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Old 10-13-2007, 04:06 PM   #1
dsprik
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Burnt 30 amp plug

I just replaced my 1/2 yr old 50 amp to 30 amp adapter because it was substantially burned on one of the prongs. I just bought a new one a few weeks ago. I rigged down today and when I pulled my plug, I was shocked to see one of the prongs showing severe burning and charring. Same prong damaged as the old one.

My two scenarios are 1. the campground that I spent the summer at has a faulty electrical box (I had both plugs plugged into this box. I switched to the other side of the box, though when my neighbor left his site. New plug was plugged into this other site's electrical - but same electric post. This is where my new adapter was damaged), or 2. (and a much worse option) something in my rig is pulling too much through this one prong, overheating it.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Burnt Prong

Again I would stress that this plug is only about 2 weeks old...
 
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Old 10-14-2007, 05:58 AM   #2
Garin1
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Dave, I would analyze the load you are pulling. Remember, when you adapt the 50 amp plug to a 30 amp plug you are merely disconnecting one side of the 50 amp plug. Both contacts of the 50 amp plug are capable of carrying the full 50 amp load so you could be inadvertently overloading the 30 amp plug. There could be other problems of course but look to this first.
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Old 10-14-2007, 06:06 AM   #3
simonsrf
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Dave,

I had the same problem. I am sure I flipped both switches off before disconnecting the power, but the park management said that I had not....and they refused to replace my adapter.

I believe that there was a problem at the pedestal, but we need an electrician to verify that the plug can get charred while connected.

Only 96 days until the Quartzsite rally.

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Old 10-14-2007, 08:58 AM   #4
dsprik
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Gary, how do I check for this possible overloading? That one plug took a tremendous hit of heat to char like that. The rest of the plug is untouched.

Robbie, was this the same prong as yours? I am really hoping that the CG pedestal is at fault. I would hate to have to an electrical gremlin in my coach. They can be a nightmare to find.

*On Edit~ Gary, I have had multiple trips on my pedestal over the summer months - couple times a week. We have had a Ariston stackable installed in May. When we (Cheryl) forgot that she can't run the main A/C, microwave, and both the washer AND dryer at the same time on 30 amp, the breaker will blow. Will this burning occur if running on the verge of tripping the breaker?
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Old 10-14-2007, 09:58 AM   #5
ols1932
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by dsprik

I just replaced my 1/2 yr old 50 amp to 30 amp adapter because it was substantially burned on one of the prongs. I just bought a new one a few weeks ago. I rigged down today and when I pulled my plug, I was shocked to see one of the prongs showing severe burning and charring. Same prong damaged as the old one.

My two scenarios are 1. the campground that I spent the summer at has a faulty electrical box (I had both plugs plugged into this box. I switched to the other side of the box, though when my neighbor left his site. New plug was plugged into this other site's electrical - but same electric post. This is where my new adapter was damaged), or 2. (and a much worse option) something in my rig is pulling too much through this one prong, overheating it.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.

Burnt Prong

Again I would stress that this plug is only about 2 weeks old...
Dave,
This type of thing is not from drawing too much current because you are limited in the amount you can draw. What causes it primarily is that the prongs are loose in the receptacle and/or the campground power pedestal plug is faulty. Our years of experience have shown that you have to keep the male plug clean and set the prongs so they are tight. By that I mean keep any corrosion off the prongs and spread them so that they are tight in the cg power pedestal. What happens is that when the prongs are the least bit loose there tends to be minimal arcing as the current is drawn. This causes heat to be generated and subsequently the plug gets charred and burned. I've replaced several male and female plugs on my cables until I learned what was causing the problem. Have one more cable to repair. Some of the older male plugs have prongs that are folded metal and you can spread them individually by inserting a screwdriver (or knife) in the fold and opening up the prong a little. This causes the prongs to fit tighter in the receptacle. I'm sure you'll get more information from our MOC forum electrical experts, but I'm just sharing my experiences.

