30 amp VS 50 amp

[Pete Masterson]

Please pardon me for making some confusing statements -- I had two
issues:

1. I needed about 24 to 36 inches of 6 gauge wire to let me wire-in
the full-coach surge protector I bought. "House-type" wiring will
work fine. The Home Depot I went to appeared to be out of stock on
Romex-type 6 gauge 4 conductor wire. We found some single wires "in
stock" in 6 gauge with red, white, black, and green insulation. They
will do the job. Perhaps other Home Depot (or Lowes) maintain better
stock levels. While looking for this cable, I briefly considered
getting a replacement "range cord" as an alternative. It probably
would have worked, but I note that it had three conductors in 6 gauge
with the ground in 8 gauge wire.

2. After a 3 month on the road trip, I realize that I need a
relatively short 50 amp shore power _extension_ cord. (I have a 30
amp extension.)

At one RV park, I ran into a case where my coach cable couldn't reach
the power pedestal, or I'd need a super-long bunch of sewer hose. If
I moved too far forward, then the front jacks would be off a flat
concrete pad an onto a sloped ramp. After some considerable back and
forth and much arm waving by my spouse, I was able to 'fit' so that I
could reach all the usual hookups. A couple feet of extension cord
would have saved me a lot of maneuvering. Of course, it was in the
middle of a thunderstorm at the end of a long day of driving at the
time. (It always seem like many RV parks put the power pedestal near
the center of the space (and my hook-up is way toward the rear) and
the sewer line is way toward the back and mine is closer to the
center.... <sigh>.)

In a couple of other cases, I had to use extra sewer extensions --
but I'd have preferred to have less slinky hose to clean up in trade
off for reaching the power pedestal.

I note that Camping World sells a 30' 50amp extension cable with the
correct plugs molded on the ends. I probably could get by with only
10 feet ... but I'll probably buy the one at Camping World since it's
currently on sale until the end of the month.

Pete Masterson
'95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
El Sobrante CA
aeonix1@...



On Jul 9, 2007, at 2:53 PM, Ron Thompson wrote:

> Pete,
>
> I have bought that 6guage, 4 conductor cable at both Home Depot and
> Lowe's. They both had it. However what they have is for interior
> wiring and direct burial cable. It is good for running inside your
> home from the breaker box to and external 4 way plug. But if your
> intention is to run from a shoreline plug to the motorhome you
> would want a more flexible cable and that would not be available at
> Home Depot or Lowe's. You would have to go to a place like Greybar
> Electric or some other electrical supplier.
>
>
>
> Terry Neal
> wrote: Next time Pete, just go to
> a Home Depot or an electrical product
> supplier and ask for 6/4 SWOO cord. They sell it by the foot.
> What I
> used for my new 50 foot shore power cord. Also, Ernie Ekberg is
> making
> him one too. It comes in other sizes such as 8/4 10/4 12/4 12/3 etc.
>
> Terry Neal
> Bozeman, MT
> 82PT40
> 74FC34
>
> Pete Masterson wrote:
>
>> In searching for a 50 amp extension cord for my coach, I see that
>> some eBay sellers are offering 50 amp cords with three 6 gauge wires
>> and one 8 gauge wire (presumably the ground wire). This corresponds
>> to some "50 amp range cords" I've seen in home centers with the same
>> size wires.
>>
>> What is difficult is finding 50 amp Romex in the 6 gauge size. (I
>> needed a couple of feet of 6 gauge wire to wire in the Progressive
>> Industries surge protector I got for my coach...) I had to purchase
>> individual wires (in suitable colors) as the home center did not
>> carry any such Romex.
>>
>> I have had no trouble getting 30 amp (10 gauge) wire for additions to
>> my home wiring system.
>>
>> Pete Masterson
>> '95 Blue Bird Wanderlodge WBDA 42
>> El Sobrante CA
>> aeonix1@...
>>
>> On Jul 8, 2007, at 6:47 AM, bubblerboy64 wrote:
>>
>>> Thanks for the information on this subject. The ONAN is rated at
>>> 6500 watts not 8500. I would think if all is well it should handle
>>> the two air conditioners. I'll have to consider the conversion to 50
>>> amp service. I was not aware that 6 gauge wire for shore power was
>>> available. And here I thought 10 gaurge large. JOhn Heckman
>>> Central Pa
>>> '73 FC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>> <snip>
>>
>> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Best Regards,
> Ron Thompson
> Waller, Tx.
> 1995 WLWB 42'Blue Bird
> Body #F112297
> (cockyfox@...)
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]