For safety, always turn off the breakers before plugging and unplugging. We forgot to make that clear. And thanks for those that reminded us in the comments 🤗
Yes. We added that to our pinned comment because we assumed people would know that. Oops 😅 This is so important, but not a lot on RUclips about it? We hope the message gets out there. It can save campers so much money and stress, Alice
Hey Scott, we should be in your neck of the woods in a month or so, Scheduled to be at French creek state park in October on our way back to fla. Larry
Robert, we are glad we can help. We didn’t find many videos on RUclips like this though it’s a common problem. Let’s hope this video reaches other campers so they can prevent damage, Alice
Some very good information, thanks for taking the time to post this video. Would add that people should always trip the breaker before inserting or removing the power cord. This should significantly reduce the arching problems.
Randall, thanks for watching and commenting. Yes. We always have the breakers off when plugging and unplugging. We forgot to mention that. More RVers need to know this info. We hope it helps others 🤗 Alice
I liked seeing the action of the arcing taking place too! For the new folks, we would recommend turning off your "breaker switch" before connecting/disconnecting any power.
Joyce, thanks. We forgot to mention that because we thought it was natural. But we should always remember that there are new RVers out there. We added the info as a pinned comment. Thanks for coming by, Alice
Chuck, you aren’t the only one. We were so surprised that there isn’t a lot on RUclips about it? It’s pretty common. And thanks. Larry does serious research before he does a video like this, Alice
Great information. I liked seeing the arcing taking place. That was a pretty cool add in. For sure on the surge protector. I am stunned how many people I see not using them. Insane. Cool stuff man. I think this will help a lot of new people understand how this stuff works and to never count on the campground to have good power.
Thanks William, I did that arcing experiment because i wanted to see why and how it was happening, that was the most fun part of making this video. Larry
Thanks Larry, you do an awesome job of explaining these technical issues related to RVs. No one does campsite reviews and how to video’s like your channel. Hope your enjoying your northern summer. Hot and humid here in Florida.
Hey Doug, thanks for the compliments, i appreciate it. I like doing the rv tech explainer type videos, i always wish I had more time to put into them though. Larry
Had my camper plug overheat in my surge guard due to a bad connection. The connection was loose due to age 5-6 years of use. I cleaned the plug with a piece of sand paper and bought a new surge guard. Great tip on cleaning and checking the plug. Thanks
It’s more common that people think. That’s why we thought it was weird that there wasn’t a lot on RUclips about it. Hopefully, the video will spread and help campers avoid stress and money loss, Alice
On our last Rv-ing trip last month, my power cord end that plugs into the pedestal had the burnt melted marks on the hot side. The pedestal looked worn, 30 amp socket had crack along the top neutral side but it was not broken off. Plus the other end that connects to the camper had melted enough that it would not come off, after a lot of twisting it broke loose, I had to rebuild both ends (it was interesting that the female end the neutral side has melted marks and not the hot side) at the next stop at the campsite to use the power cord. after all that my A/C stopped working 2 days later, with the 2A slow blow mini glass fuse in the thermostat blew. after some troubleshooting, with the circuit breaker off for the A/C, from inside removing the filter access reaching up disconnecting the control box by removing the wing nuts. brought it down and open it up and the compressor relay was melted and the purple wire to the 9 pin connector that goes to the roof the insulated wire was melted smoked. I do have progressive EMS hardwired in it showed no errors. parts on order I'll have it up and running for the next trip. sorry for such a long comment.
Hey George, thanks for sharing that interesting story. Do you think the AC issue is connected to the problem you had with melted power cord? Sounds like you may have had a big surge, but the EMS should have caught that. Sounds like you have some really good electrical skills to diagnose and fix the AC issue. If there was one skill that is important to RVing, I would say electrical is it. Do you have a remote display panel for your EMS? I enjoy long comments like this sharing interesting stories. Larry
Bob, thank you. Larry wishes he put more arch b roll in there. We just hope the word gets out and this video saves people from money loss and stress, Alice
Very informative video! I've owned a Titanium fiver since 2006. Over the last several years, I've done a complete roof re-seal along with upgrading axles, suspension and converting to disc brakes, new tires, house batteries, etc. But I've ignored my AC power cable and plug, extension and adapters for years, not to mention the shore power receptacle on the garage! More work to do! Thanks for keeping me on track!
