240V extension cord?

Trying to figure out how to do a electric BK in the places I have access to 240V. I am wondering if you are using a 5500W 240V heating element in a Keggle if you can get/make an extension cord? Thanks

Yes...Your best bet is to go to the desk at a Electrical supply house. Although your home depot may carry the stuff. You're looking for a four conductor wire with the rubber insulation. NOT SOLID WIRE!! You want the flexible stuff. Then buy the plug and socket that you want. Purchase a plug, receptacle, and wire with gauge appropriate for the amperage your rig draws. I made a 50ft cord for my TIG welder...and it works great for all kinds of things. I have some pigtail adapters that I made for it so I can have multiple 110 outlets on separate legs of the circuit...I've got one for MotorHomes...for when I have guest that park their RV's in my driveway. And my welder actually has the 3 pin plug... but I ran everything with the 4 pin plug. The 4 pin plug have 2 110vac legs, a common, and a ground. IF you run it this way you can split out and have separate 110vac grounded circuits. If you don't...you'll not be able to properly ground them. I've also found good deals on plugs, receptacles on eBay.

If you want something ready made...check Camping World, RV dealers, Local welding shops. They'll usually have premade 240v extension cords...

You can.

Order some cable of the correct gauge and the correct connectors and you're good to go.

If you have the correct plug,
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...ffdd7eb&itemid=220481329631&ff4=263602_263622

B

Great! Thanks for the info - I'll let y'all know what I ended up doing.

You're looking for "SJ" cord. It's the same stuff they make typical extension cords out of but obviously you need a gauge that is capable of your load.

You need 10/3 SJO Cord. The heating elements only have connections for 2 wires. The third wire is your ground. The 4th wire wouldn't do you any good for this unless you were putting a 120/240v panel on your rig.

chuggs said:

Then buy the plug and socket that you want.

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Just make sure they are 240 volt. Seriously. I did a service call on a refrigerator that a guy plugged into a 120 volt outlet that had been wired to 240 volts. He had just moved into the house and had no idea that the previous owner had done it. Could have killed someone to boot. Not trying to be a smart axe here, but the way the original question is worded, I just thought I'd better throw this in.

SJ- cord is all rated for 300v. If you get SE- or SO- I believe it is even rated 600v. Doesn't matter if its 3 or 4 conductor. Cheers!

Ps here's a good supplier:
Portable cord
They don't have 10/3 which is what you need (30 amp), but you can get it at home depot or wherever.

I am glad to see people talking about safety, concerning the correct size wire for the cord. Something that caught my attention, was that you want to use this cord wherever you have 240 volts. I am not sure how your equipment is built, but I would want to make sure I had a GFCI in the system.

What's the longest you can safely go with 10/3? That's what I used on my electric keggle at 10' but I'm thinking of going longer for flexibility.

I used two 6 foot dryer cords. One goes from my control box to the outlet and t he other goes from the kettle to the box-the second outlet plugs into the box. Works for me, but a few extra feet going from the box to the outlet on the wall would be nice.

It doesn't matter what your load is on the circuit for sizing wire you need it to be sized for your breaker. Check the breaker in the panel and size accordingly. As far as length goes, thats all about voltage drop and it really depends on the size wire you use but 15-30 ft will never be a problem with a proper sized wire.

Brewing Clamper said:

What's the longest you can safely go with 10/3? That's what I used on my electric keggle at 10' but I'm thinking of going longer for flexibility.

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You need to find a length/amp chart.

http://www.powerstream.com/Wire_Size.htm

Looks like if you doubled your length (to 20 foot cord), your voltage drop would be increased by less than one percent. ( to a total drop of about 1.5%). That should be no problem whatsoever.

how much voltage drop is too much? I plan running 50' of 10-8 awg wire for a 5500w rig

50 feet is not a problem, especially for crude work like resistive elements. I'd use 10 gauge SJ or SO cord.

Bobby_M said:

50 feet is not a problem, especially for crude work like resistive elements. I'd use 10 gauge SJ or SO cord.

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talked to an electrician today. He recommended going with 8 gauge due to heat build up.

although it is more expensive ill invest a little to ensure my rental house doesn't burn down :cross:

I'd stick with the 10/3
Pick a cable with a quality cover like SEJOOW or SOOW. Just look for a temp rating 90C or better.

Yellow Jacket is a popular one.

You may find such a cable at the Big Box stores.
Of course you will be cutting the ends off and installing your 240V connectors.

'da Kid

wuttheheeck said:

how much voltage drop is too much? I plan running 50' of 10-8 awg wire for a 5500w rig

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It's generally accepted that you want no more than 3% voltage drop for a run. Any more and you need to step up to the next size. Using 3% drop max, with 30 amps on the end of a 10 gauge cable, it works out to 95 feet from your breaker to your element.