ECN Forum Forums Code Related Discussion NEC & other Code issues R.V . Park Calculations

John that sounds like a possible 300.3(B) violation.

Bob the wires would be grouped together and in the same trench. This practice is quit common here for this purpose.The same as adding a #4alum use for a ground wire with 2/2/2 USE direct burial to feed a mobil home.
Do you use USE direct burial cable were you guys are at when I was in CT. I never saw it.

If this is a new RV park...

Reconsider the engineering towards medium voltages. (ie 4160)

Dry type XFMRs are available: 4160Y120 and can accept common mechanical lugs.

They are very commonly used for this type of situation.

Talk to the Poco about getting such a Service.

Good point Tesla. Some of the parks we did got the PoCo to feed the far end of existing runs with a new transformer so it split the load in half and allowed the existing wiring to work.

A lot of things are common practice and are still NEC violations.

IMO once one of your circuit conductors is a cable they all have to be in the cable.

Unless what you do can fit 300.3(B)(3) and 300.20(B) which is possible.




I have never worked with it.

Bob USE is not a cable with a jacket but three individual insulated wires and all you are doing is adding one more to it. You may also see it done to A over head service to add the third leg for a three phase service.

I dont see any violations of the code articles you sugjest may be violations.
I do like the idea of getting the pocco to place transformers thrue out the big mobile home parks. But like every thing else there is usualy a cost to it. Give the money to the Electrician or to the pocco and the electrian.Or just have the pocco feed every pedistal and give you a monthly meter charge for every service.

RV parks do not want utility metering, nor does the utility. The park owner prefers to do his own bookkeeping and make a handsome profit on the power they broker to the user. If the site is metered some states (like Florida) limit the amount of markup a park owner can assess above the utility rate but if it is unmetered they can set the flat rate at any price they want.

Greg I agree that the parks like to have there own meters, so thay dont have to pay the meter charges. I dont believe thay can charge more for the electricity then they pay in Mn. I dont know for sure though.
But I know that if the power company feeds the meters they are resposible for the cost of maintaining the wires in the ground and they may install the feeders for free if they get to charge for each meter.This may save the owner of the park alot of money for the electrical in the begining.that could be used to pay for meter charges for alot of years. and you would just pass the cost along to the lot rental anyway. Just a differant way to look at it.

I've held off on this thread, as it opens up all sorts of issues....

"RV Campgrounds" used to be places where folks lived a simple life, as they briefly traveled about on holiday. Many of the "campers" uses pop-up tent trailers, and the electric - at most - powered a light, a radio, and a small fridge. No more.

Today, these folks live in them 24/7/52. They drive these $$$$ rolling palaces, with every appliance known to man .... including hot tubs!

In this town, it is rare for anyone to ever leave these places. In short order, storage sheds pop up, small garages, you name it. Camping? Yea, sure.

Making matters worse, the "RV Crowd" has gotten pretty resourceful at playing with the electric.

The ones I've done I've done with separate feeders to each pedestal. Most pedestals tap the single receptacle off of the 240 circuit. The pedestal is, in fact, a small panel. Most of the DIY efforts seem to center on getting a second 120 volt circuit.

If I was able to design an RV park 'from scratch,' I'd probably want to treat it like a small sub-division .... large feeders buried 5 ft deep, Christie boxes, with taps off to meters at every pedestal. And I'd size each space's service like a residence ... wire for 100 amps (even if my actual breaker is 30 amps), and do residential-style load calculations.