Weird question, need help

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Mike8623

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OK guys got a 10 gauge 3 wire 250 foot extension cord inside pvc pipe running to a little shed I just built. It is plugged into a outlet about 100 ft. From my house. I have a tv down there.....couple wall heaters and a fan ( man cave) all is working well but when I have the tv on and turn 1 or both of the heaters on the lights dim.

So could I get 110v step up transformer and plug it in at the shed on the extension cord to get a boost so my lights don't dim?

I don't know much bout electric stuff can you help me out
 
You really would want a separate power wire just for the lights- the heaters are causing so much voltage drop along the supply cable

Better yet: running 240 volts with neutral to your shed and using 240 volt heaters, then you could have 120 volts
for lights also. Much less voltage drop problem because the heater current would be halved

You would want to drive a ground stake into the earth at the shed side for a good safety ground also
 
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Mike8623 said:
OK guys got a 10 gauge 3 wire 250 foot extension cord inside pvc pipe running to a little shed I just built. It is plugged into a outlet about 100 ft. From my house. I have a tv down there.....couple wall heaters and a fan ( man cave) all is working well but when I have the tv on and turn 1 or both of the heaters on the lights dim.

So could I get 110v step up transformer and plug it in at the shed on the extension cord to get a boost so my lights don't dim?

I don't know much bout electric stuff can you help me out
Click to expand...
None of the references I could find go any longer than 150ft; however, here are a couple of points:
  • Extension cords are not designed for permanent use
  • Extension cords should not be run inside of conduits as they rely on the surrounding air for cooling; running in a conduit would derate the ampacity (no charts for how much because you're not supposed to do it). Someone with a copy of the Electrical Code could give you an estimate (my NEC handbook was from the 80's so I got rid of it a long time ago).
  • 150ft Extra Heavy Duty #10 extension cord is only rated to a maximum of 15A, which may be what one of your heaters draws
  • 250ft #10 may support 7A, but with a significant voltage drop??
Please get rid of the extension cord and have an electrician run an adequate service from your main panel down to the shed before you have a fire.
 
The extension cord is plugged into an outlet that is about 100 ft. From my house. I'll send some pics once I get back to a better signal. I'm in the middle of Montana in a very secluded area.....no people just animals
 
Just put in a small wood burner, two problems solved.

edit: You're actually dealing with 350' of wire since the outlet is 100' from the house. The outlet, most likely is fed by 12 ga. wire, compounding your problem.
 
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How about a step up transformer plugged in at the shed to bring things up to 15 amps....in a perfect world I would have an electrician do this but I just don't have that type of money. I'm a regular American....you know, I ride in the back of the plane get one can of coke and a cracker, no champagne or cloth napkins
 
I'm in this same situation right now . :grin:
 
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