50amp extension cord, Lady said this happens all the time

[marjoa]

Ok, so we just arrived at our CG just north of Tampa. The site they assigned to us—the electrical box—was about 38' away, way in the back on the passenger side. Even if we dragged the cord under the back of the rig to the other side and over to the box...our 50AMP cord is 30' max and wouldn't reach.

I had them move us to another site. The lady said, "oh yeah this happens all the time. We have extension cords we can lend you". I declined their cord offer.

Ok here's my problem with all this:
1) I don't trust anybody else cords to plug my house into even though I'm hard wired with a Progressive EMS
2) When I first tested the box power supply with my tester it also indicated an OPEN ground. She seemed very confused about that and didn't know what that meant.
3) My manual says 3x...on the main electrical page
"WARNING - Do not attach an extension cord to the utility power cord."
4) Normally a warning like this on other types of equipment, if I was to use an extension cord I'd go up to the next size which would be 4 AWG


I have 5 questions to traveling full timers...because they have the most experience and the largest sampling of country wide power supplies
1) CG's, parks or what-have-you....How often do you find electrical boxes out of reach ?
2) How often do you find them on the wrong side ?
3) Do you carry an extension cord with you and if so did you go up on the gauge on that extension cord ?
4) Is using the next gauge up safe to do if I carried say a extra 15', 4 AWG cord?
5) If you do use an extension cord, do you keep the connectors raised and off the ground in case it rains and do you possibly cover them with plastic or something ?

This is the first time we've ever ran into this situation and I just don't want to carry around another 20-25lbs of extension cord and then have find room for it too, if this is a very rare occurrence these days. But on the other hand if it's common, I want to be prepared.

Thanks in advance to my questions and your thoughts...?

[lwmcguire]

We occasionally have a need for a longer 50 amp so I carry a 4 gauge 25 foot extension

Sometimes to make a site better for us we need to turn the opposite side of the coach

Satalite open sky, sewer drop, and so on

Doing this since we got our first 50 amp rig about 20 years ago

Should be fine

[Old-Biscuit]

Haven't needed an extension cord....YET


But then again I have DUAL 50A Receptacles on my 5vr (detachable 50A Cord)

One at rear and one at front under the over hang
With those 2 receptacles I have been able to reach all power pedestals so far.


Came across couple of places when we were FT that were close -----but if wasn't able to reach we would have requested a different site. If not available we would stay that night and move on the next day (and I would have run my gen as needed!)

[fcbbob15]

Have carried a 30 ft. 4 gauge extension cord for 7 years and never needed it. Mostly in the west. Have needed longer water and sewer hose.

[medic574]

I have only needed an extension cord once and the campground lent me one. I do have a large plastic box that protects the plug and receptacle from the weather. I intend to make my own 50 amp extension cord (cheaper that way).

[Hikerdogs]

While we are not full timers I would bet in the last 20 years we have spent nearly 1000 nights in different campgrounds.

1) CG's, parks or what-have-you....How often do you find electrical boxes out of reach ?

Before we started carrying a 30 foot 50 amp cord we had 2 campsites where the electrical box was out of reach. One was in Canada and one was in Michigan. The park in Canada did have loaner extension cords which we took advantage of. The one in Michigan assigned us to another site. Since we've been carrying our own cord we haven't had one electrical connection out of reach.

2) How often do you find them on the wrong side ?

They can be on either side as long as you have an extension cord. Sometimes we intentionally park in the opposite direction to get a better view.

3) Do you carry an extension cord with you and if so did you go up on the gauge on that extension cord ?

As mentioned earlier we carry a 30' 50 amp cord. The cord is 4AWG

4) Is using the next gauge up safe to do if I carried say a extra 15', 4 AWG cord?

Looking at most RV supply houses their 30', 50 amp cords are 6AWG. Given that all the ones I've seen are UL approved, I'd say it should be no problem.

5) If you do use an extension cord, do you keep the connectors raised and off the ground in case it rains and do you possibly cover them with plastic or something ?

Yes. When ever possible we keep them elevated. We always put the connection in a plastic sleeve and wrap the open ends with electrical tape.

This is the first time we've ever ran into this situation and I just don't want to carry around another 20-25lbs of extension cord and then have find room for it too, if this is a very rare occurrence these days. But on the other hand if it's common, I want to be prepared.

To be fair we have more than enough capacity to carry the additional cord. In total we've probably used it less than a dozen times in the last 10 years. Even then 60% of the time was because we wanted to face a lake or get a better view of the mountains. It is a rare occurrence when the electrical connection is truly out of reach.

As I mentioned earlier that has only happened to us twice in 20 years. The park in Canada was the only place where we truly needed an extension cord to reach the connection. There have been other times when we did a few gymnastics positioning the motorhome to be able to reach the connection. However we only stayed in those parks a few days and were on our way to a new location.

If you would like to stay in a single location for several weeks or months it might be worth your time to be prepared.

[AE Wanderer]

We have a 30' extension cord. Have used it twice this year to reach 50A power boxes. The cord is
4 ga. I do keep the ends off the ground. When there is a chance of rain, I put the connection under the coach (my power reel is drivers side rear, above the radiator. So positioning under the coach is easy to do). Never have the ends been covered with plastic. Coach has a surge protector built in. The cord is carried in the back of our toad when traveling. We full time, and to date have had no problems with the extension cord.

[TonyMac]

I'll use mine when having the coach faced the way I want it, puts the electrical box beyond reach. I can also extend water and sanicon hose. Used it several times.

[WDW]

We carry a 50A extension cord and have used it twice in the last 3 years. I rather have it aboard than to be without. We also can extend the other utilities.

[S-n-L]

We have been fulltiming a little over 4 years. Once to twice a year we cannot reach a pedistal. Some too far on the drivers side and others on the passenger side, about half of one and half the other.

I decided to buy a 15 foot Camco 50 amp extension cord. I figured if I needed more than 15 additional feet I would find a different site or RV park. So far I have never needed more than the 15 feet. The Camco is 3 wires 6 guage and one 8 guage wire.

When I use the extension cord I do elevate it off the ground but do not wrap it.

I also carry extensions for the water hose and dump hose.

[vsheetz]

I carry 30a and 50a extension cords. Don't need them often, but sometimes. Rear placement of the pedustal is sometimes encountered. Sometimes we want to nose into the space.

[NLOVNIT]

We stayed at a resort where, if you wanted the lake view out your windshield, you had to nose in to what really was a back in spot. Needless to say, I was glad we had an extra 25ft of 50a cord.

Lori-

[TXTiger]

I have been full time going on 6 years now. I carry a 50 amp extension cord. Don’t know the gage and can’t remember the length but it is heavy. Have needed it about 2x a year in my travels. Usually when the pedestal is at the back of the site. Wish they were all in the middle that way if your connection on your couch is at the front, middle or rear you won’t need an extension. I do run it beneath the rig to keep it out of the elements.

[deaton]

The standard cord on my coach is fifty feet long, so there is usually no need for an extension. I used to carry a thirty foot extension cord on my former coach where the cord was much shorter and I used it a few times, mostly at rallys where temporary power boxes can have bad spacing.

I now carry a fifteen foot extension “just in case” but I’ve only used it twice by loaning it to fellow campers who had shorter coach cords.