kyhawk
Villa Hills Ky
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My MH has the power cord plugged into the Gen outlet, and the cord has to be stuffed into a small compartment. Sound like we'd have to have the cord dragging behind in order to run the Gen to power the roof AC while going down the road like some people on the forum say they do. How do those folks get by? Maybe they have a different setup?
Janet & Ralph
2008 Winnebago Aspect 26A
2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
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Matthew_B
The boonies near Dallas, Oregon
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mobeewan wrote:I knew someone with an electrical background that once told me that when you have a coil of wire with current flowing through it that the magnetic field generated by the coil can induce resistance in the cable causing it to heat up more than the cable will heat up when stretched out all the way.
The extra inductance doesn't make sense to me. The return current is flowing in a wire right next to the supply wire. This creates a pretty good cancellation of the two magnetic fields so the extra induction when looped vs. not looped should be very small. If it was individual conductors with the return in a separate coil the induction would be a big deal.
What the tight coils will do is concentrate the heat. The wire is sized for operating in air, not with a wire right next to it.
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dupreet
High Point, NC
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kyhawk wrote:My MH has the power cord plugged into the Gen outlet, and the cord has to be stuffed into a small compartment. Sound like we'd have to have the cord dragging behind in order to run the Gen to power the roof AC while going down the road like some people on the forum say they do. How do those folks get by? Maybe they have a different setup?
One AC and some other assorted loads most likely wouldn't push the point too much. Turn everything on in the MH at the same time and you would probably have an issue!
Todd
Todd
1993 Ford E-350 pushed by a 1988 Wilderness 24' TT
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LScamper
Los Alamos NM
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X2 what Matthew B says.
Lou
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beemerphile1
I'm 57, I'm not a
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I am not a trained "electrician" but I do a lot of electrical work.
Wire or cord has a rating. That rating is based on normal use. Using the typical cord coiled on a reel is not normal use and the cord must be derated. It isn't capable of carrying the rated amperage unless it is used in a manner that it can dissipate heat. The closer you are to the max rating of the cord the more important it is to uncoil.
Just like running wire in a conduit. If you exceed a certain number of conductors (wires) you are required to derate each one. The reason is that they cannot shed the heat because the overstuffed conduit doesn't have air space around each wire.
Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.
- Soren Kierkegaard
2006 Weekend Warrior FK1900/1998 Ford E150 4.6L = 8MPG
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Norm Payne
Livingston, TX
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As an engineer and working 36 years installing all kinds of electrical machines (up to 440 volts), I learned if a power cord is of the proper size it will not heat up. If you have an over heated power cord throw the darn thing away and install the proper size.
Norm
2005 Dutch Star 4015, Cummins ISL 370 hp
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See Ya Down The Road
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Duck
Miami Lakes, Fl
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Norm Payne wrote:As an engineer and working 36 years installing all kinds of electrical machines (up to 440 volts), I learned if a power cord is of the proper size it will not heat up. If you have an over heated power cord throw the darn thing away and install the proper size.
This makes the most sense of all of the post I have read.
Don
08-FORD F350 PSD
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pete42
Ohio
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I would think that most of us during our school days have taken a length of wire wrapped it around a nail attached the two loose ends to a battery and created an electromagnet. remove the nail and the wire would become very hot and possibly melt in two.
a coil of electrical wire ie: power cord does the same only the induction of the AC cutting through the coils causes heat to much heat can melt a cord.
think how an iron induction furnace works the coil is energized the metal being liquid moves through the coil picking up heat keeping the metal liquid turn the electric on and off and you can get the metal so hot you can melt new solid ingots placed into the furnace.
A powercord wrapped around a metal spool would make the lines of flux travel in the north south direction while a coil of powercord without the metal in the center would heat up and could if allowed to get to hot could start a fire.
Norm the proper size has nothing to do with it stretch it out and it would be ok coil it and it could cause a fire for the reasons I stated, induction.
* This post was
edited 09/20/11 03:55pm by pete42 *
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dupreet
High Point, NC
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pete42 wrote:
Norm the proper size has nothing to do with it stretch it out and it would be ok coil it and it could cause a fire for the reasons I stated, induction.
X2
Yes, undersized wire will heat up if its capacity is overloaded...aka the 6 to 10 folks that burn their homes to the ground every summer running an air conditioner with a lamp cord extension.
97% of the time (a guess), you will be okay with your excess power cable in a ball on the ground, stuffed in a compartment, or coiled in a bucket. If that cable is undersized, or if it is a 100-degree day and you are running your AC on high, have fans going, the fridge is at max draw, the kids are playing Xbox on the plasma, and you are popping popcorn in the microwave, the non-stretched cable will heat up. Is it enough to melt the insulation and jacket? If it is, you may have a spontaneous bonfire right outside your rig.
Its nothing to be overly concerned about, just something to keep in the back of your head! :-)
Be safe everybody,
Todd
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W4MBG
Williamsburg, VA
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kyhawk: stuffing is not the same as coiling. stuff away! btw, my rv power feed cable is set up like yours. no issues there.
1999 Winnebago Minnie, 29', Triton V10, mostly stock. So far...
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