Voltage in RV parks

[Rbphoto]

Anyone had any issues with high voltage in RV parks? I've been to a few that had up to 136 volts and was wondering of the adverse affects on my rig.

[Protagonist]

120v is a nominal value. All that's guaranteed is 60Hz frequency. National Electrical Code (NEC) calls for 120v ± 5%, which equates to a range of 114v to 126v average over the area supplied by the source. The closer you are to the power company substation, the higher it will be.

136v probably does no harm, except to protect you from the effects of brown-out during peak load times. Some cheap clocks and some electric motors might run a little fast on 136vAC, but…

[Lumatic]

I have had problems with shore power being wired incorrectly. I carry a inexpensive polarity checker that I plug into the rv power post before I plug into shore power that diagnoses the most common problems.

You can also buy a surge protecter.

[idroba]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

120v is a nominal value.

The closer you are to the power company substation, the higher it will be.

No, the location of the sub station has nothing to do with it. The voltage is set at the local transformer (in my case on the pole serving my home). The transformers have various taps so they can be set close to the nominal 120 volts that is preferred, no matter how far from the substation which provides the higher distribution voltage.

Sorry, just a minor quibble.

[Rbphoto]

I have a voltage regulator but it shuts me down anytime it exceeds 132 volts.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by idroba

Sorry, just a minor quibble.

No sweat. Appreciate the correction.

[jdalrymple]

I purchased one of these to monitor the voltage when using generator power.

It just plugs into an unused outlet.

However, I just leave it plugged in, and have developed the habit of checking it when on shore power just to make sure we are inputting an acceptable level.

They are cheap, but I did confirm it's accuracy with a good VOM meter.







Regards,

JD

[Rbphoto]

Sorry but the question was " can high voltage damage my rig? "

[jdalrymple]

Yes, it can.

If it is overly high. Thus the suggestions to monitor it.

As mentioned above, anything over 5% above 120 volts, or 126 volts, is not in compliance with NEC.

And thus, probably beyond the design specifications of most appliances meant for use on 120 volt systems.


I would unplug it before it explodes in a great ball of fire. (just a joke)


Regards,

JD

[PharmGeek]

I took the prevailing consensus advice and bought surge protector to protect from high - low voltage and open neutral - cheap insurance arguably

[ROBERT CROSS]

Got the TRC with the IOTA.

Bob

[mandolindave]

I have heard ac called 110, 117, and 120. The transformer, is on my property, and my house is the only tap, gives me a consistent 122.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by Rbphoto

Sorry but the question was " can high voltage damage my rig? "

In case you have not figured it out yet, asking a question on the forums is like the guy who went to the store for a quart of milk and came back with a puppy. ()

[idroba]

On the high voltage question, I would not be happy to run that higher voltage for very long, as it would be tough on the converter/charger, any plug in stuff such as Televisions or microwaves, and so on. 136 volts is pretty darn high. I lived in a home with 126 to 128 volts all the time and had no problems, but it was on the upper edge of what I am comfortable with.

BTW the history of US voltage is interesting. Edison (who was using DC) needed a high voltage generator to push the current through his carbonized bamboo (and silk thread) filaments on his original incandescent lamp. The one they built in their shop came out as a 110 volt generator. It was a pure accident of their construction and windings. That is the origin of the 110 volt system here in this country. Edison then not only had to build the lamps, but the generating and distribution system to enable him to sell them. So, he made the bulbs (to operate on 110 volts) , and then built the electric companies too. The original Edison Electric DC power companies supplied 110 volt DC current, not AC. AC came along with Tesla and George Westinghouse. The superior distribution of AC power, using transformers, won out, but the voltage remained 110 volts for all lamps.

Edison also had to develop the metering system to pay for power, the screw socket to hold the bulb, and the switches to turn them on and off, as none were available or in use when the lamp was developed.

Over the years it was found that slightly higher voltages allowed the power companies to deliver more power on the same wires. The "standard" evolved from 110, to 112, to 115, to 117 to 120 where it is now. So, now, we have a 120/240 volt system which has been pretty much what has been used since about the early 1960's.

End of today's lecture....lol. Quiz on Monday.

As someone else posted + or - 5% is a reasonable deviation from the 120 volt standard, but over or under that, things start getting a bit iffy as to how the equipment connected works.

[lsbrodsky]

and be advised that high voltage does not make clocks or motors run fast. That is a function of the frequency which is rock solid at 60 Hz. Higher voltage is more of a threat to insulation of windings and other components that may not be built with large tolerances.
Larry

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

120v is a nominal value. All that's guaranteed is 60Hz frequency. National Electrical Code (NEC) calls for 120v ± 5%, which equates to a range of 114v to 126v average over the area supplied by the source.

That's for incoming power from the utility. It can go down due to voltage drop, or up due to an unbalanced neutral, in the campground. You will lose a volt or two in the shore power cord and breaker panel especially if heavy loads like air conditioning are on.

The closer you are to the power company substation, the higher it will be.

