Extension cords

[RoyBraddy]

My trailer came with an Extension cord for the 30A cable. The dealer had them connected together when I got it and I guess they included the extra 25-foot 30A Extension cord... Comes in handy every now and them but most of the time the pull out 30A cord fits the camp ground pedestal ok.

At Home I use a regular 10-gauge 120V 50-foot extension cord with 30A Adapter plugged in the Garage to run a few things when sitting at the house... If I turn ON too many things at same time the House garage 20AMP breaker trips...

I also carry a couple of regular 15-20AMP Extension cords. Like to plug into the camp ground 20A Service on their pedestal to run all the things I have hooked up outside and also the OIL FILLED Electric heater we like to use in place of the furnace a lot... Using the Pedestal 20A Connection does not take away from your Pedestal 30A Connection capacity,,, Have seen a couple of camp grounds with sign up when checking in they preferred you use only one pedestal connection at a time haha...


Roy Ken

[cherv]

thanks, our jayco came with CHARGE WIZARD so plugging to shore power charges both the coach and chassis battery

[cherv]

thank, our JAYCO CLASS C came with CHARGE WIZARD SO BOTH COACH AND CHASSIS BATTERY GET CHARGED. use 10 gage ext. cord connected to coach cable plug end in storage area to garage. coach cable too stiff in winter to try to store in coach if we decide to take a ride.

[Bo Nesbit]

Everyone has told me and I have even been told by Jayco itself that you should always pull your shore power cord all the way out when hooked up due to overheating. Jayco said it can overheat when bundled up in the storage place it goes into when pushing the cord back into the trailer.

About the extension cord, I have the one from Camco that allows me to reach to an outlet that I had installed in the garage so I can have shore power at home for when relatives come to town and need a place to stay.

[Thunderbolt]

I use a "Y" adapter that converts 1 50 amp to 2 30 amp plugs. I plug my trailer into one side of the "Y" and I made a 30 amp cord that has a weather proof box with 2 20 amp receptacles that power small fridge and chest freezer. I only use it in Florida. For my motorhome I have a 30 amp outlet next to my garage and use the 30 amp extension to keep the batteries charged and for heat in the winter. I have to pull the MH into the driveway front first because of the slope of the driveway. For camping in cold weather I used a 10/3 cord with a 20 amp plug on one end and 2 20 amp receptacles permanently mounted inside to run an electric heater.. The cord is the same length as the coach cord.

[Rusty Nuts]

I hard wired a 50 Amp line to my storage shed and put the outlet on a post allowing me to run anything I want when stored. Much better solution than using extension cords. It is advisable to run your AC units from time to time if you store your trailer for months at a time even if it's only for a short time to keep the seals from drying out. I have an on board charger that I bought allowing me to shut down all the power in the rig and it is plugged directly into my outlet post reducing the chance of a fire. If you trickle charge your battery you need to remember to crack the door on the battery compartment and check the water level in your batteries monthly.

[Parkerram]

I'm seasonal. I have one buried in the ground. No problem.

[eeek]

Originally Posted by cherv

thank, our JAYCO CLASS C came with CHARGE WIZARD SO BOTH COACH AND CHASSIS BATTERY GET CHARGED. use 10 gage ext. cord connected to coach cable plug end in storage area to garage. coach cable too stiff in winter to try to store in coach if we decide to take a ride.

I'm not sure that's what the Charge Wizard does- I know it charges the house battery, but I am not sure that it charges the chassis battery. From the research I looked at from their site, it basically looks at the performance and picks 1 of 4 profiles to charge the battery when it hits certain levels. Here's what I have been looking at:

https://www.progressivedyn.com/rv/po...r-4000-series/

[Marmot]

I also use the Camco 30 amp extension cord. The Camco cord is plugged into the shore power on one end and plugged into my Progressive Industries EMS on the other end. The house cord is fully extended, then plugged into the PI EMS. The EMS is stored under the trailer, on a concrete block, to protect it from the weather.

[RogerR]

[QUOTE=Bo Nesbit;713581]Everyone has told me and I have even been told by Jayco itself that you should always pull your shore power cord all the way out when hooked up due to overheating. Jayco said it can overheat when bundled up in the storage place it goes into when pushing the cord back into the trailer.

As a stage hand for many years I handled heavy cable that was usually much longer than needed. To avoid over heating and possibly making an electromagnetic coil out of what we left in the box we always laid the cable down in a figure eight followed by loop. This prevented any problems when there was a huge power draw.

