Back in 2008 when I got my 5th wheel trailer home I decided it would be best to store it with “yard power” applied to keep the batteries topped off and the fridge powered up. (and that's all, mostly) I purchased a 100 ft., 14 gauge extension cord and made my own adapter to fit between the trailer and the female 15 amp outlet on the cord. This is plugged into a standard household 15 amp outlet on the side of the house.
After eight years of UV light, rain, mold, dirt, corrosion and having been run over once with a lawn mower, this past week I replaced all that with a new 12 gauge extension cord (that weighs a whopping 15 pounds) and a fancy store bought adapter that features a positive mechanical and water tight connection to the trailer that my home made adapter was lacking.
https://www.campingworld.com/shoppin...mart-led/69586
The extension cord I got at Harbor Freight, list $70 but I had the 20% off coupon and got the free with purchase stuff, too.
Then the test engineer in me thought I’d see if the expense was worth it.
A few definitions for our test: Minimal Load = The 12 converter is running, with the fridge, a Vortex fan and 1 LED light fixture. A/C on = All of that and of course the 13.5 ducted air conditioner is running. Measurements were taken at an outlet inside the trailer.
14 gauge
Minimal Load = 121 volts
A/C on = 108 volts
12 gauge
Minimal Load = 121 volts
A/C on = 113 volts
So I got back 5 volts of drop with the new, heaver cable (with non-corroded connections). Don’t seem like much, and I might not want to camp out there like that, but I sure feel better about running the A/C while I’m out there working/cleaning/stocking up. As long as I don’t use the toaster and the A/C at the same time….
What a difference a gauge makes
Threaded Mode
