Electrical Question [No grid power]

[DSWalker]

Electrical Questions

We bought a 10k watt generator this past winter and never really got the opportunity to use it. (Actually that's a good thing, so not complaining.)

I'd like to use the generator to occasionally power some LED lighting in my horse riding arena. There isn't any grid power within 350'. I can rent a trencher to bury the wire a couple of feet deep to get from one side of the arena to the other. I just need some design help. I figure I'll start with a temp power RV type set-up with either a 30 amp or 50 amp box. I already have a couple of poles up with solar lights that are basically crap, so this time I want real power.

Yes, I know I can call an electrician, but that's not what I'm asking. This will be generator power only and pushing power to 5-6 100 to 200 watt LED lights. Will plan to have a total of 4, 20-25' posts to mount lights on.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Have you considered solar street lights? I don’t know anything about them, but a quick search came up with some options that might be worth considering. Assuming it’s an outdoor arena?

 

[Oka]

Most generators put out 3-4000 watts, that will supply enough electricity to light a barn, no problem.

 

[mattfrit]

Th

Electrical Questions

We bought a generator this past winter and never really got the opportunity to use it. (Actually that's a good thing, so not complaining.)

I'd like to use the generator to occasionally power some LED lighting in my horse riding arena. There isn't any grid power within 350'. I can rent a trencher to bury the wire a couple of feet deep to get from one side of the arena to the other. I just need some design help. I figure I'll start with a temp power RV type set-up with either a 30 amp or 50 amp box. I already have a couple of poles up with solar lights that are basically crap, so this time I want real power.

Yes, I know I can call an electrician, but that's not what I'm asking. This will be generator power only and pushing power to 5-6 100 to 200 watt LED lights. Will plan to have a total of 4, 20-25' posts to mount lights on.

I can't offer much advice, but this is a good use for a generator and a good way to keep it in running condition.

I have a 7000 watt back up generator.and start it up about every 4- 6 weeks and let it run for 20 minutes, under a small load.

 

[JNCarr]

Assuming the higher LED wattage, 6 x 200 / 120 = 10 Amps.
It sounds like you need the run to be 350' so for an allowable voltage drop of 5% you'd need to run minimum of 8 gauge wire. I'd run 6 gauge.

 

[DSWalker]

Have you considered solar street lights? I don’t know anything about them, but a quick search came up with some options that might be worth considering. Assuming it’s an outdoor arena?

That is what my daughter bought. 1 of them already died in less than. A year.

 

[DSWalker]

Assuming the higher LED wattage, 6 x 200 / 120 = 10 Amps.
It sounds like you need the run to be 350' so for an allowable voltage drop of 5% you'd need to run minimum of 8 gauge wire. I'd run 6 gauge.

Not planning to connect to the grid. This will be generator powered.at the arena.

 

[JNCarr]

Understood about the grid - I thought your generator was at your home (original intent?) and the arena 350' away. What design questions do you have - happy to help is I can.

 

[NCPAPAOF2]

Are you taking the generator to the area of use or will you need to cover the 350' plus the distance to each of the lamp post? I would probably set up a pad, concrete or stone for the generator. Then a small breaker box to isolate each pole should you need to on a post with a connector for the generator. If using direct burial wire it must be deeper than conduit. Most inspections departments will give you guidance if you give them a call. As I remember when running power to my shop conduit had to be 12" and direct burial was 30". If this is a long term project I would look to put it in conduit. I worked at a car dealership where we had to replace direct burial cable to all the lot lighting 20 years after installing as it was breaking down shorting out.

 

[DSWalker]

Understood about the grid - I thought your generator was at your home (original intent?) and the arena 350' away. What design questions do you have - happy to help is I can.

Sorry,.I Didn't do a great job on the original post. Yes, I'll plan to move the generator back and forth as needed. But it will likely end up living at the arena most of the time. Ill either pour a pad, or more likely, build a small platform with a cover for it.

Then as Curtis mentioned, I would install a small electrical panel to connect the generator and run wires from there.

Arena is about 90' wide and posts are about 60' apart.

Main questions are about wire size (12 gauge?) And connections between the panel box and generator plug connection. I've seen some boxes that appear to have both the plug in for generator and panel box prewired.

