Campground voltage question

therink · 06-29-2014, 05:18 AM

I have ran a search but did not come up with anything.
I am set up as a seasonal at our favorite campground. We have 30amp power. We have been having issues with the electric griddle and toaster getting hot enough, so I checked voltage at 120 outlet in rv. I am getting about 97 volts with minimal draw (AC off, just converter running). I removed my power cord from the CG pedestal and am getting around 110v. Shouldn't I be getting 120v at the pedestal?
I asked the campground and they said 110v at pedestal is all I need at pedestal is normal. I'm not buying this.
Can someone confirm what the minimum voltage is that I should be getting at pedestal?

GaryWT · 06-29-2014, 06:09 AM

You will see in places that 120/240 and 110/220 are interchangeable. I believe some utilities supply 120 and some 110. At the meter the voltage needs to be +/- 5%. Now depending how far your pedant all is from the utility meter there could be line loses which will result in lower voltage. Some campgrounds have their own meter at the site, others have the utility meter. 97 is low, do you have a 50 amp at the site? Sometimes you are better using an adaptor 50-30.

RichR · 06-29-2014, 06:47 AM

With 97 volts the A/C could overheat and burnout. 120 volts is the average level but it can vary from 110 to 130. Anything out side that range is not good.

SAD · 06-29-2014, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RichR

With 97 volts the A/C could overheat and burnout. 120 volts is the average level but it can vary from 110 to 130. Anything out side that range is not good.

This ^^^

Find out why with a few appliances your voltage drops.

Can you check it AT the pedestal with the load? I would want to check both at the pedestal and in the RV with the load and see where the drop is occurring.

therink · 06-29-2014, 09:38 AM

Update, voltage at post today (after weekender campers left) is 117v (my camper cord not plugged in). Voltage at an outlet in the rv is now 111v (no load), was around 97v last night.
My seasonal site has 30amp service. My rv has 50amp service. I use a 30 to 50 cord pigtail. I only have one AC (wired for 2nd).
I have come to the conclusion that the campground can not handle the load of all weekend campers when hot and with AC's running.
I am concerned about the low voltage. Afraid I will shorten the life of my appliances.

Festus2 · 06-29-2014, 10:33 AM

Steve -
Sounds like it might be time to look into installing a surge protector: a hard-wired one that will protect your RV for a variety of electrical issues , including voltage drops which could be common during the summer with so many units running AC's.

GaryWT · 06-29-2014, 10:50 AM

Sounds like it is time for a transformer upgrade. If you protect your self you will shutdown if the voltage drops. Good luck. Also you might want to look into propane griddles etc. it will also help to run water heater on propane on weekends.

therink · 06-29-2014, 12:52 PM

Yes, it sounds like a surge protector may be in order. Anyone know anything about whole rv protectors for 50amp? I assume these are better than the in-line cord type?
I bet we are talking big $$?

Festus2 · 06-29-2014, 01:01 PM

Well, you can spend a little money - around $90 or so - and get a portable/in-line surge protector which offers some protection but doesn't protect against several wiring/electrical issues. Some peace of mind. Or, you can spend quite a bit more and get a lot of protection against most campground wiring faults. Considerable peace of mind.

The advantages of buying something better with a wider-range of capabilities are obvious.

A forum search on Surge Protectors will give you plenty of input and advice about what make and model is a good choice and what kind of $$$ you can expect to pay. A hard-wired Progressive Industries seems to be a popular install. I can't remember the price but I think it is around $400/$500 + or - . Don't quote me on that .... check it out.

Personally, I wouldn't do anything with the converter such as upgrading the transformer.

therink · 06-29-2014, 01:10 PM

How about auto formers?

Festus2 · 06-29-2014, 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by therink

How about auto formers?

Sorry, Steve - can't help you out with this one.

Jager · 07-01-2014, 10:53 AM

You should have 120vac at pedestal and in your RV. If you have 120 at pedestal and less in your camper you have line loss between your camper and the pedestal. That isn't good. From your experience with and without weekend campers I would say the camp ground does NOT have enough power or power capacity to run the units that are there. This can damage your gear. It is also a potential fire hazard.

geo · 07-03-2014, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by therink

I have ran a search but did not come up with anything.
I am set up as a seasonal at our favorite campground. We have 30amp power. We have been having issues with the electric griddle and toaster getting hot enough, so I checked voltage at 120 outlet in rv. I am getting about 97 volts with minimal draw (AC off, just converter running). I removed my power cord from the CG pedestal and am getting around 110v. Shouldn't I be getting 120v at the pedestal?
I asked the campground and they said 110v at pedestal is all I need at pedestal is normal. I'm not buying this.
Can someone confirm what the minimum voltage is that I should be getting at pedestal?

Steve -

The power at the campground we are at does fluctuate from the utility provider, Texas Electric/CoServ/or whatever it is now. Over the past 18 months, there are times when Line 2 (50 amp service) has gone as high as 137VAC! We have a Surge Guard ATS that not only serves to switch between generator and shorepower, but also will protect the RV from high/low voltage, surges, etc. I installed one of these on our Alpine some time back:

http://www.keystonerv.org/forums/sho...urge+protector

As Festus2 said, it is not exactly cheap, but well worth the peace of mind. A friend who had a Progressive surge guard ATS suffered a lightening strike on their power pedestal! The Progressive was toast, but it protected the RV!

A constant voltage transformer would be good, at least it would assure that the high voltages and low voltages were smoothed and hopefully kept in range. But it would have to be located before a surge protector, and thus would be damaged in a surge. For us, just using the Surge Guard, which disconnects the supply when high or low line voltages, etc. are detected, seems to be fine. Note: on high voltage, the Surge Guard disconnects at 130VAC and reconnect when the voltage falls to 129VAC. Don't know about the low end.

Ron

therink · 07-06-2014, 01:51 PM

I talked to other seasonal campers at the campground this weekend. It was relatively cool out so not a lot of daytime air conditioners running. I checked voltage at my meter, it was 113v. I also checked voltage at 2 other meters and also read between 112 and 114 with no loads.
I stirred up the pot and got the campground owner involved. He said he will have his electrician come in this week and check it out. I guess we will see. I don't want to spend $800 on voltage regulating equipment if I don't need to.
Steve

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