RV receptacle 1200 feet from power source

Status
Not open for further replies.
When I do the voltage drop calculation to install an 30 amp 120 volt RV plug 1200 feet from the electrical service the calculation tells me astronomical large wire size. Is this even possible or do I have to build a service closer to the RV?
 

drcampbell

Senior Member
Location
The Motor City, Michigan USA
Occupation
Registered Professional Engineer
I calculated that a pair of 4/0 aluminum or 2/0 copper wires would yield 5% voltage drop. Sound familiar?
Were you to feed it with 240 volts and use a 240:120 buck transformer at the RV pad, you could downsize it to 3 AWG Al or 4 AWG Cu.
 

templdl

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
When I do the voltage drop calculation to install an 30 amp 120 volt RV plug 1200 feet from the electrical service the calculation tells me astronomical large wire size. Is this even possible or do I have to build a service closer to the RV?

You may want to cost out (2) 5kva transformers, one to step up from either 120 or 240 to 480v with a step back down at the other end from 480v to 120. Current for 5kva at 120v will be 41.7a (plenty) and sizing the conductor between the transformers based upon10.4a at 480v.
It may be posible for you to a also compensate for any voltage drop if the transformers included HV taps.
Stepping up to 600v may also be an option.
 

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
You may want to cost out (2) 5kva transformers, one to step up from either 120 or 240 to 480v with a step back down at the other end from 480v to 120. Current for 5kva at 120v will be 41.7a (plenty) and sizing the conductor between the transformers based upon10.4a at 480v.
It may be posible for you to a also compensate for any voltage drop if the transformers included HV taps.
Stepping up to 600v may also be an option.

this. trying to get 30A at 120V at the end of 1200' would give the op a rather large wire size (guessing 250-350 mcm)
 

growler

Senior Member
Location
Atlanta,GA
When I do the voltage drop calculation to install an 30 amp 120 volt RV plug 1200 feet from the electrical service the calculation tells me astronomical large wire size. Is this even possible or do I have to build a service closer to the RV?


Sure it's possible but it may be cheaper to have another service. Are there power lines close to where the RV receptacle needs to be.

What's really going to get expensive is 1200 ft. of trenching.
 

petersonra

Senior Member
Location
Northern illinois
Occupation
engineer
this sounds like a really odd install. Unless the owner has more money than God, he would likely be better off just running a generator for the little bit of run time most RVs are going to need.
 

templdl

Senior Member
Location
Wisconsin
this. trying to get 30A at 120V at the end of 1200' would give the op a rather large wire size (guessing 250-350 mcm)
Yes, st 120v. But, reread what I posted, 10a at either 480v or even less at ,600v.
You may want to cost out (2) 5kva transformers, one to step up from either 120 or 240 to 480v with a step back down at the other end from 480v to 120. Current for 5kva at 120v will be 41.7a (plenty) and sizing the conductor between the transformers based upon10.4a at 480v.
It may be posible for you to a also compensate for any voltage drop if the transformers included HV taps.
Stepping up to 600v may also be an option
 
When I do the voltage drop calculation to install an 30 amp 120 volt RV plug 1200 feet from the electrical service the calculation tells me astronomical large wire size. Is this even possible or do I have to build a service closer to the RV?

Calculations are correct, you cannot send 120v @ 30A over 1200 feet without huge losses
I E using 10# results in losses of 60% ? A tad high I think.
Even using 1# losses 10%.
Maybe a pair or 1# ?
$$$$

There is no easy or cheap way to do this,
You will have to step it up
Send it at higher voltage
Step it down at other end
 

JFletcher

Senior Member
Location
Williamsburg, VA
A pair of Honda EU2000i generators(link) w/ paralleling cable would give you 33A@120V and run about $2100. They are super quiet gas sippers and the inverter runs computers just fine; as mentioned above, generator(s) may be the way to go, especially if the rv site is for the customer and isnt used year-round.
 

Fitzdrew516

Senior Member
Location
Cincinnati, OH
Calculations are correct, you cannot send 120v @ 30A over 1200 feet without huge losses
I E using 10# results in losses of 60% ? A tad high I think.
Even using 1# losses 10%.
Maybe a pair or 1# ?
$$$$

There is no easy or cheap way to do this,
You will have to step it up
Send it at higher voltage
Step it down at other end

You cannot parallel #1's. Agree with stepping it up and stepping it back down.
 

drcampbell

Senior Member
Location
The Motor City, Michigan USA
Occupation
Registered Professional Engineer
Start with a pair of 120/240:600-volt transformers.
The first one puts 600 volts onto the near end of the line.
Connect the line to the 570-volt (95%) tap on the transformer at the far end. The 120-volt output will be 5% high when unloaded.
Now there can be 10% (60 volts) voltage drop in the 1200-foot line before the 120-volt output will be 5% low, and 14 AWG copper will suffice.
(not only will 14 AWG Cu suffice, it will actually provide +5%/-3% at the far end)
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Start with a pair of 120/240:600-volt transformers.
The first one puts 600 volts onto the near end of the line.
Connect the line to the 570-volt (95%) tap on the transformer at the far end. The 120-volt output will be 5% high when unloaded.
Now there can be 10% (60 volts) voltage drop in the 1200-foot line before the 120-volt output will be 5% low, and 14 AWG copper will suffice.
(not only will 14 AWG Cu suffice, it will actually provide +5%/-3% at the far end)
That output unloaded depends on what your unloaded supply voltage starts out as. It often is about 125/250 around here unloaded.

Another thing to consider is if you need to trench 1200 feet anyway - maybe see what it would take for POCO to bring their primary voltage closer. You maybe can bury 2 inch pipe for them and they pull MV cable through it and put a transformer/service at the far end. This also would be much easier to add more load to in the future where sizing for a single 30 amp 120 volt receptacle leaves you limited to 30 amp 120 volts without spending a lot to make more upgrades if that ever comes.

Also as said if this gets very limited use - a generator is going to cost less, won't be as convenient but will cost a lot less.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top