also be a benefit. These are just some questions I would ask a local pro first.

Good day
Floyd

[chessie4905]

Is this just a temporary need for this winter or a long term setup? Is it necessary to protect wire from road or other traffic?

[Zephod]

If this is temporary then I'd get some 8 gauge single core wire in red and black. I'd run it through plastic conduit, buried underground about 6 inches as far as Your Bus. Then I'd install a TT30 on a length of steel driven into the ground with the steel acting as the earth. I'd then put a short 30A cord between the Bus and Your socket. It's pretty much what I've done here except I didn't bother burying the cable - I slipped it under a trailer and under some decking.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[niles500]

Someone has to tell this Troll to stop posting B.S., Zephod you have no idea what you're talking about, not following the rules of source bonding the neutral/ground can kill someone, please shut up

[Zephod]

Someone has to tell this Troll to stop posting B.S., Zephod you have no idea what you're talking about, not following the rules of source bonding the neutral/ground can kill someone, please shut up

You are getting very irritating and looking very silly.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[richard5933]

Bottom line is you should follow the code in your area for this. There are shortcuts, but unless you are very familiar with what you're doing I've always found following code on electrical systems to be the best plan. Serious consequences can result if proper grounding is not done. Without knowing the specific soil conditions, there is no way for any of us to know if a grounding rod would suffice. Could be sand/dry conditions in which case a single grounding rod is certainly inadequate. For example, when we had the house converted from fuses to breakers years ago, the electrician was required to install three separate grounding rods to ensure proper grounding. Regardless, in order for things like circuit breakers to work properly things must be wired properly with proper grounding.

Ask around. If you area is like mine, you will be able to get this done by an electrician for a reasonable price. In the past I've worked with electricians that have given me the shopping list so I could gather materials. I then would do the bulk of the prep work as he asked (get trenches dug, do a rough layout for conduit install, etc.) and he'd come to do the actual connections and inspect everything.

Too many places for really bad results messing with electrical hookups when someone is not knowledgeable. Fires at worst, equipment damage at best, and either way you'd be out of luck with the insurance company if you did the work yourself.

Richard