Don T

Ok I ran over my power cord and well now have a black spot in the cord. For the life of me I can not remember what size I should buy (14/2 , 14/3 ) I remember you have to buy one strong so I can run the air conditioner. Thanks Guys Don T

chaikwa

Why not just take the cord with you when you go to get a new one? That is IF the old one worked for you. I would think a 14 gauge would be a tad light to run an A/C unit plus other things you probably use.

The cord I use in our fire safety trailer is an 8 gauge 4 wire cord, but that's running 2 A/C units among other high draw stuff. All together I think we're pulling 10,000 watts consistently, not taking into account start-up surges.

Lightman46

14/3 will handle 15 Amps
12/3 will handle 20 amps
10/3 will handle 30 amps
I don't know what you are powering but a standard travel trailer would use 10/3 with 1 A/c unit. Each 12000 BTU A/C unit pull about 15 running amps
hope this helps

Don T

Thanks ! that is the answer I was looking for. I now can go buy a cord that I know will be over kill for my one air conditioner . thanks Don T

C Schomer

Over kill is good when it comes to cord gauge. A lot of cords show the amp rating on a tag and the rating goes down as the cord gets longer. Heavier gauge is good but excessive length is bad. Craig

shep1

all electrical cords should have the wire size printed or embedded on the outer covering every foot. Look closely along the cord at any writing, Mite have to wipe any dirt off with a damp rag first.

whiteeye42

The one i use to plug my rv into at home is a 10/3 and it will not let my AC start it runs everything else tho to run my AC i would have to get an 8 or 6 guage cord

Rob's Red Ram

bigger is better with that.rather than cord glowing like a toaster and catching fire.

PoorMansCat

Dont meak to high jack this thread but..
I went to the local electrical supply house and got everything I needed to build my own 30A 75ft. long cord with the RV connector in a weather resistant enclosure.... You can usually get it as cheap/cheaper than buying from the big box stores.. The stuff I bought is rated for direct ground contact/burial.
Dropped in a breaker at my outside meter service, now I can run everything.... Sure is nice to have A/C in 110* days!!!