How many 50amp cord extensions?

[EVMIII]

At my hunting area,I can only get my camper within about 85' of the closest 50 amp receptacle. How much power loss would I get linking cords (50'+30'+15')? I shouldn't (never know in Mississippi) need AC, but I might run the heat pump. I have two seperate units, would only need one at a time. If I need the furnace that will be on the propane. Will this work. Any experts out there? Thanks.

[RLM5150]

Would you have 30A service much closer? Is this an attempt to have 50A service over 30A or just to get service at all?

[bobbecky]

We have had our standard 50 amp cord, maybe 35 feet, connected to a 30 foot 50 amp cord, and connected with an adapter to a 50 foot, 30 amp cord to avoid running a generator, with no problem. You must be aware that you can not fully load the cords with every appliance in the rig running, even with all 50 amp cords only, as the capacity of the cords is much less than if just using the stock cord with one extension. With all those cords connected, and your AC running, you should check the voltage at your panel to make sure the voltage is at least 110 volts. Anything less will do damage to the AC, or at the very least, trip the breaker due to increased amps. The lower the volts, the higher the amps. That is what causes damage to wiring and motors when overloaded or run at low voltage.

[EVMIII]

Thanks for the replys,

30 Amp power is the same distance as 50 amp (same post).

If it's warm i won't be at the hunting camp so AC shouldn't be needed. just fridge, micro, and a couple ceiling fans/lights/radio, etc. I'm thinking I can make it work with the 50 amp considering whatever I lose in transit.

Next season I'll cut a couple trees down so I can get closer.

[jamesmc321]

you only need 50amp to run both AC units...running all your lights, fridge and heater more than likely wont even trip a 20 amp circuit

[bill-e]

Looks like 100' 12awg will give you a max of 15A while 100' 10 awg is 16-20A

This site is consistent with other sites I googled.

http://www.homedepot.com/c/factors_to_consider_when_choosing_extension_cords_ HT_BG_EL

[Desert185]

Good price.

http://t.harborfreight.com/household/electrical/100-ft-10-gauge-triple-tap-extension-cord-93674.html

[bsmith0404]

when you run that long of a cord, it's the voltage drop concern not the amperage. The 50 amp service is needed for 2 ACs to run, but the AC will need at least 110 volts. Running a 6g cord 100 feet SHOULD not drop more than 5 volts. More connections could cause additional loss, but I doubt you would get any more loss through the one additional connection you are using than you would due to extra length of two 50' cords. The ideal way would be to run a single 100' cord, but who would want to wrestle that beast?

[drdarrin]

your question is impossible to answer without knowing 1) the actual load, 2) are all the cords 50A or mixed 50A, 30A and 15A, e.g. what's the limiting factor in your extension cords? If they are all 50A cords, you should have no problem running 85 feet, unless you have everything running at once. If, however, one of the cords is a 15A cord (14ga/2), then running your heat pump and anything else might be an issue.

Your heat pump will draw approximately 15A @ 120V running, correct?
Your furnace will draw approx 8-11A @ 12V.
Incandescent lights draw 1.2A; LED's 0.2A.

Sounds like you really need an AC voltmeter connected at your distribution panel. If the voltage drops below 110v, you could damage any AC appliance that is running. A multimeter might do in a pinch.