Orv
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Old 10-14-2007, 09:58 AM   #6
Dustytuu
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Dave my husband said the campground pedestal plug-in is not clamping down tightly enough creating heat in the connection. That is his guess. Without being there to check it.
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Old 10-14-2007, 10:52 AM   #7
mobrownies
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I'm a little confused. The picture looks like a standard 30A male plug. Is that the end of the cable connected to your trailer or is it the end that plugs into the campground pedistal? IF it is the latter and your trailer cable is a 50 amp cable, then the problem is a loose campground plug as previously noted. The 30A breaker in the campground pedistal should protect the cable from an overload if it is working properly.
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Old 10-14-2007, 02:47 PM   #8
IL. Camper
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just to add to the burnt plug . i also had the same plug burnt at goshen fairgrounds this last sept. i am sure that i was plug into the 30 amp. service. i had used this hook up at serval campgrounds and had no trouble. darrell
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Old 10-14-2007, 02:48 PM   #9
IL. Camper
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just to add to the burnt plug . i also had the same plug burnt at goshen fairgrounds this last sept. i am sure that i was plug into the 30 amp. service. i had used this hook up at serval campgrounds and had no trouble. darrell
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Old 10-14-2007, 03:22 PM   #10
simonsrf
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Orv,

You make perfect sense; I'll spread the prongs.
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Old 10-14-2007, 03:44 PM   #11
dsprik
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Thanks, Orv and everyone else. I feel better. I agree it has to be a bad connection. Really fried that plastic around that prong...

Robbie, if the receptacle is at fault, it may not be something that spreading the prongs will fix. Should probably call the CG mgr and have the receptacle replaced with a brand new one. The next person at that site will have the same problem...
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Old 10-14-2007, 05:19 PM   #12
ols1932
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by dsprik

Thanks, Orv and everyone else. I feel better. I agree it has to be a bad connection. Really fried that plastic around that prong...

Robbie, if the receptacle is at fault, it may not be something that spreading the prongs will fix. Should probably call the CG mgr and have the receptacle replaced with a brand new one. The next person at that site will have the same problem...
Dave,
You are correct. Unfortunately too many RVers just disregard the faulty plug and never tell the CG managers thus causing the next RVer to have the same type of problem you encountered, then the next...the next, etc.

Orv
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Old 10-14-2007, 05:41 PM   #13
Driftwoodgal
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Just my two cents with working with blow dryers in in dog grooming business. If I didn't have my dryer plug flush into the the electrical outlet it would cause the plug and the outlet both to heat up causing melting in the wall socket and also the plastic on the plug into the outlet. Because the dryer would be moved so often, causing the wire to be pulled away from the electrical outlet, I finally had a device installed to lock it in place. I am very alert to makeing sure that the RV cord is flush to the campground hookup.

Not sure if this was your problem Dave, but I even had the guy that installed my electric cooktop years ago caution me to make sure that I spread the prongs on the cooktop elements when I put them back in when I cleaned the stove.
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Old 10-15-2007, 01:13 AM   #14
dsprik
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Thanks, Orv. I am calling the CG mgr today - we have left for the summer now - and let him know about that outlet on that site.

Driftwoodgal, I do usually watch for this. Don't think it would have made any difference, though in this case. It still would have arced, I believe. Just a really bad outlet. That also would explain some of the other minor "ghosts" in our electrical this summer...
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Old 10-15-2007, 01:44 AM   #15
Lambchop
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Another problem is that you tell the manager & they don't do anything about it. You go back to the park two months later, and the outlet is still the same!

lambchop
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Old 10-15-2007, 01:54 AM   #16
dsprik
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I have an unusual situation in that my daughter's husband works for the city where this park is located. Guess who works on the park's electrical...

I'll know whether or not this one gets fixed...
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Old 10-15-2007, 05:05 AM   #17
Lambchop
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Just another note: I have had to replace the male end on my 30 AMP cord with one I purchased from Camping World. The terminals are so much bigger, that I have to push the plug into the outlet much harder...A good thing!

Lambchop
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Old 10-15-2007, 06:01 AM   #18
VanMan
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I had to replace my male plug about a couple of years ago (similar meltdown). This thread reminded me that I had a hard time finding one where we were - might be a good item to have in our stash of "emergency parts". I thing you can get them at Home Depot, Lowes, and such now.
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Old 10-15-2007, 07:28 AM   #19
ols1932
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Camping World carries the best kind. I've purchased some at the major hardware stores but they seem to be a lot more flimsy.

Orv
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