Wow. That’s quite a compliment because you obviously know what you are doing. Thank you. You aren’t alone in ignoring this. We found very little on RUclips about it. And frankly, after two melted plugs, Larry decided to find a fix. Glad we could help. We are always trying to make RVing better, one video at a time. Sorry for the added work 😉 Alice
Most RV parks do not maintain their power posts. 22 yr of RVing convince me that the Hughes Power Watch Dog is essential. Also, a Hughes Autoformer is necessary at times when you have low voltage warnings on the power watch dog. You need both.
Another great video! Haven't had any burning/melting plug issues, just a cantankerous surge protector that now works perfectly. Thanks for the great info!
Paul, that’s great it hasn’t happened. It’s actually pretty common. Your surge protector was probably doing its job. But still, we check every time before we plug in, Alice
Nice video for everyone to watch. This would help us all with avoiding damage to pedestals. I like the idea of the ' cleaning adaptor '. I'm going to make one for my use.
Excellent video Larry. Probably one of the most neglected areas of RV ownership. From my experience, I say many RV'ers are not aware of how important an electrical management system is for protecting the high voltage electrical system in their RV. I've been saved once from a bad pedestal in Rolling Hills, CA with a portable Progressive 30 amp. unit. When I purchased a new RV in 2018 with a 50 amp. system, the first thing I did was install a Progressive 50 amp. inline unit and gave my 30 amp. unit to a friend. A person is living a dangerous life without electrical protection in their RV.
I agree Robert, modern RVs have a lot more sensitive electronics than they used to, everything has a circuit board in it. I do need to do a video on surge protectors and I would love to open it up and show the power relays in action. I think it crazy that they dont come from the factory with one built in, but then the dealers wouldn’t get all the repair work, haha. Thanks for sharing your story, I hope people without an EMS read it. Larry
Hello Larry and Alice. This is some really critical, awesome info! Whew....talk about a potential day wrecker! We haven't had the melting yet. But, in our previous travel trailer (back in the early 2000s), we had traveled from our home in NC to stay at Patrick Air Force Base campground (Cocoa Beach area) and use that as a base camp for Orlando theme parks and such. While there, we had a mega storm go through. It had blown hard enough to blow off our exhaust vent tops for the bathroom and kitchen (remedied by the infamous blue tarp!). The wind was insane; reaching the level that we were preparing to leave the trailer. Cruise ship docking areas in Port Canaveral were damaged from bucking cruise ships in port. So, the next morning, we were all outside the camper getting ready to head out to that day's activities. I went to put my german shepherd in the trailer for the day; she stepped on the first step and turned around. I had repeatedly directed her to go inside; she stepped on that step maybe one or two more times before completely ignoring me. Eventually, we recognized that she was getting shocked on the metal step. We talked to the campground about this; they eventually had an electrician come by. He assessed that our 30 amp plug was tarnished and not making a good contact in the 30amp pedestal. He used a brass brush as you did and cleaned our plug. If I remember, the knife blade plugs were also like a folded over piece of brass. So, he slightly spread those knife blades apart a bit and it stopped the shocking. I've mentioned we just returned from warmer climates to get solar installed. At the same time, the trailer was hard wired with a hughes EMS system. We'll rarely be in a campground, but it is great to have the extra electrical protection. Safe travels!!
Wow. We really need to listen to our dogs more. Great there was someone to help. We were hoping to boondock out northwest this summer - with all our batteries and solar. We will see. Thanks for sharing your story Alice
Wow! I've changed many outlets and switches in my homes but apparently I didn't know enough. This was really interesting info and will remember it when on the road!
Well Larry, you are a source of information. Really great stuff here. I don't think I've seen another video on the subject. Thanks for all you research and tips. You are on your way to that workamper certification. Thanks again.
Thanks Steve, I will work camp someday, and I think I will enjoy fixing stuff in the campground like electrical. When we decide to travel less, work camping will be a great option to reduce expenses and to keep the hands busy. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Hi Alice🤗 Yes you can tell Larry definitely enjoys doing these videos, we always appreciate these, the campground reviews and we’ll seriously all your videos!!!
Thank you Larry for making and having this DIY information video. I hope it will people out to learn more about plugging into power at campgrounds. Hope you and Alice have a great Labor Day.
Thoughtfully arranged content, clearly presented. Nicely done, Larry. As you mentioned, it probably would be helpful to do a video on permanently installed surge protectors. No theft issue, digital readout of amps, voltage and - if there's a problem - diagnostic error codes. In our case, install access was a bit of a physical challenge but the effort was well worth it. Most RV parks don't seem to care about electrical box issues until a 'customer' has to become their amateur technician.
