Visit our Popular Forums

Over59 · 10-21-2007, 12:43 PM

Let's not forget the wire cord length from the trailer to the outlet counts also. So oversize the underground run or get a short as possible cord to hook up. You'll also want an additional outlet out there for working. I'll also suggest you consider cable made for burial and wet locations. It will most likly be wet inside your conduit. Besides if you aren't using steal conduit you aren't really adding much in the way of protection.
I await to be corrected by the professionals.

http://unitedpa.com/pdf/Underground%20Service%20(Trailers).pdf

Type UF-B Copper Underground Feeder600 Volts, 60oC on American Wire Group

Wabbiteer · 10-21-2007, 01:34 PM

Not enough information - but a strand or two short of a full bundle will not act as a fuse point unless things elsewhere are fubar and hot wire then would be a moot point. 8AWG comes in at 2.91% drop for your 90 feet but I would sure recommend the step up to 6AWG (1.81% drop) if you can swing it just to better handle surge currents when the whole grid is stressed on a hot day, etc..

Using a six-inch chunk of 8AWG to terminate into the fixture with an excellent crimped connection onto the 6AWG may not be elegant and may even be frowned on by the powers-that-be but the chances of having a terminal shatter a year later would cinch it for me.

With 8awg = 3.26mm & 6awg = 4.12mm that is a big jump in the stiffness of the conductor so perhaps the limit is strength of its construction dealing with exuberant electricians pushing excess wire in to get the cover closed.

Use this calculator to get a better feel while specifying:
American Wire Gauge table and AWG Electrical Current Load Limits

jkcru · 10-21-2007, 04:23 PM

Use the #6 wire and put a disconnect at the A/S, add a 30 amp outlet and use your regular power cord from the box to trailer.

richinny · 10-21-2007, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Rats. I was affraid of that. The largest wire that the camper enclosure end is supposed to accept is #8. Will it hurt to trim it down at the connection points to about a # 8 size, or will that cause over heating under a full load?

my opinion:
don't trim the wire, do it right, you'll be ahead in the long run. extra power is better than less power. you'll smile every time you use it instead of wondering if it's going to go south.

john hd · 10-21-2007, 05:23 PM

jim

most of the rv outlets i have used to wire friend's set ups have square jaw type terminations or are secured by a large screw.

get the wire or just a sample and unwind the strands, i bet it will fit.

if not get a different outlet.

i can get one locally for around 8 or 11 dollars and send it to you if you need.

john

Jim & Susan · 10-21-2007, 07:59 PM

Here’s what I finally decided to do.

1) Don’t screw around with a possible fire, or worse. Go with #6. I had about 100 feet lying around that a buddy gave when we wired his new wood shop back in June. I made another trip to Lowes and bought an additional 100 feet for the second run (hot, plus neutral). Another buddy is going to give me 100 feet of #12 for the ground back to the panel in the house.

2) I have about 20 feet of bare #10 that I got from who knows where, once upon a time. That will be tied to the ground lug inside the box next to the Airstream and will be buried in the trench going the opposite direction to the main line going into the house (I intentionally made the trench about 10 feet longer than it needed to be).

3) The largest wire that the weatherproof box that I bought to go next to the Airstream (outside, on the pedestal) is #8 (had to take a second look to be sure). I have some #6 lugs that will fit the screws on the outlet perfectly. So, I’ll crimp those babies on the wire and tie ‘em down.

Now, if I just had an entire day without interruptions to complete the dang thing. I hate pagers.

Does anybody see any chinks in my plan? Thanks to everybody for your help!

Boondocker · 10-21-2007, 08:04 PM

Hey Jim,

Sounds like the project is moving right along, such a neat idea too. I can tell you I have pondered putting in a hookup out at my moms more than once, its good to watch how you are doing it. Keep us posted.

Jim & Susan · 12-12-2007, 06:59 PM

Just a quick update to say “thanks” for all the tips and suggestions and let everybody know that I finally finished this project last weekend.