Conduit or no conduit, (Curtis may have answered that one for me.) On the last post, should I just run the wire direct to the light, or install a weatherproof connection box?

 

[Mike Davis]

I would install a small breaker box with a breaker for each or maybe 2 on a breaker so you can have more control and set up to accept main service if you ever decide to go that way instead of the gen set. Yeah for such small load and short distance 12 ga should be fine. You might want to leave room for a sound system or other appliances.

 

[Gofor]

You may find it less expensive to buy the wire at an electrical supply house, as opposed to the big box store. When I wired my shed, I found that the local electrical supply house based their price per foot on a 5,000 ft roll. Lowes based it on the length, with shorter lengths costing more per foot.

 

[scsmith42]

Hi David. I've done exactly what you're considering. In my instance, the design was for a single 50' tall pole centered on each side of a regulation dressage arena. Multiple rectangular 1000 watt fixtures were to be mounted on each pole covering each end and the center of the arena. Poles were grounded at each pole.

Modern "corn bulb" LED bulbs put out tremendous light. I've used 300W LED corn bulbs and they put out an impressive amount of light. My fixtures took the larger "mogul base" style and bulbs are available that would screw right in. I rewired the fixtures to bypass the internal transformers so that I could feed the existing bulb bases with 120V power. Each 300W bulb is going to require around 2.5A of power, so you can safely feed 6 of those bulbs off of a 2500 watt generator.

Here are some of the bulbs that I've used. Amazon.com

I ran a 12/2 with ground UF wire underneath my arena base from one side to the other during construction. If I had it to do over again, I'd bury a pair of 3/4" non-metallic conduits instead; one for power and the other for future needs such as ethernet.

My suggestion is to mount a basic NEMA 3R rated (outdoor) 60A load center to one of your poles, and bury conduits from each pole to the load center. You can put the lights from each pole onto an individual breaker in the panel, and save the expense of mounting separate, weather proof light switches (no more than you will use it - just use the breakers as switches. Yes, I know that electricians frown on that but how many times a year will the breakers get flipped?).

As an option, I would mount a 120V outdoor receptacle to a couple of the poles on the same circuit as the lighting so that you can have auxiliary power available on each side of the arena. Here is one good option for the load center: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-125-...reaker-Plug-On-Neutral-Load-Center/1000551257

Depending on your generator output, you can either take 240V to the load center or 120. If you take 120 to it you'll need to jumper in-between L1 and L2 on the incoming buss. Depending on how quiet your generator is, you can optionally cut the receptacle off of a 100' 12/2 outdoor rated extension cord and use it to run from your generator to the load center, or you can bury conduit and hard wire it.

FYI Honda's EU generator series are extremely quiet.

Best of success to you.

Scott

 

[JimD]

The breaker box seems more "professional" but I don't know why you could not plug a string of lights directly into the generator. Mine has multiple outlets. They are all protected by breakers. You have to consider the length of the run when sizing wire as mentioned in a previous post. If you can, it would be good to put the generator in the middle and run two ways out of it to cut down the length and thus size of the wire required.

 

[Wilsoncb]

Next time, you should probably opt for the head lights.

 

[scsmith42]

The breaker box seems more "professional" but I don't know why you could not plug a string of lights directly into the generator. Mine has multiple outlets. They are all protected by breakers. You have to consider the length of the run when sizing wire as mentioned in a previous post. If you can, it would be good to put the generator in the middle and run two ways out of it to cut down the length and thus size of the wire required.

Jim, that’s probably not a good idea for David’s situation.

Having an operating generator with multiple cords running to it in the middle of a horse arena - with horses present - is a good way for someone to get hurt.

Horses will spook when encountering unfamiliar objects and noises.

Circling the perimeter of the arena (to keep the cords away from the riding area) with extension cords will require a lot of cord length and resulting voltage drop.

 

[DSWalker]

Next time, you should probably opt for the head lights.
View attachment 243698View attachment 243699

What will they think of next... lol

Please dont show this to my daughter.

 

[Oka]

25 bucks a week buys my silence ...........

What will they think of next... lol

Please dont show this to my daughter.