Electrical/water Hook up 120 feet away

[Javin]

Hi all,

I'm very new to all this being a camper for many years and I'm still in the process of buying our 16XRB Hybrid. However, as i plan our summer trips with the new trailer I came across one park that has the best/private electrical site but the catch is the hook up to electrical and water is "about 120 feet away" according to the park operator. Being completely new to this, I do know that having an electrical extension cord is a good idea, but do they even come that long and is it safe and feasible to run one that long? Also will it cost a fortune to buy a cord that long if they even make one? Or can a regular household extension cord work with an adapter like you would use for an electric lawn mower? And what about the water hook up being that far away, is there hoses that long and is this doable?

Obviously privacy comes at a price, and we always prefer not to be right next to someone if possible especially in really open parks. Any suggestions and comments from folks would be great. Thanks!

[RPreeb]

Originally Posted by Javin

Hi all,

I'm very new to all this being a camper for many years and I'm still in the process of buying our 16XRB Hybrid. However, as i plan our summer trips with the new trailer I came across one park that has the best/private electrical site but the catch is the hook up to electrical and water is "about 120 feet away" according to the park operator. Being completely new to this, I do know that having an electrical extension cord is a good idea, but do they even come that long and is it safe and feasible to run one that long? Also will it cost a fortune to buy a cord that long if they even make one? Or can a regular household extension cord work with an adapter like you would use for an electric lawn mower? And what about the water hook up being that far away, is there hoses that long and is this doable?

Obviously privacy comes at a price, and we always prefer not to be right next to someone if possible especially in really open parks. Any suggestions and comments from folks would be great. Thanks!

The longest 30 amp course I've seen is 50 feet, so you'd need 2 of them along with the TT's own cord fully extended. And those 50 footers don't come cheap either. A Camco 50 footer is $80 on Amazon.

Household cords are only rated for 15 amps. Running your AC would overload it. I've used one when just keeping the battery topped off, or using the LED lights in the TT, but not with the AC.

[North of 49°]

Are you sure the description of the campground is correct? We camp at provincial parks and a lot of them have power at each campsite, but water "within 100 ft." which means a communal water faucet nearby on the main road.

Having said that, we've also camped in privately owned campgrounds where there was a cluster of plugs on one power pedestal that serviced four or five campsites from a central location. It was a pain to park the trailer and unhook, just to find out that even with an extension cord, the pedestal was too far away, so we had to move the trailer closer. Needless to say, this was our first and last trip to that particular place.

[bansai]

I think there is a logical limit here on what a park can claim when it comes to electrical / water hookups.

Anyway, you could have that cable custom built and it's going to be really heavy and a major pain to deal with. The 50 foot lengths aren't exactly easy to manage either.

The water probably isn't a deal breaker as you can use your fresh water tank and just fill up every few days.. that's probably what I would do.. but if that's not an option, I guess you can fill up the back of your truck with power and water lines

If the power is really that far away, I'd consider it more of a boondocking site and bring along an inverter generator and not deal with that much heavy 30amp cord. That's a really long run.

[Javin]

Thanks for the suggestions. Apparently this site was an "add on" which is why it has such an unusual length to the power. I was planning on getting 1 power extension cord 50 feet max I'm guessing, but to have to buy 2 just to stay at this one site seems a bit much. I'm thinking the added privacy might not be worth it.

[rsday75]

I am thinking at that distance you would need a cord heavier than the typical 30 amp extension. 30 amps draw on a 10 gauge cord is really pushing it at over 100' Might have to buy 8 gauge cord and put 30 amp ends on it....

[Jagiven]

I would just fill the FW tank as you roll into the CG, and bring a 5 gallon water can to refill the tank if needed. I carry two 25 foot and a 10 foot hoses. I have never uses all the hoses at once.

I would say no go for the AC in that site. You could get a really good 12 gauge extension(s) cord, so that you have unlimited power for things like the refrigerator, water heater, lights, etc.

[bigbird]

Originally Posted by North of 49°

Are you sure the description of the campground is correct? We camp at provincial parks and a lot of them have power at each campsite, but water "within 100 ft." which means a communal water faucet nearby on the main road.

Having said that, we've also camped in privately owned campgrounds where there was a cluster of plugs on one power pedestal that serviced four or five campsites from a central location. It was a pain to park the trailer and unhook, just to find out that even with an extension cord, the pedestal was too far away, so we had to move the trailer closer. Needless to say, this was our first and last trip to that particular place.[/QUOTE
Interesting that Manitoba provincial parks have there own hydro pedestals. Here in Ontario Provincial Parks share a pedestal between two sites. Its not uncommon a site will be 30 meters(100 ft) from pedestal. At the same time you might find the next site might be 10 meters(30ft) away. The 30 meter sites are usually quite private and for that reason I own a 50 and 25 ft extension cord. At least one park I know Macgregor Point will lend out extension cords for a small deposit since some of their pedestals are 33 meters away.