Hey Jack, I couldn’t agree more, electrical skills do come in handy RVing. When we have shore power issues, i often just fix it myself, which is why i keep an extra 30 socket handy. Which surge protector do you have. I like ours but it has a long power on delay, 128 seconds. I dont have the remote display yet, I will do a video on our Surge Guard when i Install the remote display. Larry
Great video! Nice. Tutorial and a great cutaway demonstration . I have had an issue with a 30 to 15 amp adapter plug once and will never use it again .Alway have a good surge protector and be mindful of your electrical post .
Al, thanks. Yes. Our surge protector has saved us a few times - refusing to pull power from a bad shore power post. It just happened recently when the remnants of Hurricane Ida came over us here in Canada. Alice
On a 30-amp receptacle all ways check the Hot and Ground for voltage, by only checking the Hot and Neutral, that will not tell you if there is a reverse polarity problem, only that there is voltage on one of the lines and it could be on the Neutral leg, and that's not a good thing. Always turn off the breaker before plugging in and before removing the power cord, this will eliminate Arc flash.
Great points, i did a short video about using a GB tester for reverse wiring and at pedestal. And yes always turn the breaker off before plugging in, i forgot to mention in the video. I have come across some really bad plugs and wrongly wired boxes in our travels. Don’t put your plug in places without checking first. Larry
50 AMPS is actually 100 AMPS it is 50 AMPS per leg 2X for a total of 100 AMPS. When plugged into a 30 AMP plug with a 50 amp dog bone (100 AMPS) Your RV could pull more then 3X the power then the 30 AMP plug is made for this is why you see so many melted 30 AMP plugs. If the 30 AMP breaker is working properly it should pop when it has more then a 30 amp load for a short period of time.
Our inverter system lets us dial in exactly how much power we draw from the box, for 30 amp i usually set it to 25amps. When we need more power than that the inverter and batteries make up the difference. But yes, most RV are hooking into 30 amp and drawing too much juice and popping the breaker. I was going to go into bad breakers but I wanted to keep the video short. The 50 amp connection is pretty good with lots of contact, I think the 30 amp connection is under engineeered. Only a small part of the pins are making contact with the socket. Thanks for you awesome input. Larry
John, thank you. It’s such a common problem with little on RUclips about it. Please share the video with someone that might benefit - it would really help the channel and other campers 🤗 Alice
Great video Dsmc, you always cover the details no one else does. Do you have a video on installing an "at home RV 30-50 amp" power supply? It would be great if you do.
Larry actually did replace a 50 amp power supply when we moochdocked. He filmed it, but didn’t include it in the video. He’s hesitant to release something like that to a general audience 😉 Alice
Thank you! I plug the surge guard into the pedistal. Should i put in an adapter first that is the same both sides and then the surge guard? I have a 30 amp TT at present. Do they make 30 to 30 plugs?
I turned shore power off with cicuit breaker switch outside and it burnt my female plug going into RV. Did that happen because I had air on inside RV. Should I turn everything off inside before unplugging outside?
Yes turn everything off before unplugging, inspect all plugs for damage, replace any charred or melted. Clean plug male terminals with scotch bright pad or brass wire brush. Larry
Noticed some signs of melting on the female side of my surge protecor. Went to check the prongs of my rv shore cable and it did in fact have a bit of corrosion. I tried spraying it down with deoxit but didn't improve it much. I will have to clean it up with a brush like you recommended. My question to you is, is there any danger of scraping away any protective coating on the brass prongs? Thanks
When you demonstrated the arcing it seemed that the translucent adapter that you were using would light up when you demonstrated the arcing. Was this just the arc lighting up the interior of the adapter or was there some type of led in the adapter? Could one use the translucent adapter to immediately see that there was arcing and avoid problems with the RV side plug....just wondering.
The blue light is the arching, the faint orange light is the adapter led. That’s funny you noticed that, I had to rewatch the video to se it,. The adapter Led only tells you if there is power. I just put out a short on how to test it quickly, thanks for pointing that out. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thanks for the quick reply. You really got me going on this one. I am looking for a 50 to 50 amp cord to use between my coach power cord and the camp receptacle because I do not want to replace the plug on my coach cord, I would much rather just, as you stated, replace the short adapter with a new one. Also, I would be looking for adapters that have an led in them showing power because my assumption (yup I know what it means) is that if I plug in and the light blinks then, perhaps, the receptacle is bad and I should not plug in and report it to the camp management. Any thoughts?
