200A Service to Yuma Lot - Low Voltage Question

[Smitty77]

We have just picked up a Yuma Foothills lot with 200a service.

Looks like 100A is sent off to the 1BR/1BA Manufactured Home, which currently has a Trane XL15c AC 2 1/2 ton unit cranking well.

We have a 50A service, which passes the Progressive at Pole L1/L2 test. We cranked the third 15K AC unit on in the coach, and L2 voltage dropped to 111V's. (Two AC's on L2) L1 has the third AC unit, as well as the Fridge.

The day before, when we started the third AC, the front AC unit shut down. It's a newer unit, then Zone 2 & 3 OEM's Penguin's. I did not check the voltage before it shut down, but suspect it dipped below 111V's, and the Front AC decided it was too low to run safely!

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Of course, our Hughes Auto Former is in storage in Oregon, not with us in Yuma!

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For the long range, I want to shake out the full power lots pedestal. As while we only have our 50A plugged in, two other pedestals are also available, which I suspect all feed off of that same 100A service. (We will not be using this with guests, as the manufacturing home and landscaping layout, restricts access to one RV. So not really a concern about having guests here all competing for 100A of service!).

What kind of questions should I be asking an Electrician? What I've come up with is:

> Are the Circuit Breakers in good working order? Would replacing them with new CB's facilitate better power delivery to the pedestal and also the Manufactured home's 100A leg?

> 50A Outlet at pole, in good working order with good tight connections?

> Are all connections solid, and clean? (Will poke around some on this myself, but not with the need to keep two AC's running... Though if I have time before we leave, I'll unplug the Coach from Shore Power, and run the Generator for the AC's, and check the Shore Power 50A outlet to see if all the connections and plug it self looks good. (It's become a bit unattached from the wood pole, so possibly some loose connections.)

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A more general question. Old gear, especially in dusty regions, can age out?

IF everything is wired properly with proper wire gauge, the 100A feeding the 50A Shore Power - SHOULD easily support L1/L2 and run all three AC's, IF all AC's are in good running order?

Would aging condensers or other electronics in the AC's, especially the OEM's Zone 2 and 3, cause a potential higher draw? (Though the all three run fine on the Generator...)

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OK. Know enough to know I'm not an electrician, sure I can 'Shake it off!' with the best of them! But no way I have the experience to know exactly what should be checked out!

Input and suggestions welcomed, and TIA,
Smitty

[Talloaks]

Smitty, sounds like a good plan. One other thing, you should have a 200 amp panel or a disconnect upstream of the 100 amp service to the casita and the 50 amp RV hookups--

What I would try to do is get a multipoint recording voltmeter and hook it up at the common feed, both L1 and L2, at the 200 amp panel or disconnect, and then cycle through your coach A/C units and other loads, pushing the total up around 40 amps or so, and then go look at what your traces show.

Best time to do it would be on a weekday afternoon when system load is high.

What you see on the traces will tell you if you have an issue on the service end. Then you may want to call the Poco and find out what is the rating and age of your service transformer. I assume a single transformer serves you and several other sites.

[Smitty77]

Originally Posted by Talloaks

Smitty, sounds like a good plan. One other thing, you should have a 200 amp panel or a disconnect upstream of the 100 amp service to the casita and the 50 amp RV hookups--

What I would try to do is get a multipoint recording voltmeter and hook it up at the common feed, both L1 and L2, at the 200 amp panel or disconnect, and then cycle through your coach A/C units and other loads, pushing the total up around 40 amps or so, and then go look at what your traces show.

Best time to do it would be on a weekday afternoon when system load is high.

What you see on the traces will tell you if you have an issue on the service end. Then you may want to call the Poco and find out what is the rating and age of your service transformer. I assume a single transformer serves you and several other sites.

Thanks John - Good approach!!!

I did an informal test around 6:30AM today. Fired up all three AC's, and power voltage did not drop below 118V on the lowest Leg feeding the 2 AC's. And the two times that I had problems enough to suspend the third AC from running (Or stopped by itself the one time, as we also had AquaHot Electric set to Low, so another big draw too...), was in the mid to late afternoon. Yuma in our area, is about 1/2 - 2/3 empty now. But, I know many home owner's leave their AC's set to 85-90, to protect the property from getting too high.

So since the early AM had no voltage problems, suspect the overall neighborhood is not properly supplied, and thus the dip. Certainly will not hurt to invest in the sorting out the electrical CB's and 50A outlets, etc. - as old dusty gear with possible weak connections - certainly could add to things...

We're heading out pretty early today. So deeper analysis will need to be done on our return visit in 3-4 weeks!

Best, and thanks again,
Smitty