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Tue 19 Jan, 2016 01:51 pm
Hi all, thanks to El Nino, our retention pond has filled and is overflowing, flooding our property. I have permission to pump out the pond to a neighboring field. The problem is, the nearest electrical outlet (normal 110) is almost 200 feet away from the pond. The pump I will use is 1/2 HP. Would 200' of heavy-duty outdoor electrical extension cord work, or will there be too much line drop? I don't want to burn up my pump motor. Any help would be appreciated. I have no clue about this stuff...but need to do something before the water reaches the house. It's currently raining hard and we have more storms on the way this week. Thank you!
@JLFleet,
I'd guess JL just go ahead. But do feel the cord once in a while
@JLFleet,
You can use this online calculator to calculate the line drop using the wire size of your cord and the amp rating of your motor.
http://buyextensioncord.com/info_voltage_drop.shtml
For example: 200 feet of 18 AWG copper and a load of 5 amps would have a drop of 16 volts. 16 AWG would have a 10 volt drop. I wouldn't attempt to run with a drop of much more than 16 volts.