Most utilities in the U.S. keep the voltage in tight limits, and install automatic voltage regulators in the distribution network if the voltage tends to vary. You've probably seen them. They look like pole-top transformers, only somewhat larger, and are usually installed in groups of three, often on consecutive poles.

As such, the voltage will usually be higher the closer you are to either a substation or a voltage regulator.

136v probably does no harm, except to protect you from the effects of brown-out during peak load times. Some cheap clocks and some electric motors might run a little fast on 136vAC, but…

Incandescent light bulbs are the most voltage-sensitive common household load. They will burn out after a few hours at 135 volts.

Clocks will not run fast due to high voltage. They will run somewhat hotter and at some point will fail with prolonged operation at elevated voltages.

"Universal" motors (with brushes) and permanent split capacitor motors will run somewhat faster although these motor types are typically not used on equipment where that can make a difference. Induction motors of any kind, and synchronous motors, will run slightly hotter but at the same speed.

Originally Posted by Rbphoto

Anyone had any issues with high voltage in RV parks? I've been to a few that had up to 136 volts

It's unusual to see it that high. I commonly see 125 volts, rarely 130.

and was wondering of the adverse affects on my rig.

Biggest risk of damage is the heating element in the fridge. I would run my fridge on gas if the voltage was that high. Power into a resistive load like a heating element goes by the square of the voltage so your fridge element is kicking out 33% more heat than it does at 117 volts.

In practice most other stuff in an RV should be OK.

Originally Posted by idroba

No, the location of the sub station has nothing to do with it. The voltage is set at the local transformer (in my case on the pole serving my home). The transformers have various taps so they can be set close to the nominal 120 volts that is preferred, no matter how far from the substation which provides the higher distribution voltage.

Sorry, just a minor quibble.

Few present-day utilities in the U.S. utilize multi-tapped transformers for residential or light commercial (i.e. campground) loads. The ready availability and low price of autotransformer voltage regulators that operate at distribution system voltages has made that an obsolete approach.

Originally Posted by Rbphoto

I have a voltage regulator but it shuts me down anytime it exceeds 132 volts.

That's one of the reasons they're useless. They regulate voltage within the range of voltages which everything in the trailer can already accept.

I've written a detailed explanation of why I think these are a bad idea. You can search for it if you want. I'm tired of posting links to it.

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

I purchased one of these to monitor the voltage when using generator power.

It just plugs into an unused outlet.

However, I just leave it plugged in, and have developed the habit of checking it when on shore power just to make sure we are inputting an acceptable level.

They are cheap, but I did confirm it's accuracy with a good VOM meter.

They work OK but can be deflected by 5 volts or more by static electricity in dry weather.

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

As mentioned above, anything over 5% above 120 volts, or 126 volts, is not in compliance with NEC.

And thus, probably beyond the design specifications of most appliances meant for use on 120 volt systems.

Typically 120v equipment is designed to work OK on 105-135 volts although it varies from one thing to another.

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

I took the prevailing consensus advice and bought surge protector to protect from high - low voltage and open neutral - cheap insurance arguably

Give me a call because I've got a service contract to sell you for your home appliances.

Originally Posted by mandolindave

I have heard ac called 110, 117, and 120. The transformer, is on my property, and my house is the only tap, gives me a consistent 122.

That's common. Typically you will not see over 125 volts in a house in the U.S. that is wired to modern standards. Sometimes it is more variable and will drop down to 115 volts or less depending on where the house is located in the distribution grid and also depending on the engineering practices of the utility the last time the distribution system serving the house was updated. There are some rural electric coops that are very, very good. There are some that are barely better than 3rd-world standards.

[Wazbro]

Originally Posted by Rbphoto

Anyone had any issues with high voltage in RV parks? I've been to a few that had up to 136 volts and was wondering of the adverse affects on my rig.

What are you checking voltage with?

Have you checked to see how accurate it is?

I have a cheap meter sitting at home that reads 136 volts when 3 other meters read 124 volts.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by idroba

Edison also had to develop the metering system to pay for power, the screw socket to hold the bulb, and the switches to turn them on and off, as none were available or in use when the lamp was developed.

Speaking of screw sockets my grandfather Gunnar was a tough old Finn. Along with drinking Glogg, he would entertain company by unscrewing light bulbs and inserting his thumb and turning on the juice. He was also known for replacing burned out screw fuses with pennies,

[BAB]

This summer I encountered more than one park where I was getting 105V. Needless to say, the A/C didn't much like that. One park actually asked me to run my A/C at the warmest setting I could.....and it happened to be 98 degrees outside (at 5 pm). Right!

[interstateflyer]

Originally Posted by PharmGeek

I took the prevailing consensus advice and bought surge protector to protect from high - low voltage and open neutral - cheap insurance arguably

AS long as you buy a good one. The $300 _+ model from Camping World will take 3 or 4 minutes to test your connection prior to allowing you to power the trailer. If it senses any abnormalities in the park's system it will shut down. So it goes beyond surge protection. It also gives you a continuous readout of the voltage.

I fried/smoked a $75 model from Camping World at an RV park with....as it turns out.....questionable equipment. It still protected the coach but destroyed itself in the process.