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Voltage
I know that you will get a fluctuation in the volt reading 110,115, 120, etc. What is the best voltage reading for the coach?
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7 Replies
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I have never seen mine as low as 110 … it’s usually 114+ … even under a load.
Diane
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Nominal voltage is 120V. Safe service range is +/- 5%, i.e. 114V to 126V. Some devices are designed for +/- 10%.
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Normal line voltage is 120VAC. A good baseline on what acceptable voltage is could be as simple as looking at trigger point on protection devices. Progressive Industries uses 104 and 132. Keep in mind that as voltage drops current increases. This can cause fuses and circuit breakers to trip and some devices to run hotter.
Low volatage can almost always be attributed to current draw and wire gauge. The greater the draw, the larger the required wire gauge. Also, the longer the wire run the larger the wire guage required.
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I am running about 85′ distance to shore power, what range should i expect voltage to run? Running 126 one side and 122 the order. What is considered a maximum / safe range given the standard 50 amp power cord with matching extension? I asume a reduced load to manage draw would be in order as well…
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If my volatages are between 120 and 126 I do a happy dance.
If they are down to about 115 or lower I start to watch my current draw and loads.
I cannot speak about other coaches but I have a 70 foot (or so) cord reel so even if I am next to the shore power receptacle I am still 70 feet distant.
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Jon:
thanks as first time the coach has been at the house, hence the distance as weight demands she stay on the street and not the driveway…. all worked great and she is backing sleeping in the bus hanger…
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85 feet is not a problem if the wire gauge is adequate for the load. At 85 feet and fully loaded to 50A on both legs you should use at least 6 ga that would give you a 7 volt drop. Some would say 8ga is the minimum. The problem with 8ga is the voltage drop, of 11 volt drops, may put you at the very low end of of acceptable voltage. Being at the low end would also increase your current draw and 8ga is barely capable of 50A. 6ga or larger would be my preference with 4ga being ideal.
If your “at home” load is far less than 50A, let’s say 30A, 8 ga would be fine and would only have a 6.5 volt drop. If you go this route make sure the service feeding the 50A plug is protected with a 30A breaker. This way if you forget to manage the RV’s load to 30A, the breaker will do it for you.
When checking voltage, you need to have the coach loaded with everything you will be operating to determine what the worst case voltage is. Better yet, run the worst case load against the wire gauge and distance on one of the calaculators available on the web.
FWIW, most RV power cords are 6ga and the 50A extension cord widely sold at CW and other places is also 6ga.
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