30 AMP Park Outlet, Not working properly

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phil-t

phil-t

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 10, 2017
Posts
1,836
Location
Ogdensburg, NY
I thought I knew how to test an outlet (no matter the amp rating) but this one puzzled me.  A 30 AMP pedastal, I tested it with my multimeter b4 connecting - tested OK (on the voltage and polarity).  Plugged in, my ATS switched, like normal, in 20-30 seconds and 120 volt things were on and off several times, then on steady for 4 hours, then OFF.  Multimeter showed voltage good at pedastal and input on ATS, but the ATS would not switch on to shore power.  I complained to the CG owner and we moved my cable next door to an unused pedasal.  Everything has been fine for 2 days straight.
Just puzzling to me -
Any comments are welcome.  Looking for better way to test park power outlets.
 
You can't test an abused outlet with a meter.  Since all outlets are abused by folks plugging in and out under load, the contact surface is compromised and the only test is try it and see.  I plug in and out multiple times in an effort to wipe some of the burn from the contact area.
 
Polarity, voltage from hot to ground, voltage from hot to neutral and voltage from neutral to ground. Those are the only quick checks with a voltmeter. Load testing is pretty much plugging it in to see what it does. You could install a permanent meter in the coach on the pedistal side of things. That is something I have considered. That would possibly give you some idea of the electrical event taking place.

Generally anytime you find a pedistal acting funny, move on to another. I have seen quite a bit of stuff with pedistals. Most camp grounds use the "set it and forget it" mentality leaving the user as the only defense. You did the right thing by moving to another pedistal. Make sure they fix it for the next camper who may not be looking at things as you did.
 
Sounds like an internally damaged outlet, either poor contacts or loose/broken wire connections.


The only potentially mysterious part is this statement:
Multimeter showed voltage good at pedastal and input on ATS, but the ATS would not switch on to shore power.
Click to expand...
If the voltage is good at the ATS and the polarity correct, it should have switched.  Maybe your test technique isn't perfect?
 
Gary RV_Wizard said:
Sounds like an internally damaged outlet, either poor contacts or loose/broken wire connections.
Maybe your test technique isn't perfect?
Click to expand...

Maybe.  :)

Did all the previous.  Campground owner was here and took pedastal box cover off and checked connections.  Told him I would suspect the outlet, a relatively cheap trouble shooting item to replace.
 
Isaac-1 said:
It might also be an ATS that is going bad
Click to expand...
Also suspect.  But, moving to a different pedastal, it has been solid.  I switched between genny and shore power several times with no failures of the ATS.

Figures - problems less than 1k miles out on our 8k mile adventure.  ;)  Normal.
 
Have you checked for loose / over heated connection wires in the transfer switch, something that should be checked on all RV's periodically due to vibration going down the road.  (it is also good to check the breaker box wiring connections for the same reason)
 
Isaac, one of the first things I did.  Everything was good.  Getting the park owner to open the pedastal and check connections there was my last step.  Thanks.
 
I would also recommend that you check the wire connections in the plug at the end of your power cord. I agree with the others that the problem seems like it's being caused by a bad (intermittent) connection. It could be in the power pedestal, the power cord plug or the ATS.

If you've got a 50 amp power cord plug with a loose neutral wire, and you're dog-boned down for 30 amp service, the only problem you'd probably have are intermittent power outages as the loose wire makes and breaks contact. If you plug into 50 amp service with a loose neutral wire, and then you turn on high consumption appliances (AC, microwave etc) You could have major electrical problems. (Trust me)

Kev
 
I agree with all that.  My 50A cord has a molded end and the blades look good.  I am using a dog adapter, that too, is a molded unit with good looking blades and such. 
I am having a hard time blaming anything but the CG pedastal  and outlet; since I am connected next door, now for more than 24 hours, without issue.
Anyways, I like all the comments and ideas - sharpens the troubleshooting skills, for sure.
CG owner is coming back today with a new 30A receptacle to install.  I'll have a look at his distribution panel at that time, as well.
Just have a habit of helping as much as I can.
 
Ok common issues with outlets.
1: Some 30 amp plugs are too short. Ran into this with a neighbor last march. loaned them a dogbone that worked till they got one of their own the next day.

2: Mis-wired (See 3's comment)

3: Wire not well connected.  (if you have a Energy Monitor type Surge Guard it may object if say the ground is lost)

4: Low voltage. again the EMS will shut you down.
 
Thanks for the follow-up.  Good to know that are guesswork was on the right track. Surprising, though, that a loose ground would cause the ATS to not switch, or to lose power in the coach.  Unless you have a Progressive or Surge Guard power monitor.
 
If ATS is also a surge guard of the EMS type (And I believe they make one) then a open ground could do it.  Which is why I included the poor connection in my list of suspects.

That and I've seen it before about 200 yards from where I'm parked.
 
It's a Parallax Power ATS 501.  Who knows what else be inadequate in this park? Electric is pretty old.  They have the 50A receptacles taped over because they are wired with a shared hot and the 30 is jumpered from that
 
Something else is wrong in the campground wiring, cause loss of the ground would have zero effect on the ATS 501. It could care less!  I'm afraid that ground is also serving as the neutral for the site.  Other sites may be the same.  That's makes the system less safe than it could be, but it should function OK.
 
My suspicion.  I'll be leaving in the AM.
Learned something, all is good.  Thanks for the comments.
 
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