@@rjw8316 That is actually a really good idea a 50 amp 50 amp adapter, I have never seen one but you could make one yourself using plugs you but separate on Amazon. Or use a 50 amp portable surge protector. Like this. ruclips.net/video/4J3wTzENEVk/видео.html Larry
3 года назад
Well Done! A sm amount of dielectric grease will solve most issues here...
@@DownsizingMakesCents I looked up the videos in your channel and will subscribe. Some interesting videos. If your black tank sensors do not work correctly, maybe I can help you with some information. Best wishes, Kevin
@@KevinCoop1 thank you. We really appreciate the support. We don’t worry about black tank because we move every week to two weeks. But our grey tanks are a guessing game. Email larry@downsizingmakescents.com
Great video guys! We see pedestal problems all the time in our travels across the country. Some parks hate when you till them there electrical is bad shape.
Robert, when Larry said just ask them to replace it, I chuckled 🤭. Especially if it’s part of the Thousand Trails system. But we did need one fixed at a state park and the maintenance guy was pretty nice about it. For such a common problem, we were surprised there was little on RUclips about it 🤔 Alice
Excellent video! It really cool to see the cut away and the arcing. Good Presentation. We always have an extra male and female 50A plug. If you ever need to replace one, you won't want to wait 2 day for Amazon to deliver. You need it immediately!
For safety, always turn off the breakers before plugging and unplugging. We forgot to make that clear. And thanks for those that reminded us in the comments 🤗
This is truly the best examination of what is actually going on!
Thank you so much
thank you Stay Safe and yes turn off the BREAKERS before clearing
Yes. We added that to our pinned comment because we assumed people would know that. Oops 😅
This is so important, but not a lot on RUclips about it?
We hope the message gets out there. It can save campers so much money and stress,
Alice
Thank you Sir for your in depth explanation about RV plugs and shore power!
Very welcome
Great video! So educational and easy to follow. Thank you!
Thank you. Larry tries his best to be thorough yet concise
Good information. My rig only uses 30 amps but I do occasionally have to drop to a 20 amp plug at state parks. Now I know what to check. Thanks.
Hey Scott, we should be in your neck of the woods in a month or so, Scheduled to be at French creek state park in October on our way back to fla. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Message me when you will be there. I have two trips planned in October, hopefully we can meet up.
Excellent information, thank you!
Phil, for such a common problem, there wasn’t much on RUclips?
We hope this helps a lot of campers,
Alice
Hello guys! Very good to know, great tips! 👍🏻 Carole and André 🇨🇦
Hey, Carole & Andre, thanks. Hopefully this helps people avoid power issues,
Alice
Great FYI/DIY video Larry. 👍👍😃
Greg, thank you. We were so surprised to find very little on RUclips about such a common problem.
Glad we could help,
Alice
Thanks for sharing. This is good to know. We haven’t came across this yet and i know Fabian inspects when we arrive at campgrounds.
It’s pretty common actually. That’s why we decided to do a video about it.
Safe travels,
Alice
Very informative. Thanks for sharing........
Bryan, there were sections with lots of trees and privacy and others very open.
But a great area to explore,
Alice
Bryan, it’s so common but not a lot on RUclips about it - until now 😉
Alice
Oh wow. Thanks for sharing.
It’s more common than some people think. We hope this helps many campers,
Alice
Amazing informative vidz bro
Thanks. We hope to help fellow campers avoid costly mistakes 🤗
Alice
Thanks god bless
Hope it helps 🤗
Awesome tip
Thanks guys. We actually had a problem at 5 Islands.
Hope you are having fun,
Alice
more metal touching, less elections try to get though in a small metal contact, need big area to let more electrons through without heating metal
Great instructional video. Thanks.
Robert, we are glad we can help. We didn’t find many videos on RUclips like this though it’s a common problem.
Let’s hope this video reaches other campers so they can prevent damage,
Alice
Some very good information, thanks for taking the time to post this video. Would add that people should always trip the breaker before inserting or removing the power cord. This should significantly reduce the arching problems.
Randall, thanks for watching and commenting. Yes. We always have the breakers off when plugging and unplugging. We forgot to mention that.