[North of 49°]

Originally Posted by bigbird

Interesting that Manitoba provincial parks have there own hydro pedestals. Here in Ontario Provincial Parks share a pedestal between two sites. Its not uncommon a site will be 30 meters(100 ft) from pedestal. At the same time you might find the next site might be 10 meters(30) away. The 30 meter sites are usually quite private and for that reason I own a 50 and 25 ft extension cord. At least one park I know Macgregor Point will lend out extension cords for a small deposit since some of their pedestals are 33 meters away.

I've never been in a Manitoba provincial park campground that had that; each site that was advertised as having power had its own pedestal. The location of that pedestal, however, is a different thing altogether. In most cases they're on the "driver's side" about halfway down the site, where you would expect it. But I've seen ones where they were closer to the road -- make sure your cord will reach before you unhitch! -- and other times they're near the back of the site, and you really need a second set of eyes back there so you don't back into it. I've never needed an extension cord; in the cases where the pedestal is a little too far away, just moving the trailer a few feet is enough.

I can understand why private campgrounds put the power pedestals and water faucets in the weirdest of places. The contractors who installed those services most likely charged by the foot, so they tried to cut costs as much as possible by running the lines the shortest distance they could, which doesn't necessarily mean the pedestal will be in the most convenient of places.

As for the OP, is there any way you can move to a different site, one that's closer to the pedestal? The water thing IMHO is a non-issue -- unless they're charging you extra for a site with water. Most of our trips this year will be to sites without water, and filling up the water tank at home or when we get to the campground is not a big deal.

[John H]

I came across this site and thought you may find it useful.

RV Electric

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by rsday75

I am thinking at that distance you would need a cord heavier than the typical 30 amp extension. 30 amps draw on a 10 gauge cord is really pushing it at over 100' Might have to buy 8 gauge cord and put 30 amp ends on it....

Actually 120 volts over 120' will give negligable voltage drop. Usually we electricians do not start calculating voltage drop, depending the type of load, for several hundred feet.
A 100' 12 gauge extension cord would be just fine as it is rated for 80% of the 20 amp circuit which is 16 amps and the AC unit draws +/- 11 amps. I have done the same thing as an experiment with my coach and monitoring the amperage and everything was fine.

[bigbird]

I often wondered why there was such a concern about voltage drop from the post to my trailer when the line running to the post is likely so much longer. Then again i'm no electrician.

[Kenelz]

Here is a little tutor on RV electrical wire size. When I put in the wiring for the RV plug in outside the garage, the 50 ft called for 8ga. I went by the code charts, and it passed inspection.
I don't know what size wire is in the RV's plug extension, seems bigger than 12 ga.

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by bigbird

I often wondered why there was such a concern about voltage drop from the post to my trailer when the line running to the post is likely so much longer. Then again i'm no electrician.

There is no concern. Just make sure there is 112v or higher at the post.

[Vicr]

Originally Posted by Kenelz

Here is a little tutor on RV electrical wire size. When I put in the wiring for the RV plug in outside the garage, the 50 ft called for 8ga. I went by the code charts, and it passed inspection.
I don't know what size wire is in the RV's plug extension, seems bigger than 12 ga.

He has a 30 amp service and the cord size will a minimum of #10 but it won't reach the post so he can use a #12 gauge extension cord to the post.

Yes#8 per the NEC is rated for 50 amps.

[bigbird]

Originally Posted by Vicr

There is no concern. Just make sure there is 112v or higher at the post.

Thanks for the tip. I check it when we first arrive and keep a close i on it when running the ac.

[kiknads]

North of 49°, the seasonal campground at west hawk lake has 2 sites sharing electrical on a pole between sites, but thats the only one i've seen so far

[wags999]

If your going to use a 12 ga cord, and adapter to plug into a 30 amp line, and then run AC and other things in your RV you very well may overheat the 12 ga cord. Several 50' cords, several plugs, adapters... well.. don't think I would do that. If you were not running the AC you would most likely be fine, but in that case I would plug into the standard outlet which most post have. They are protected by a 15 or 20 amp breaker. If you want to use the AC and other items in your RV, then get the proper cords, the few dollars difference is worth the peace of mind. Water actually I would be less concerned with, only issue may be low pressure depending on the pressure in the park.

Good Camping.

[North of 49°]

Originally Posted by kiknads

North of 49°, the seasonal campground at west hawk lake has 2 sites sharing electrical on a pole between sites, but thats the only one i've seen so far

We've only been to West Hawk once, and didn't enjoy camping in a field. When we're in the Whiteshell, we always go to Nutimik Lake. But a seasonal sharing the same pedestal? I'd find that rather annoying.

[kiknads]

Im not a huge fan of field camping either, but my wife teaches scuba diving so we are kind of stuck there