sacrificial rv 30amp to rv 30amp

[scale obsession]

Hey guys, we recently spent some time at a beautiful KOA. Had a great trip. Upon packing up, when I unplugged my surge guard surge protector, I noticed one of the prongs on the plug had apparently become hot and melted the plastic slightly. Surge guard won't replace it due to it being a pedestal issue vs a warranty issue. So I was wondering if it would be feasible to get a pigtail that I could plug into the pedestal between my surge protector, and use it as the sacrificial pig tail? That way if it happened again, it would melt the pig tail vs my expensive surge guard. I've googled a bit and haven't found much a 30 to 30 yet, so if you know of one please send the link my way. Thanks in advance!

 

[John From Detroit]

Ths is very common on 30 amps.. Usually it is the same blade too.

I've see it happen on one 50 but only one..  But it's very common on 30's

I carry a spart 30 amp plug.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Get yourself a 30A "Y" adapter. It's the only off-the-shelf 30-30 that I know of and it's overkill, but does the job ok.

https://www.amazon.com/LeisureCords-Adapter-Cord-Female-Handle/dp/B07B5KMTNV/

Whether it would melt at the pedestal end rather than the outlet end where the EMS lugs in is tougher to predict. If you run 28-30 amps through the adapter and the EMS for hours, it's gonna get hot. If the blades aren't in perfect contact or there is some dirt or oxidation present, some melting may occur.

 

[NY_Dutch]

It might be simpler to just replace the surge guard's plug and then carry a spare.

 

[ChasA]

Many times I have heard arcing from the pedestal while using the 30 amp receptacle.  I carry a can of Superlube, which is a dielectric grease. I spray it into the slots in the receptacle.  That stops the arcing.  It is perfectly harmless.  It doesn't interfere with the current flow where there is metal to metal contact, but prevents arcing across the small gaps in a worn out receptacle.

 

[donn]

Generally caused by loose or worn blades.  So many people "hot" plug their RVs in its no wonder they wear out quickly.

 

[lynnmor]

Here ya go: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000V2P2PA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I bought one of these for the same reason and it also helps me put a waste can over my autoformer.

 

[mel s]

Hey guys, we recently spent some time at a beautiful KOA. Had a great trip. Upon packing up, when I unplugged my surge guard surge protector, I noticed one of the prongs on the plug had apparently become hot and melted the plastic slightly. Surge guard won't replace it due to it being a pedestal issue vs a warranty issue. So I was wondering if it would be feasible to get a pigtail that I could plug into the pedestal between my surge protector, and use it as the sacrificial pig tail? That way if it happened again, it would melt the pig tail vs my expensive surge guard. I've googled a bit and haven't found much a 30 to 30 yet, so if you know of one please send the link my way. Thanks in advance!

scale obsession
Use one of these: https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjDufqflMzjAhVZCs0KHXxpAXkQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLeisure-Dogbone-Adapter-Electrical-Converter%2Fdp%2FB0785H8QDD&psig=AOvVaw09kg6aAKtIQkPQUuojnL3Q&ust=1564009644907262
plugged into one of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/50A-Male-To-30A-Female-8-Pigtail-RV-Camper-Motor-Home-Dog-Bone-Adapter-Cord/439787308

 

[Rene T]

You could also get a 30/50 amp adapter. If the pedestal has a 50 amp receptical, just plug into it.  They don't get used as much as the 30's.

 

[ChasA]

That's a good point Rene. That's what I used to do when I had a 30 amp rig.

 

[scale obsession]

You could also get a 30/50 amp adapter. If the pedestal has a 50 amp receptical, just plug into it.  They don't get used as much as the 30's.

genius. 

 

[lynnmor]

If it does not have a 50 amp receptacle, you are back at square one. 

 

[mel s]

scale obsession
These 2 adapters would be better than the adapters I recommend in an earlier reply....because a bad 30A campground receptacle can/will only ruin a small inexpensive adapter.

Plug one of these "30A male to 50A female adapters into the 30A campground receptacle: https://www.ganderoutdoors.com/30a-male%2F50a-female-one-piece-adapter-110184.html

Followed by one of these "50A male to 30A female adapters":
https://www.ganderoutdoors.com/50a-male%2F30a-female-one-piece-adapter-110185.html...
(OR one of these "50A male to 30A female dog bone adapters": https://www.ganderoutdoors.com/power-grip-adapter-50a-male-to-30a-female-27987.html)....  into which you plug your 30A shore power cord.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Generally caused by loose or worn blades.  So many people "hot" plug their RVs in its no wonder they wear out quickly.

What does that mean so that I can avoid doing it?

 

[HappyWanderer]

What does that mean so that I can avoid doing it?

Plugging/unplugging while under a load, causing arcing on the blades. Easily preventable by turning off circuit breaker before plugging/unplugging coach.

 

[RVMommaTo6]

Plugging/unplugging while under a load, causing arcing on the blades. Easily preventable by turning off circuit breaker before plugging/unplugging coach.

I've been camping for years and I've never heard of that ? time to go learn how to turn off the circuit breakers!

 

[spdracr39]

More connections = more resistance and more failure points. Install a built in surge protector with ems or turn off breaker when plugging or un plugging from the pedestal.That will prolong the life of your connection points. The dilectric spray is a good idea also. This issue is common on 30 amp service because most folks are running at near max amps in a continuous duty cycle. Heat builds up and the plastic gets soft. Once the plastic is soft the terminals don't push in as far and the connection resistance gets worse. Try to avoid running at over 20 amps for long periods of time. Ways to cut back are to run you Hot water heater only when you need it and at night when the a/c isn't working so hard, Turn the a/c off to use the microwave, and use your fridge on propane.

 

[lynnmor]

I've been camping for years and I've never heard of that ? time to go learn how to turn off the circuit breakers!

Neither did the 1000 previous campers that destroyed the outlet.  Yes, do turn off the breaker, but the damage is already done inside the outlet and you always have a good chance of a bad connection.  Your chances of finding an outlet that was not abused is about nil.  The OP asked about a sacrificial pigtail and I gave him a link, but the subject got sidetracked.

What I do is plug in and out multiple times in an effort to wipe the contact area of burn marks and I use the pigtail that I linked to.  Know that you cannot judge the quality of the connection by appearance, folks can destroy an outlet in short order.  I went to buy an EMS advertised on Craigslist only to find the owner had burned the contacts and caused heat and cracking of the outlet.  An EMS or surge protector will not save you from plug damage.

 

[mel s]

I've been camping for years and I've never heard of that ? time to go learn how to turn off the circuit breakers!

Happy Wanderer
The breakers in question are labeled 1,2 &3 in this pic of a 50A/30A/20A campground pedestal, (they toggle up/down for ON/OFF).
http://blog.quickrvinsurancequotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Plug-50-into-a-30-amp.jpg

 

[RVMommaTo6]

They should put "instructions" on the electric posts to prevent these problems. I would never intentionally damage someone's stuff, but I think a lot of people just don't know.