More RVers need to know this info. We hope it helps others 🤗
Alice
I liked seeing the action of the arcing taking place too! For the new folks, we would recommend turning off your "breaker switch" before connecting/disconnecting any power.
Joyce, thanks. We forgot to mention that because we thought it was natural. But we should always remember that there are new RVers out there. We added the info as a pinned comment.
Thanks for coming by,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thank you!
Dang ,Dude. WOW You have facts. Yes I’ve had a 30 amp plug fry, I had to replace it.
Chuck, you aren’t the only one. We were so surprised that there isn’t a lot on RUclips about it? It’s pretty common.
And thanks. Larry does serious research before he does a video like this,
Alice
Two Thumbs Up !!
🤗 Thanks guys. Love seeing you here
Alice
Dang….you went above and beyond to show us this. Impressive!!
Thanks. Larry really tries his best to make helpful videos 🤗
Alice
Great easy to understand information. Two thumbs up. 👍👍
Ron, thanks. I wish a double 👍 actually worked 😅. Thanks for watching and commenting 🤗
Alice
You should always turn the breaker off when plugging or unplugging into the pedestal. I didn't hear that in your video. Thanks
Yes. You are absolutely right. Thank you. We always do.
Alice
Great information. I liked seeing the arcing taking place. That was a pretty cool add in. For sure on the surge protector. I am stunned how many people I see not using them. Insane. Cool stuff man. I think this will help a lot of new people understand how this stuff works and to never count on the campground to have good power.
Thanks William, I did that arcing experiment because i wanted to see why and how it was happening, that was the most fun part of making this video. Larry
Thanks Larry, you do an awesome job of explaining these technical issues related to RVs. No one does campsite reviews and how to video’s like your channel. Hope your enjoying your northern summer. Hot and humid here in Florida.
Hey Doug, thanks for the compliments, i appreciate it. I like doing the rv tech explainer type videos, i always wish I had more time to put into them though. Larry
Had my camper plug overheat in my surge guard due to a bad connection. The connection was loose due to age 5-6 years of use. I cleaned the plug with a piece of sand paper and bought a new surge guard. Great tip on cleaning and checking the plug. Thanks
It’s more common that people think. That’s why we thought it was weird that there wasn’t a lot on RUclips about it.
Hopefully, the video will spread and help campers avoid stress and money loss,
Alice
Thank you Alice and Dr. Larry for another fabulously produced video.👍🏼😎
Thanks Rick, we are having so much fun in PEI, it was hard to get this video out, Larry
On our last Rv-ing trip last month, my power cord end that plugs into the pedestal had the burnt melted marks on the hot side. The pedestal looked worn, 30 amp socket had crack along the top neutral side but it was not broken off. Plus the other end that connects to the camper had melted enough that it would not come off, after a lot of twisting it broke loose, I had to rebuild both ends (it was interesting that the female end the neutral side has melted marks and not the hot side) at the next stop at the campsite to use the power cord. after all that my A/C stopped working 2 days later, with the 2A slow blow mini glass fuse in the thermostat blew. after some troubleshooting, with the circuit breaker off for the A/C, from inside removing the filter access reaching up disconnecting the control box by removing the wing nuts. brought it down and open it up and the compressor relay was melted and the purple wire to the 9 pin connector that goes to the roof the insulated wire was melted smoked. I do have progressive EMS hardwired in it showed no errors. parts on order I'll have it up and running for the next trip. sorry for such a long comment.
Hey George, thanks for sharing that interesting story. Do you think the AC issue is connected to the problem you had with melted power cord? Sounds like you may have had a big surge, but the EMS should have caught that. Sounds like you have some really good electrical skills to diagnose and fix the AC issue. If there was one skill that is important to RVing, I would say electrical is it. Do you have a remote display panel for your EMS? I enjoy long comments like this sharing interesting stories. Larry
Another great info video guys. It's a keeper for the archives. Thank you! Thank you! Safe travels..
Thanks Pam, I hope it keeps you from melting. Larry
Hey, Pam. I taught with someone years ago with the same name?
Alice
Thanks for another excellent video! I love the detailed/instructional information!
Thank you for coming by again and commenting.
More people need to know this info 🤗
Alice
Excellent tips and great cutaway for demo on arcing. Thanks.
Bob, thank you. Larry wishes he put more arch b roll in there.
