Power Cord Connection

PaulJ2 wrote:

Yup, Wear out THEIR breaker with arcing instead of YOUR rv cord.

The last two RV parks I was at, the owners actually asked people to flip off the breaker before connecting/disconnecting their cords. The breakers they had were SWD rated (which meant they were able to be used as a switch for tens of thousands of cycles without wearing out.) Plugging/unplugging with a load would cause arcing and pitting, which meant a receptacle replacement sooner or later.

troubledwaters wrote:

Johno02 wrote:
Navy would know better. Just find a Marine and show him what you wanted to do.

You'd be hard pressed to find a Marine on a submarine, they're smarter than that.

I could tell you some stories about Marines on Submarines but then your brain would explode, or at least "they" would make it look like it did. And Marine Captains don't like being called Lieutenant:M and submariners only call the Captain, "Captain":S.

Now back to arcing, back in the day, we heard a lot of stories of some poor EM that disconnected the main motors without dropping the voltage down to zero. The resulting arc caused by opening a switch with 1500amps flowing through it is called Ball Lightning. It is very scary to witness.

salem wrote:
I hate to admit, but I guess it just never occurred to me to turn off the power at the pedestal before plugging in at the camp ground. I will definitely make that a new procedure. Thanks all.

Yup, Wear out THEIR breaker with arcing instead of YOUR rv cord.

Johno02 wrote:
Did it ever occur to turn the switch off before changing a light bulb?? There are a LOT of unnecessary regulations that are to legally protect vendors and manufacturers from those who don't understand how to take care of themselves. Did anyone ever tell you not to stick your finger into a light socket?? Or why?

Huh, I thought all kids were told TO stick your finger in a light socket? That's what my old man did.

To be fair, it was a string of christmas tree lights, the old ones in series and Dad was nearby to knock me or the string away. It did teach me a lesson. BTW, Dad was a Master Electrician and also worked for GE, besides serving as a Navy lieutenant in the Pacific during WWII. I thank him frequently for the knowledge he passed along.

Johno02 wrote:
Navy would know better. Just find a Marine and show him what you wanted to do.

You'd be hard pressed to find a Marine on a submarine, they're smarter than that.

Also of note, at a CG, the plugs can become worn. There may not be as solid of a connection, therefore more arcing until firmly pushed into the socket. I will continue to turn off the CB until my shore line is firmly planted into the socket.

salem wrote:
...it just never occurred to me to turn off the power at the pedestal before plugging in at the camp ground...

Thanks for "fessin-up" to that! RVing would be SO much better if everybody understood that arcing thing and connected/disconnected accordingly.

I don't have the engineering to back it up, but just looking at 30A and 50A plugs, it seems to me that 30A connections are more failure prone than the 50's. I also think more 30A RV's run close to max amps than the 50's do. All this means the 30A receptacles we plug into are likely to be shot! Pitted from arcing, leading to heating, leading to lost tension on the contacts. Leading to more of the same.

Met an RVer who's an electrician. He keeps a couple 30A male plugs aboard, and has installed several for fellow campers. Shout Out to You, PHIL!

With 0.1-0.2A running into the razor, I doubt that either method will make a difference. Trailer cord is another thing.

Navy would know better. Just find a Marine and show him what you wanted to do.

That was Navy, wasn't it??