Extension Cord Use & A/C

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by J. Morgan

. . .
Right now I am running about 120 feet of 10 ga cord, with my air conditioner running I run 109 volts.

Superat stultitia.

Are you suggesting that this is good electrical management? Wouldn't this low voltage eventually take a toll on your A/C motors? 240' of #10 wire (120x2 round trip) seems pretty light for 30 amps, but maybe you are only running a smaller A/C and your converter/charger . . .

PS -- Not to mention the wire lengths inside your house from your main electrical service, and the shorter run of 120 volt wiring inside the trailer to the A/C.

[J. Morgan]

109 volts is generally considered acceptable (not ideal), especially for my old Armstrong.

The Armstrong is only 11,500 btu, but I imagine it draws about at least as much as a modern 13,500 unit.

FWIW, I am in my third season of summering in NM.

The first I was running the same length of cable, the second I was running 35' shorter.

"Good management" or not, the reality of where I am parked in relation to the sub panel that my 30 amp outlet is wired into dictates the length of the cable run.

The outlet is directly under the sub panel, and the sub panel is 140 feet away from the service entrance via 2 ga. wire.

(Technically AC does not really make a "return trip" the way that DC does.)

Superat stultitia.

[OTRA15]

Thanks.

Guess I would consider buying a length of #8 in those circumstances? Seems like a cost-effective tool to own . . .

[J. Morgan]

I have $150+ in my #10 cords. They are in their third year of service.

For me, it is so far so good. My air conditioner is being supplied with better than the accepted standard of 120 volts less 10%.

Short of where the cord lays in the sun, it isn't noticeably warmer than the ambient temperature.

I have never seen a reading of less than 109 volts.

Beyond this, back when my antique air conditioner was made, 110 volt was the standard, but even is this was not true and I had a modern unit, all that I have read says that 109 volts is acceptable.


Superat stultitia.