We just hope the word gets out and this video saves people from money loss and stress,
Alice
Great explanation and tips. This RVing is a learning experience that never ends. Now we need a adapter for cleaning.
Don, thank you.
We are learning on every trip. And we are glad we are helping other campers,
Alice
Very informative video! I've owned a Titanium fiver since 2006. Over the last several years, I've done a complete roof re-seal along with upgrading axles, suspension and converting to disc brakes, new tires, house batteries, etc. But I've ignored my AC power cable and plug, extension and adapters for years, not to mention the shore power receptacle on the garage! More work to do! Thanks for keeping me on track!
Wow. That’s quite a compliment because you obviously know what you are doing. Thank you.
You aren’t alone in ignoring this. We found very little on RUclips about it. And frankly, after two melted plugs, Larry decided to find a fix.
Glad we could help. We are always trying to make RVing better, one video at a time.
Sorry for the added work 😉
Alice
Most RV parks do not maintain their power posts.
22 yr of RVing convince me that the Hughes Power Watch Dog is essential.
Also, a Hughes Autoformer is necessary at times when you have low voltage warnings on the power watch dog.
You need both.
Thanks for that info. We will look into it.
If you know anyone that might benefit from this video, please share - it really helps the channel,
Alice
Another great video! Haven't had any burning/melting plug issues, just a cantankerous surge protector that now works perfectly. Thanks for the great info!
Paul, that’s great it hasn’t happened. It’s actually pretty common.
Your surge protector was probably doing its job. But still, we check every time before we plug in,
Alice
Nice video for everyone to watch. This would help us all with avoiding damage to pedestals. I like the idea of the ' cleaning adaptor '. I'm going to make one for my use.
Roger, thank you. Let us know how yours does.
More people need to help by having clean plugs themselves,
Alice
Excellent video Larry. Probably one of the most neglected areas of RV ownership. From my experience, I say many RV'ers are not aware of how important an electrical management system is for protecting the high voltage electrical system in their RV. I've been saved once from a bad pedestal in Rolling Hills, CA with a portable Progressive 30 amp. unit. When I purchased a new RV in 2018 with a 50 amp. system, the first thing I did was install a Progressive 50 amp. inline unit and gave my 30 amp. unit to a friend. A person is living a dangerous life without electrical protection in their RV.
I agree Robert, modern RVs have a lot more sensitive electronics than they used to, everything has a circuit board in it. I do need to do a video on surge protectors and I would love to open it up and show the power relays in action. I think it crazy that they dont come from the factory with one built in, but then the dealers wouldn’t get all the repair work, haha. Thanks for sharing your story, I hope people without an EMS read it. Larry
Hello Larry and Alice. This is some really critical, awesome info! Whew....talk about a potential day wrecker!
We haven't had the melting yet. But, in our previous travel trailer (back in the early 2000s), we had traveled from our home in NC to stay at Patrick Air Force Base campground (Cocoa Beach area) and use that as a base camp for Orlando theme parks and such. While there, we had a mega storm go through. It had blown hard enough to blow off our exhaust vent tops for the bathroom and kitchen (remedied by the infamous blue tarp!). The wind was insane; reaching the level that we were preparing to leave the trailer. Cruise ship docking areas in Port Canaveral were damaged from bucking cruise ships in port. So, the next morning, we were all outside the camper getting ready to head out to that day's activities. I went to put my german shepherd in the trailer for the day; she stepped on the first step and turned around. I had repeatedly directed her to go inside; she stepped on that step maybe one or two more times before completely ignoring me. Eventually, we recognized that she was getting shocked on the metal step. We talked to the campground about this; they eventually had an electrician come by. He assessed that our 30 amp plug was tarnished and not making a good contact in the 30amp pedestal. He used a brass brush as you did and cleaned our plug. If I remember, the knife blade plugs were also like a folded over piece of brass. So, he slightly spread those knife blades apart a bit and it stopped the shocking.
I've mentioned we just returned from warmer climates to get solar installed. At the same time, the trailer was hard wired with a hughes EMS system. We'll rarely be in a campground, but it is great to have the extra electrical protection.
Safe travels!!
Wow. We really need to listen to our dogs more.
Great there was someone to help.
We were hoping to boondock out northwest this summer - with all our batteries and solar.
We will see.
Thanks for sharing your story
Alice
Wow! I've changed many outlets and switches in my homes but apparently I didn't know enough. This was really interesting info and will remember it when on the road!
Jenna, Larry did a lot of electrical work when we had the sticks and bricks.
