Not a question. Just a comment.

[TandW]

Originally Posted by AJMike

So what is better for a long extension cord? Stranded or solid?

The power company uses stranded to reach your house.

[Trapper2022]

And this is why like many I buy as much as I can on line. Being retired I have the time to wait for items. Very little I need right now.

Safe travels

Enjoy the journey

[Yosemite77]

Originally Posted by AJMike

So what is better for a long extension cord? Stranded or solid?

Now that I actually think about it, I’m not sure whether you could even find a cord with solid wire. In any case, stranded would be the answer, as it’s much more flexible. The more strands, the greater the flexibility.

[TandW]

Stranded wire presents more surface area along which the currents travel.

[carybosse]

A long time ago, back in the mid-1980s, I was the engineer on a production line that used some very special #6 or #8 washers, I forget after 40 years. We used a lot of them. The outside circumference was beveled, which made them different and more expensive than a plain flat washer.

Yes, this was a bunch of years ago, but think about what you pay for a pack of 10 washers of that size at the big box store. Probably $1.10 or so for a bag with 10 simple flat washers.

Our production equipment was old and rather than replace the equipment on a product we anticipated would be phased out in a year or two, we opted to purchase them. I got various quotes, and when I chose the guy who offered to sell the bulk washers for $1.26 per THOUSAND, he was excited. Of course, this was on the telephone, we didn't have text messages or email back then. I had toss out a number of 8 million washers. He told me, 8 million washers a year was a nice run. I then had to explain, that was 8 million washers a month, more like 96 million a year. The price dropped to $1.10.

Often times, when I need to run some wiring or replace a cord, it is cheaper for me to purchase an extension cord and chop off one or both ends to use the cable than it is to purchase the cable alone.

I do agree, the city would prefer you (1) get a building permit, (2) hire a licensed electrician, and (3) get a city inspector to check out the work. I have never done that, but I do think any electrical work I have done exceeds the electrical code and in many cases, is safer than what I have seen in some new home construction.

If you don't know or have any second thoughts about doing it yourself, hire it done. You will sleep better at night.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by AJMike

Our RV is only a B+/C and so is 30 amps. I did ask the electrician what gauge I should use for about 75 feet of extension cable and he said 10 gauge would be fine up to perhaps 100 feet.

My original request was for a quote for installing the outlet in the garage and that would have required running the cable from the circuit breaker box up the outside wall to the attic, across the house and then down into the garage. He said that he thought that would take about 100 feet of cable and that he would use 100 gauge for that.

OOPS - this is 10 gauge, of course. I need to be better at proofreading.

[AJMike]

Originally Posted by TandW

Stranded wire presents more surface area along which the currents travel.

Thanks.

I thought that I remembered that current traveled on the surface of the wire but I was not sure that I remembered correctly.

[MichaelBarb]

Originally Posted by TandW

Stranded wire presents more surface area along which the currents travel.

At low voltage (below 600V) currents run through the body of the conductor. At high voltage (above 3 KV) currents run on the surface of the conductor. In between (middle voltage) is kind of a mix with lots of variables.

I have done lots of high voltage work. Limit points are debatable with lots of disagreement. I used commonly used numbers.

[TandW]

Originally Posted by MichaelBarb

At low voltage (below 600V) currents run through the body of the conductor. At high voltage (above 3 KV) currents run on the surface of the conductor. In between (middle voltage) is kind of a mix with lots of variables.

I have done lots of high voltage work. Limit points are debatable with lots of disagreement. I used commonly used numbers.

When AC is induced onto a wire, eddy currents are set up producing the skin effect. Now, at low frequencies this is easily measurable. At very high frequencies this skin effect is only as deep as a light wave.
A conductor with aradius of more than 1/2" has no measurable current at the center.
I think. Tech school was about 55 years ago.

[MO Fred]

30 amp service with 10 gage wire seems a bit weak… I ran 100 feet of 6-3 wire and installed my own 50 amp service. No, I’m not an electrician but I did the research and got it done. Works great!

[TandW]

Originally Posted by MO Fred

30 amp service with 10 gage wire seems a bit weak… I ran 100 feet of 6-3 wire and installed my own 50 amp service. No, I’m not an electrician but I did the research and got it done. Works great!

Good deal. Your air conditioner will appreciate the minimal voltage drop you strove for.

[Nwcid]

Originally Posted by carybosse

Often times, when I need to run some wiring or replace a cord, it is cheaper for me to purchase an extension cord and chop off one or both ends to use the cable than it is to purchase the cable alone.

I hate being wasteful when not needed.

I just had to add a bit extension cord for one of my projects. The store sold compete cords and bulk cord. I ended up buying a cord and cutting it down since the price was way cheaper.

[MichaelBarb]

Originally Posted by TandW

When AC is induced onto a wire, eddy currents are set up producing the skin effect. Now, at low frequencies this is easily measurable. At very high frequencies this skin effect is only as deep as a light wave.
A conductor with a radius of more than 1/2" has no measurable current at the center.
I think. Tech school was about 55 years ago.

While what you are saying is true at higher frequencies but at 60 Hz you are at such a low frequency that it is basically DC regarding where the current is carried in the conductor. Things become more dependent on voltage. This is one of several reasons why over a 100 years ago that 50/60 Hz was chosen.

For 60 Hz to get the huge currents in a coil to induce fields for a transformer takes lots of wraps. It also takes lots of iron. Switching supplies chop things up to get higher frequencies and have a much smaller transformer. Often the frequency is so high that you do not even need any iron. In them you need to start worrying about eddy currents in the design.

[Ray,IN]

Originally Posted by TandW

Stranded wire presents more surface area along which the currents travel.

To the OP; use this wire size calculator to see the voltage drop and resistance of 10ga. wire, and what size is required for wiring a 100' one way run, 30A, 110VAC outlet. It shows #6 wire is the minimum size.

https://www.electricaltechnology.org...alculator.html