50 amp cords

[tkemnitzer]

Hi,
I have a 50 amp electrical cord that comes off of our camper. I am thinking of buying another 50 amp extension cord. Is it ok to buy a pigtail to tie these two cords together to get to my 50 amp outlet? One cord is 25 ft and the other is 37 ft for a total of just 60 feet.
My camper is too far away from the electric source for one cord. I will need to have an electrician come in some day to wire an outlet that is closer.
That being said, would it be ok to run my 15000 BTU A/C without jeopardizing my A/C with such a long electrical run.
Thank you.

[Cypressloser]

I don't see why you couldn't do it. However, you might want to use a multimeter at both, the outlet where you plug in the extension cord and in the trailer to verify that it is wired correctly and what your actual voltage is, appliances don't particularly like it when the voltage is below ~105 which causes increased Amp draw and overheating.

[bubbles]

If you get a 50A extension it should come with a 50A male on one end and a 50A female on the other end. It should mate with your RV 50A cable without a "pigtail". 60 feet is fine.

[CHICKDOE]

what bubbles said! they make 50 amp extension cords that have the proper connectors on them to extend from the male end of your existing cord to the pedestal.

[tkemnitzer]

Great! Thanks everyone!

[Bama Rambler]

Provided the original cable and the extension are #6 awg you can go 80' with a 3% voltage drop or just over 135' with a 5% voltage drop drawing 50 amps. So I'd say your 60' of cord should be fine. Especially given that you're probably not going to be drawing anywhere near 50 amps.

[Wilco]

I did just what you are asking about. A friend gave me a 50A RV cord he no longer needed and I replaced the twist lock female end with a 50A connection to match the male end of my RV cord. My RV connection is at the rear of my trailer so it come in handy when the power connection is at the front of the pad.

I would suggest not leaving the excess cord tightly coiled up (like in a 5 gal bucket) when in use because it creates resistance in the cord that will reduce the voltage and heat up the cord. (It acts like a transformer.)

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Wilco

I would suggest not leaving the excess cord tightly coiled up (like in a 5 gal bucket) when in use because it creates resistance in the cord that will reduce the voltage and heat up the cord. (It acts like a transformer.)

How in the world did you come up with this analogy?

[Wilco]

Originally Posted by bubbles

How in the world did you come up with this analogy?

From my electrical theory training at a nuclear power plant. If you have 30' of cable coiled in a 5 gal bucket, it will create heat and provide resistance lowering the voltage supplied to the trailer. A tightly wound conductor will create a counter EMF which acts acts as resistance. Resistance creates heat. The higher the amperage draw, the more resistance and heat it creates. By spreading the conductor out you reduce the counter EMF and heating of the conductor.

[Canadian-chris]

I agree with Wilco,

Much like an electric motor winding, when power applied the winding causes emf resistance and the current will not raise due to that. if the winding was stretched out the current would claim and the circuit would trip. This can be tested with a simple roll of wire, a 120 volt source and a 15 amp protection fuse or breaker. While on the roll the current is limited and and circuit is fine. Unrolled and the current will spike and will trip overload.

[bubbles]

Originally Posted by Wilco

From my electrical theory training at a nuclear power plant. If you have 30' of cable coiled in a 5 gal bucket, it will create heat and provide resistance lowering the voltage supplied to the trailer. A tightly wound conductor will create a counter EMF which acts acts as resistance. Resistance creates heat. The higher the amperage draw, the more resistance and heat it creates. By spreading the conductor out you reduce the counter EMF and heating of the conductor.

What you said is coiling a wire will increase its resistance. Whether a wire is coiled or not the resistance of the wire does not change. While it is true that a wire current carrying capacity is based on a wire in free air and when encased in a bundle there is a decrease in current carrying capacity it is not due to the resistance of a given length of wire it is due to an increase in temperature generated and not dissipated. I don't think coiling excess RV cable in a bucket can create a significant difference in power delivered to the unit.

[tkemnitzer]

Great information. Thank you!