It’s great to have someone so handy,
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents and being handy is so important on the road 👍
Understanding how electrics work in an RV is really important to having a trouble free traveling experience. Larry
Well Larry, you are a source of information. Really great stuff here. I don't think I've seen another video on the subject. Thanks for all you research and tips. You are on your way to that workamper certification. Thanks again.
Thanks Steve, I will work camp someday, and I think I will enjoy fixing stuff in the campground like electrical. When we decide to travel less, work camping will be a great option to reduce expenses and to keep the hands busy. Larry
Thanks guys for another great informative & very important video!!🤗
Thanks, Lisa. This type of video is Larry’s happy place 😉
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Hi Alice🤗 Yes you can tell Larry definitely enjoys doing these videos, we always appreciate these, the campground reviews and we’ll seriously all your videos!!!
☺️
Thank you Larry for making and having this DIY information video. I hope it will people out to learn more about plugging into power at campgrounds. Hope you and Alice have a great Labor Day.
Sherri, it’s so common and we didn’t see much on RUclips about it.
Alice
We came across this problem at Georgia Veterans State Park. They came out and replaced the entire power unit. They thanked us for reporting it.
That’s awesome that they fixed it.
Maybe if this problem is made more known, more parks would fix this,
Alice
Thoughtfully arranged content, clearly presented. Nicely done, Larry. As you mentioned, it probably would be helpful to do a video on permanently installed surge protectors. No theft issue, digital readout of amps, voltage and - if there's a problem - diagnostic error codes. In our case, install access was a bit of a physical challenge but the effort was well worth it. Most RV parks don't seem to care about electrical box issues until a 'customer' has to become their amateur technician.
Hey Jack, I couldn’t agree more, electrical skills do come in handy RVing. When we have shore power issues, i often just fix it myself, which is why i keep an extra 30 socket handy. Which surge protector do you have. I like ours but it has a long power on delay, 128 seconds. I dont have the remote display yet, I will do a video on our Surge Guard when i Install the remote display. Larry
Great video! Nice. Tutorial and a great cutaway demonstration . I have had an issue with a 30 to 15 amp adapter plug once and will never use it again .Alway have a good surge protector and be mindful of your electrical post .
Al, thanks. Yes. Our surge protector has saved us a few times - refusing to pull power from a bad shore power post. It just happened recently when the remnants of Hurricane Ida came over us here in Canada.
Alice
On a 30-amp receptacle all ways check the Hot and Ground for voltage, by only checking the Hot and Neutral, that will not tell you if there is a reverse polarity problem, only that there is voltage on one of the lines and it could be on the Neutral leg, and that's not a good thing. Always turn off the breaker before plugging in and before removing the power cord, this will eliminate Arc flash.
Great points, i did a short video about using a GB tester for reverse wiring and at pedestal. And yes always turn the breaker off before plugging in, i forgot to mention in the video. I have come across some really bad plugs and wrongly wired boxes in our travels. Don’t put your plug in places without checking first. Larry
50 AMPS is actually 100 AMPS it is 50 AMPS per leg 2X for a total of 100 AMPS. When plugged into a 30 AMP plug with a 50 amp dog bone (100 AMPS) Your RV could pull more then 3X the power then the 30 AMP plug is made for this is why you see so many melted 30 AMP plugs. If the 30 AMP breaker is working properly it should pop when it has more then a 30 amp load for a short period of time.
Our inverter system lets us dial in exactly how much power we draw from the box, for 30 amp i usually set it to 25amps. When we need more power than that the inverter and batteries make up the difference. But yes, most RV are hooking into 30 amp and drawing too much juice and popping the breaker. I was going to go into bad breakers but I wanted to keep the video short. The 50 amp connection is pretty good with lots of contact, I think the 30 amp connection is under engineeered. Only a small part of the pins are making contact with the socket. Thanks for you awesome input. Larry
Great video!
John, thank you. It’s such a common problem with little on RUclips about it.
Please share the video with someone that might benefit - it would really help the channel and other campers 🤗
Alice
I always use dye electric when plugging into the sockets. As a matter of fact, I use dye electric on all my various outlets. Safe than sorry.
Is dieelctric safe on high power connections like this. I use it on low voltage stuff all the time especially on my boat. Thanks for the tip. Larry
make a law to change them out every couple months
There should be an indirection process - maybe a fire code?
