Help with Campsite Electrical Power
DMF
I know this newgroup is for electronics but I was
hoping someone here might know enough about
running electrical wiring to help me. Here's my
situation;
I've got a campsite that is about 140ft across a
creek that doesn't have electricity. We want to
run a wire across to provide enough power to
run the basics -- lights, radios, etc -- no heavy
pumps or equipment. On the powered side of
the creek is a subpanel providing 220 service
(including neutral) to a water pump. I want to
tap into that box (there is already room to expand
the circuit breakers) and run a couple of circuits
over to the other side of the creek. Currently
our plan is to run 10-3 UF gray wire overhead
across using a guywire that's already in place.
I really have two questions (but any helpful
suggestions are welcome). Is the 10-3 UF wire
the proper wire to use? It is rated for outdoor
and sunlight exposed areas but I'm not sure its
the right wire for this application. How long would
this stuff last in weather and sunlight? Also, it was
suggested that we use the type of wire that the
power company uses in the drop-down from the
power pole to a house. Would this be better?
What is this type of wire called?
My second question is related to how do I hang
the electrical wire from the guy wire. Are there
special plastic hangers I can use? One problem
is that the guywire is already up, so I need a
hanger that can be opened up and then closed
over the guywire then attached to the power cable.
Is there such a device? What is it called and
where could I buy them? TIA
Regards,
David
Wild Bill
intended to be secured to (or supported by) a permanent, rigid
surface/material.
You need to follow NEC guidelines and local codes for overhead wiring,
concerning wire gauge, GFCI, conductor and insulator type, minimum height,
distance spanned, circuit protection, and the type of poles (not trees) that
support the weight of the overhead wiring.
You won't have a safe installation without an approved, established earth
ground. You didn't mention whether you're camp is a wooden structure or a
camper trailer. For a camper trailer, you'll need a secure post to attach a
GFCI protected, weather resistant receptacle/hookup.
The existing wiring to the water pump might not have the rated capacity for
adding an additional circuit to it.
cheers
WB
.............
DMF wrote in message ...
greg s
>Hi,
>
>I know this newgroup is for electronics but I was
>hoping someone here might know enough about
>running electrical wiring to help me. Here's my
>situation;
I think he other fellow made some good comments on NEC and safety.
Doesn't sound like you need 10 guage, but its always good
to have less voltage drop. I am not familar with the wire either.
For even better safety, use an isolation transformer at the
end. It should have one lead of the secondary tied to the source
ground, and a local ground. I assume you are using just 120
volts, but by using the full 240, you can feed the isolation transformer
with it for better efficiency.
We were making computations for a fellow with a 1000 foot requirment
recently.
And of course, wire up a grounfd fault outlet.
greg
Don
poles on my farm for ten years, and it still works great. However, what
some of the others are telling you might be important, especially if your
camp is some sort of retreat for lawyers :)
In article <Heb%4.992$vV5....@newsfeed.slurp.net>, kwa...@tcis.net
says...
> hi, i don't believe 10/3 is suitable for overhead suspended power.. it was
> intended to be secured to (or supported by) a permanent, rigid
> surface/material.
>
> You need to follow NEC guidelines and local codes for overhead wiring,
> concerning wire gauge, GFCI, conductor and insulator type, minimum height,
> distance spanned, circuit protection, and the type of poles (not trees) that
> support the weight of the overhead wiring.
>
> You won't have a safe installation without an approved, established earth
> ground. You didn't mention whether you're camp is a wooden structure or a
> camper trailer. For a camper trailer, you'll need a secure post to attach a
> GFCI protected, weather resistant receptacle/hookup.
>
> The existing wiring to the water pump might not have the rated capacity for
> adding an additional circuit to it.
>
> cheers
> WB
> .............
> DMF wrote in message ...
> >Hi,
> >
> >I know this newgroup is for electronics but I was
> >hoping someone here might know enough about
> >running electrical wiring to help me. Here's my
> >situation;
> >
DMF
>hi, i don't believe 10/3 is suitable for overhead
>suspended power.. it was intended to be secured
>to (or supported by) a permanent, rigid
>surface/material.
You may be right here... but I've gotten mixed
answers, even from electricians.
>You need to follow NEC guidelines and local codes
>for overhead wiring, concerning wire gauge, GFCI,
>conductor and insulator type, minimum height,
>distance spanned, circuit protection, and the type of
>poles (not trees) that support the weight of the over
>head wiring.
>
>You won't have a safe installation without an approved,
>established earth ground. You didn't mention whether
>you're camp is a wooden structure or a camper trailer.
>For a camper trailer, you'll need a secure post to attach
>a GFCI protected, weather resistant receptacle/hookup.
The ground is going to be run from the subpanel that
services the pump. An electrician inspected it and
said it was all to code. I thought that according to code
you should only have one ground at the main service
panel (which it does). The other side of the creek is not
accessible by car and we plan to just install a couple
of GFCI protected outlets for lights, radios, etc.
>The existing wiring to the water pump might not have
>the rated capacity for adding an additional circuit to it.
>cheers
>WB
Its okay, it was designed with this expansion in mind.
Thanks for your comments.
Regards,
David
>DMF wrote in message ...
>>I've got a campsite that is about 140ft across a
>>creek that doesn't have electricity. We want to
>>run a wire across to provide enough power to
>>run the basics -- lights, radios, etc -- no heavy
<balance of original postsnipped to save bandwidth>
cr...@my-deja.com
wire installation. They should also be able to help with appropriate
wire/overhead hanging compatibilities.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Gary Tait
a
14/3 (or 12/3 if needed) extension cord along the guy wire, and use a
portable GFCI unit at the campsite end, for added protection.
DMF wrote:
>
> Hi,
>
> I know this newgroup is for electronics but I was
> hoping someone here might know enough about
> running electrical wiring to help me. Here's my
> situation;
>
> I've got a campsite that is about 140ft across a
> creek that doesn't have electricity. We want to
> run a wire across to provide enough power to
> run the basics -- lights, radios, etc -- no heavy
> pumps or equipment. On the powered side of
> the creek is a subpanel providing 220 service
> (including neutral) to a water pump. I want to
> tap into that box (there is already room to expand
> the circuit breakers) and run a couple of circuits
> over to the other side of the creek. Currently
> our plan is to run 10-3 UF gray wire overhead
> across using a guywire that's already in place.
>
> I really have two questions (but any helpful
> suggestions are welcome). Is the 10-3 UF wire
> the proper wire to use? It is rated for outdoor
> and sunlight exposed areas but I'm not sure its
> the right wire for this application. How long would
> this stuff last in weather and sunlight? Also, it was
> suggested that we use the type of wire that the
> power company uses in the drop-down from the
> power pole to a house. Would this be better?
> What is this type of wire called?
>
> My second question is related to how do I hang
> the electrical wire from the guy wire. Are there
> special plastic hangers I can use? One problem
> is that the guywire is already up, so I need a
> hanger that can be opened up and then closed
> over the guywire then attached to the power cable.
> Is there such a device? What is it called and
> where could I buy them? TIA
>
> Regards,
> David
--
Gary Tait,VE3VBF Homepage: http://www.primeline.net/~tait ICQ 43425545
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RWatson767
I don't know how wide or deep the creek is but why not go underground or
submerged? PVC conduit comes in 20" lengths if you look for it. This would
perhaps do away with underwater connectors.
Bob AZ
DMF
I thought about doing that but this creek is too
wide and it rages pretty good in the winter. I would
be concerned about the high flows tearing up the
conduit plus burying the conduit in the creek bed
would be difficult too. Thanks for the suggestion
though.
Regards,
David