Best 30 Amp Male Shore Tie Plug?

God I love Hubbell.

After correctly tinning the prongs, Don, the plug gains slightly more physical resistance slipping in and out of new and used receptacles. Application of DeOxit D100 to tinned prongs really reduces full load heat. I have seen this turn a junk receptacle into an acceptable setup for a one-night stand.

If the industry would adapt industrial twist lock plugs and receptacles, all of the problems would disappear. But no. Stupid, is the keystone...

myredracer wrote:
The 80 percent rule is only applies to hardwired loads in buildings and doesn't apply to plug-in/portable loads.

Plug-in electric vehicle supply equipment all conforms to the 80 percent rule.

While the rule does not apply to RVs, I still recommend fridge and water heat on propane if running the A/C or a space heater near continuous. Partially because I don't trust these flimsy RV electric systems.

If mine burns up I plan to use the PI replacement plug.
I wish Hubbell would make an industrial TT-30P

Hi Mex,

I think the tinning works because it renews the surface and therefore offers lower resistance. How I wish I had kept one soldering iron.

Engineering wise...
Durability is in the socket not in the plug.

I know you don't want to hear this but it's a fact. Loose, annealed prongs and wipers in the socket receptacle cause a loose fit and the "finest quality" plug will be helpless against it.

This is what I did - which seems to help more than all the other jury-rigging attempts I have ever done...

Clean off the brass prongs on the plug - new or old.

Get electronics solder 60/40 or better yet 63/37
A good minimum 60 watt soldering iron.
A jar of paste flux from Home Despot

Using care to not damage the plug body, tin all the brass connectors sticking out the plug. Tin them not overlay them with thick globs of solder. When in doubt, strike the fresh hot solder to knock excess solder loose.

I am not exactly sure why this fix works so well. The added thickness the solder makes surely must not be enough to make the fit that much tighter.

But, oh well, it works and maybe that's the whole point.

CA Traveler wrote:
Plus 80 percent or 24A is the maximum recommended sustained power use - ie restrict A/Cs etc. Are you over that limit? When did you last clean the blades on your plug?

50A plugs are usually in better condition and the wiring is heavier. A 50/30 adapter is a option, get the pig tail type. Very slight risk associated with plugging a 30A rig into a 50A pedestal.

The 80 percent rule is only applies to hardwired loads in buildings and doesn't apply to plug-in/portable loads. A 30 amp breaker and recept. is designed and approved for continuous operation at it's full rating and the NEC provides for 30 amp pedestals operating continuously at it's full 3600 watt capacity.

There are several causes of overheating plug/pedestal connections. First is pedestals get a lot of physical abuse and contact pressure can be low (esp. the 30 amp ones), they are sometimes in environments with high humidity and large temp. extremes and many RV-ers don't turn the power off before plugging in. You simply can't tell what a 30 amp receptacle is like inside - even when they look like new from the outside.

Second is that many RV-ers do not turn the pedestal power off before plugging into a pedestal. Not doing this results in pitting on the plug's blades which in turn attracts dirt and leads to resistance and overheating. The capacitors in a converter have an inrush current that causes the pitting. (You can hear a zap and see a flash in the dark.) A cord's owner should keep an eye on the condition of the 30 amp plug and clean the surfaces as needed.

Third is that low voltage will cause an increase in current if running an AC unit(s) and thus also be a factor in overheating at the pedestal connection.

Some pedestals are in frightful condition and you really shouldn't be using them but you may not have an option of moving to another site or CG. The photo below is a pedestal on the Washington coast that we had no choice in using and I had to use a stick to prop up the plug so it wouldn't fall out of the recept. There is no better quality or type of 30 amp plug that will provide a better connection with a bad pedestal recept. We carry a Camco 30 amp to 30 amp pigtail adapter in case we have to plug into a bad pedestal so that if it does go up in smoke, only the adapter will get damaged.

Using an adapter on a shore power cord, a portable EMS unit or autoformer can introduce another potential source of a poor connection and again have the same issues of pitting of plug blades and inside the cord connector.

CA Traveler,

I've had 30 amp Cameco female outlets burn when on 15 amp shore power.

Plus 80 percent or 24A is the maximum recommended sustained power use - ie restrict A/Cs etc. Are you over that limit? When did you last clean the blades on your plug?

50A plugs are usually in better condition and the wiring is heavier. A 50/30 adapter is a option, get the pig tail type. Very slight risk associated with plugging a 30A rig into a 50A pedestal.

No- I don't much care for the Camco plugs- IIRC, they just have screws to hold the wire, not captive. The Conntek looks good, would probably fit in smaller cable hatches better than the Progressive. I do like the the Progressive in made in the USA.

I put them together, then I spray the inside with wax based battery terminal spray- it stops corrosion dead.

Hi,

I find the Cameco "mini" Male plugs ok.

The females are, however, terrible. I had one 30 amp female Cameco burn up when only loaded to 15 amps. I've had 3 failures of Cameco female outlets.

For female outlets I'm using progressive.

I'm treating outlets with deoxit which seems to help.

I do use my Magnum inverter/charger to limit shore power demand.

Hubble makes premium connectors--but I do know they can fail, too.

The biggest problem is low voltage.

Thanks both of you! I'm not worried about water resistance. It's either under a cover on a CG pedestal, or the prongs and receptacle are going to get wet in the rain anyway.

Both plugs remind me of what was on our first coach. It got hot one day and I opened it up, tightened the screws, and it was much better. When I got home, I re-did the job, adding those cupped washers that hold the wiring in place on water heater timers, and stainless screws. It was good (no, great!) thereafter.

Chris, I thought it was one of the CAMCO plugs that you recommended awhile ago. If this PI plug is the one you like, that explains why I couldn't find it in CAMCO.

Chasing your leads on Amazon, I found This Conntek TT-30R that looks pretty good, and the reviews indicate that it CLAMPS the wiring.