westernrvparkowner wrote:
The fact is breaker failure is rare. There isn't an easy way for a park to test a breaker and no park can go and replace each and every breaker that trips, no questions asked.
As an EE, I agree with this. However, pedestal breakers in theory would be expected to fail sooner compared to those used indoors. Pedestal breakers are subjected to temp. & humidity extremes that don't happen indoors. Molded case circuit breakers are tested for thousands of mechanical operating cycles in order to get CSA certification. They aren't designed for switching duty but should be able to withstand on/off switching for some time. Pedestal breakers should be turned off before plugging in but most don't. The circuit breakers aren't designed to handle the inrush current caused by the converter/charger and I would expect to find pitting on the contacts if taken apart. I've seen some newer pedestals with a sticker telling you to turn the breaker off first. I have not seen any studies or discussions anywhere on this tho.
The biggest problem with pedestals by far is the abuse that the receptacles get. A recept. in rough shape can cause overheating and a bad ground connection, both of which can be unsafe. Another common problem is voltage drop which can be due to the CG's electrical system and/or bad connections at the pedestal. AC units draw more current as voltage goes down which in turn increases the amount of voltage drop and then a pedestal breaker can eventually trip. Usually it's the "tired" pedestal breaker that trips, not the one inside an RV. Using a 50-30 amp adapter and then a 30-20 amp adapter is just increasing the chance of a bad connection and problems.
The NEC only requires an RV park to have a min. of 20 percent 50 amp pedestals and older code editions required a lot less, and far enough back, none. Older CGs/RV parks had panelboards spread around the property with pedestals wired in a radial fashion and these have more voltage drop. Nowadays, CG pedestals are usually loop feed from one to the next and there is less voltage drop. All too often, RV-ers claim a CG owner "cheaped out" on the wiring, but in actuality, it was built to min. code requirements. The NEC is still woefully behind in all the 50 amp RVs that are being sold these days. If you want better CG electrical, go to a newer one or high end one.
RV dealers and manufacturers love to sell you a 50 amp RV because they make more money... But they never tell you how to properly use it or that 50 amp pedestals can be far and few between. I've seen a ton of 50 amp RVs plugged in with an adapter, and sometimes also an extension cord
This is absolutely the worst pedestal I have seen and there were over 200 more just like it. There's no excuse for an owner not to repair or upgrade them.