Great video Dsmc, you always cover the details no one else does. Do you have a video on installing an "at home RV 30-50 amp" power supply? It would be great if you do.
Larry actually did replace a 50 amp power supply when we moochdocked. He filmed it, but didn’t include it in the video. He’s hesitant to release something like that to a general audience 😉
Alice
Thank you! I plug the surge guard into the pedistal. Should i put in an adapter first that is the same both sides and then the surge guard? I have a 30 amp TT at present. Do they make 30 to 30 plugs?
If you have a 30 amp rig, and a 30 amp surge guard you are good. The only 30 to 30 plugs I have seen are 30 amp extension cords. Larry
How do you replace the 30 amp socket that is badly melted?
I show how to replace both ends of the cord in a different video, ruclips.net/video/_QXtB6fTeIw/видео.html hope this help’s Larry
I turned shore power off with cicuit breaker switch outside and it burnt my female plug going into RV. Did that happen because I had air on inside RV. Should I turn everything off inside before unplugging outside?
Yes turn everything off before unplugging, inspect all plugs for damage, replace any charred or melted. Clean plug male terminals with scotch bright pad or brass wire brush. Larry
Noticed some signs of melting on the female side of my surge protecor. Went to check the prongs of my rv shore cable and it did in fact have a bit of corrosion. I tried spraying it down with deoxit but didn't improve it much. I will have to clean it up with a brush like you recommended. My question to you is, is there any danger of scraping away any protective coating on the brass prongs? Thanks
The prongs should be solid brass or copper, no risk of scrap off, there could be some cheap Amazon Chinese plated ones out there though. Larry
I have a butt load of solar and lithium, so I can't relate. I avoid full hookups.
We are also loaded with solar and lithium but some places dont have good drycamping spots, and sometimes it is nice to glamp a little, haha. Larry
When you demonstrated the arcing it seemed that the translucent adapter that you were using would light up when you demonstrated the arcing. Was this just the arc lighting up the interior of the adapter or was there some type of led in the adapter? Could one use the translucent adapter to immediately see that there was arcing and avoid problems with the RV side plug....just wondering.
The blue light is the arching, the faint orange light is the adapter led. That’s funny you noticed that, I had to rewatch the video to se it,. The adapter Led only tells you if there is power. I just put out a short on how to test it quickly, thanks for pointing that out. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thanks for the quick reply. You really got me going on this one. I am looking for a 50 to 50 amp cord to use between my coach power cord and the camp receptacle because I do not want to replace the plug on my coach cord, I would much rather just, as you stated, replace the short adapter with a new one. Also, I would be looking for adapters that have an led in them showing power because my assumption (yup I know what it means) is that if I plug in and the light blinks then, perhaps, the receptacle is bad and I should not plug in and report it to the camp management. Any thoughts?
@@rjw8316 That is actually a really good idea a 50 amp 50 amp adapter, I have never seen one but you could make one yourself using plugs you but separate on Amazon. Or use a 50 amp portable surge protector.
Like this. ruclips.net/video/4J3wTzENEVk/видео.html
Larry
Well Done! A sm amount of dielectric grease will solve most issues here...
This video is VERY well done! Accurate and great information. Great job! Best wishes, Kevin
Thank you so much. Larry works very hard on these videos.
He’s trying to get back to making these - his recent illness put us behind
@@DownsizingMakesCents I looked up the videos in your channel and will subscribe. Some interesting videos. If your black tank sensors do not work correctly, maybe I can help you with some information. Best wishes, Kevin
@@KevinCoop1 thank you. We really appreciate the support.
We don’t worry about black tank because we move every week to two weeks.
But our grey tanks are a guessing game.
Email larry@downsizingmakescents.com
Great video guys! We see pedestal problems all the time in our travels across the country. Some parks hate when you till them there electrical is bad shape.
Robert, when Larry said just ask them to replace it, I chuckled 🤭. Especially if it’s part of the Thousand Trails system.
But we did need one fixed at a state park and the maintenance guy was pretty nice about it.
For such a common problem, we were surprised there was little on RUclips about it 🤔
Alice
Excellent video! It really cool to see the cut away and the arcing. Good Presentation. We always have an extra male and female 50A plug. If you ever need to replace one, you won't want to wait 2 day for Amazon to deliver. You need it immediately!
Nick, thanks. And excellent point. Since we travel full time, we do keep extras.
But we have lithium and solar if we get stuck,
Alice