I wound up using 1” conduit to run this to the main distribution panel inside the house. That made pulling the wire much easier. I carefully re-measured the run length and it turns out I could have used #10 wire, but it was right on the edge of #6 or #10. Since I already had some #6 on hand, and because it’s always best to err on the side of caution with electricity, I used the #6. Also, I was able to speak to a licensed electrician just before I hooked all this up, I decided not to run an additional ground into the trench. He said that if I did that, I risked the new ground becoming the main ground (that is, the actual earth ground) for the entire house. In other words, make this a regular circuit out of the panel, don’t make it look like a new extension from the same (like a detached garage, for example).

I loaded the circuit up with about 25 amps inside the camper on Sunday night and had good results with the new circuit. The wire remained cool to the touch end to end (pedestal next to Airstream to the panel in the house). (I don’t recommend that you reach in a grab these wires, btw, unless you’re used to dealing with these sorts of things.) The one issue that did crop up was that the wire from the Airstream to the pedestal got a bit warm (not hot) only at the connection point to the pedestal. This wire has apparently gotten overheated in the past, so now I have to consider replacing it. Dang, more money to spend.

Speaking of money, this entire project cost about $150 direct out of pocket. I had the advantage of having about 2/3 of the wire needed already on hand, and the trencher expense is not figured into that number because I had to rent one anyway to replace the water main for the house.

Anyway, thanks for the tips everybody! Hope maybe this helps somebody down the road. One piece of advice that I can’t stress enough, if you’re going to try this on your own, it’s really not all that difficult. BUT, consult a licensed electrician or engineer first, take your time and overbuild the circuit. Safety is first priority.

Jim

Boondocker · 12-13-2007, 12:43 PM

YAY

cool courtesy parking

Jim & Susan · 12-13-2007, 01:38 PM

Yer welcome here any time! Just say the word.

InsideOut · 12-13-2007, 03:07 PM

So Jim, did you end up putting in a dump too? Or just the electrical?

Shari

Jim & Susan · 12-13-2007, 05:21 PM

No, actually we don't need one. The Airstream resides very near one of the 6" clean outs (I think that's the proper term) for the ceptic tank. If I've got the terminalogy correct, this "clean out" protrudes from the ground about 4 or 5 feet from the foundation of the house. The pipe it is connected to appears to originate in the laundry room and runs over to the ceptic tank. I should be able to move the Airstream close enough to it to dump directly into the pipe without breaking anything.

Does this sound reasonable? (For those of you reading along, Shari is in the "building things" business). You can delete that part if you want.

InsideOut · 12-13-2007, 05:30 PM

Yeah that makes sense...that's similar to what we had - a 4" clean out by our patio - but we couldn't pull the trailers there. So we dug a trench & extended a branch over to the RV pad so we could dump w/o moving. We actually have two now...one for each trailer! Sorry, no CP...no more room!

You can see one of them in the picture below (Maxwell's - Birdy's is up front)

Shari

Jim & Susan · 12-13-2007, 05:40 PM

Aaron (Wahoonc) is the one that gave me the idea. He was talking with somebody about it in the Chat Room one night a year or so ago. I would have never thought about this simple solution without prompting by somebody.

Besides, mucking about in a septic system isn't my most favorite thing to do. And I probably couldn't get a single buddy to come help, no matter how much beer and ribs I offer!

clancy_boy · 12-13-2007, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

<SNIP> no matter how much beer and ribs I offer!

RIBS???????????

Jim & Susan · 12-13-2007, 05:55 PM

...AND beer. Got a shovel? And a clothes pin for yer nose?

clancy_boy · 12-13-2007, 06:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

...AND beer. Got a shovel? And a clothes pin for yer nose?

No Thanks - been there, done that, burned the clothes after. But, ribs were a good choice to get my attention......

You may want to look into one of those Sewer Solutions that can pump uphill. That way, if you dump often at home - you won't have to move the trailer close, just park it where you always do. They are very proud of them and the cost is high but people swear by them.