Shore power

[bristles]

With the covid-19 still active the wife, dog and I are going to do some "hillbilly" camping in the back yard. Camper is parked 65 feet from the nearest 120v outlet. Can anyone help me figure out what size wire to use to get 120v power so we can have a/c, fridge, and maybe tv. I'm not ready to put in a post and under ground wires yet so my option is a long extension cord large enough to handle the load.

[Vicr]

#12awg. If you can find one a #10 awg will help with the voltage drop when the AC kicks in but #12 will be fine.

VR
IBEW Local 46
Seattle
37th year in the trade.

[Grumpy]

#10, and you would only have a 2% voltage drop vs #12 at 3.5%

Edit: Vicr won....

[WeRJuliian]

An RV power cord, is usually rated at a minimum of 30A, usually 10 gauge
Your house supply won't provide more than 15 or 20,, but I would be inclined to go for the full 10g, combined with a good quality adaptor to let you plug it into the house outlet. That way, you've got a nice long 30A cord that you can take with you, when you do get to travel.

That's quite a long cable run, and anything smaller will give you a significant volt drop. This may also give you issues with an electrical protection unit, if you have one.

Try to connect to an outlet that doesn't share a breaker with anything else, because you'll be pushing the limit of a domestic 20A supply with your AC.

[RetiredOne]

Originally Posted by WeRJuliian

Try to connect to an outlet that doesn't share a breaker with anything else, because you'll be pushing the limit of a domestic 20A supply with your AC.

Beat me to it.... a 10 gauge extension cord would probably be OK, but the outlet on the house is hopefully a 12 gauge line on a 20 amp circuit. If it's a 15 amp circuit, shared by something else in the house, that might pop the breaker, depending on the type.

[RogerR]

Another idea is to buy underground rated romex in 10 guage and add a plug and waterproof outlet box on the ends. Use as a dropcord now and bury it later. Warning, don't bend it sharply or any more often than absolutely needed.

And of course, dogs and kids, mowers, etc. can be a hazard.


A gfci at your house outlet is a really good idea for anything you use in the yard. I have one on a short cord that I plug into the wall and use for hedge clippers, etc. with my drop cords. ( just to confess, hedge trimmers will cut drop cords with a nifty flash and pop, a gfci seemed like a good idea).

[Vicr]

I'm an electrician who designs and builds electrical distribution systems and 65' plus the length of his RV cord is not anything to be concerned with. That was the subject the OP posted. We can talk for days on the variables of what he plugs into but that wasn't the question. A 100' 12 gauge extension cord will be fine. Most circuits in commercial buildings average between 100 and 300 feet.
VR
IBEW Local 46
Seattle, WA
37 years in the trade