Unless you are coiling up the cable or maxing out the power rating it is unlikely you would make enough heat to be a problem.

RVs with power reel cables are another matter entirely. In a reel like that there is no way for the cable to dissipate heat during heavy draw periods.

[SloPoke]

Originally Posted by RogerR

As a stage hand for many years I handled heavy cable that was usually much longer than needed. To avoid over heating and possibly making an electromagnetic coil out of what we left in the box we always laid the cable down in a figure eight followed by loop. This prevented any problems when there was a huge power draw.

Unless you are coiling up the cable or maxing out the power rating it is unlikely you would make enough heat to be a problem.

RVs with power reel cables are another matter entirely. In a reel like that there is no way for the cable to dissipate heat during heavy draw periods.

^ ^ ^ ^ X2
brings back some memories...

Coiling the excess cable in figure 8 was to cancel the cross-talk from the signal cables. We also had to keep the power cabling separated from the signal cables. Remember trying to keep all those final-amps cool in the summer concerts...

Funny that now in our older years... we still love to head out to the big outdoor concerts with a bunch of our old friends. Five days in a hay-field means we bring power for 4-Motorhomes and the cable for three 50A RV hookups layed in figure 8 with the spare cable.

Back to the power questions... Google the NEC(National Electrical Code) on conductor ampacity with different cord insulation types. It has charts that tell you what are the limiting factors on what cable you must run for longer distances. AND ALWAYS consult a licensed electrician on anything you are unsure of. It is much safer and cheaper to have them do it right, than you or someone else doing it wrong (and someone gets hurt)

[Imazman]

If I have my coach plugged into shore power and my converter has a Charge Wizard, can I plug my trickle charger into a 120 outlet inside the coach and then use the cigarette lighter battery connect and charge the chassis battery thru the cigarette lighter...the cigarette lighter is connect to hot when key is out? The trickle charger is BLACK+DECKER BM3B 6V and 12V Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer.

[Imazman]

Originally Posted by Imazman

If I have my coach plugged into shore power and my converter has a Charge Wizard, can I plug my trickle charger into a 120 outlet inside the coach and then use the cigarette lighter battery connect and charge the chassis battery thru the cigarette lighter...the cigarette lighter is connect to hot when key is out? The trickle charger is BLACK+DECKER BM3B 6V and 12V Automatic Battery Charger/Maintainer.

Sorry, this was in wrong thread. Moving it into correct thread.

[cherv]

Charge wizard should take care of chassis batt. No need for charger.

[eeek]

Originally Posted by cherv

Charge wizard should take care of chassis batt. No need for charger.

It definitely charges the house battery, but are you sure it charges the chassis battery? I am not finding that anywhere.

[Cappy126]

Hello all,
I want to add power to a shed next to my tt, my power is hooked up to a camco extension cord. Can I add a 30amp splitter and run a 110 extension cord (100’) to the shed?
Power to the shed will be used for lights.
I hope my question makes sense as I am a novice.
Thanks all
Jim

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by cherv

Thanks, do you leave the coach cable in its storage place and attach the extension cable to the coach cable to the shore power. Any issues like stored cable getting hot because is is coiled up in storage.

You should never put power through a coiled up cable, if that's what you mean. *
If you're going to plug it in, uncoil it and lay it out on the ground


* Because cable power ratings are based on the assumption that they can dissipate heat over the whole surface of the casing. If it's coiled up, heat can't escape as well, and your cable will get hot, possibly dangerously so. That's why!

[Imazman]

Originally Posted by eeek

It definitely charges the house battery, but are you sure it charges the chassis battery? I am not finding that anywhere.

No, it does not charge the chassis battery. I have my Jayco 24K plugged into house via 30A connection. The chassis battery does NOT get charged via coach. However, since coach is plugged into house, I simply plug a trickle charger into an outlet (to power charger) in the coach and then plug the trickle charger into the chassis lighter.

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by RogerR

As a stage hand for many years I handled heavy cable that was usually much longer than needed.

Likewise!
First for bands, then, in my more mature years, for small theatre productions.*
Oh, the hours I've spent on top of wobbly ladders, putting up towers and hauling cable, then there was always the exciting moment when you fired it up for the first time. And somebody would always yell "Igor, throw the switch !"
It was funny, the first few dozen times...


* My proudest moment was probably lighting an entire performance of "Gaslight", using a cigarette lighter to see the script .. :-)

[mboy]

what????? just use either 30 or 50 map cords. and yes, they get stiff in the cold. life goes on.