How can I know if its defective

[Trailer Trash 2]

Ok this is becomming a problem at this one park that I go to a lot, is there a member out there that can give me some helpful pointers?

It involves the 30 amp receptical on the service towers at campgrounds. I have melted three new plugs due to the common wire being loose causing arking, which causes the common Blade on the plug to get HOT and start to melt the plug.
Is there a way to check the receptical out to see if it has a loose common wire before I set up camp, it seems the only true way would be to remove the front cover of the tower and tighten all the screws, I dont think they have a meter that will show a lose wire. Im getting tired of having to move to another site.

[49merc]

I have found that at some parks the blades inside the service box plugs have been seperated enough that the prongs on our cords are loose causing arcing. My surge protector plugs have been fried more than once. There doesn't seem to be much else to do than move. Hopefully at some point park owners will replace their plugs.

[stiles watson]

Was it loose wires or was it a worn receptacle? Checking whether the plug fits tightly would signal a worn plug. But like you, I am not sure how you check the connections w/o removing the face plate and that is sometimes dangerous.

[H. John Kohl]

I saw a couple pull in and the first thing the CO-Driver did was take the portable surge protector over and plug it into the receptacle. She seemed to check the LEDs, unplugged and they set up. I am not sure that will solve your problem but it does identify the state of the polarity on the tower right up front. I will be interesting to see what other with electrical knowledge have to say.
Cheer,

[exav8tr]

I have no electrical knowledge. Make no mistake. However, I have a EMS PT50C electrical thing that I plug in before backing into spot. It tells me quality and quantity of CG Power. I have not had to move yet, but I have not stayed in a lot of older parks yet either.

[Ozz]

Heat and voltage are two things to check. (If the power pole plug is really bad, the black plastic plug in will be discolored, or or burned looking, look at it closely,)If the plug is hot under load; A/C, hot water heater, (hotter than ambient) AND the voltage is lower than with no load, these are indicators. But, unless you have benchmark numbers, it is of little value. I can check the voltage on a line under load and get two varied readings with an inexpensive meter, then check it with my true *RMS Fluke and get different readings.
No easy answer, but heat and lowered voltage are things to check.
I bought 2 simple infra-red handheld meters at Radio Shack a few years ago for toys, cheap ones, but they work rather well. I think they were under $25.00. Might be a good instrument to have. I have a good one for my commercial work I use, most of you would not need the commercial unit.
As far as instruments, my suggestion is to buy a good one, there should be no joy in purchasing a $10.00 electrical multi-meter to check on our your $60,000.00 Montana. Remember;
'The bitterness of poor quality remains, long after the sweet taste of the cheap price is gone.'
I like the digital Craftsman DC/AC clamp on meter #82062.
It can check amp draw, both AC and DC, with a hold feature on the reading, it will check your flashlight batteries, car batteries, line voltage; 120 volts, 230 volts, fuses; Ohms.
The Craftsman is Second choice to my Flukes of course, but they are more suitable for my occasional repairs for paying customers.
I'll get a picture up for anyone interested.
*True RMS
Ozz

[8.1al]

As Ozz said, if the connection inside the receptacle is getting bad the plastic around it will be burned and discolored. It wiill probably show good voltage, ground, etc, but when you put a load on it the trouble starts. If I see one like this I won't plug into it. It's just looking for trouble.

[Trailer Trash 2]

Thanks for all the great comments and advice.

Yep, thats the way I see it also Ozz, and 8.1al,
I'll just have to get on my hands and knees put on the reading glasses and look at the plug very good from now on.
I did come up with a alternate way to stop the problem without having ot move the Monty and it seems to work well as a tempory fix untill the park can send a service man over to fix it. I got this from my Bro In Law. use the 50 amp plug with the reducer to a 30 amp plug. just a FYI if in a fix, and not wanting to move the Monty.
I guess it all boils down to, is a real good look, and for the prevous user to notify the park of the problem.
I also have decided that good old duct tape over the bad plug with a note telling the new user the problem and the date it was called in for service, and another taped to the top of the box lid with marker pen so it wont wash off.

[ARJ]

Try one of these from Tripplite.




You could also hook a short extension cord to the 120v adapter and plug the tester as well a a hair dryer into it to put a load on the cg power if you still have any doubts about the pedistal power.

[ronnilu]

Don - maybe this might work for you. On a recent trip to the New England area I experienced similar problems with my 30 amp adaptor. The plug legs somewhere along the line had discolored and the plug molding was bulging & distorting from excess heat. At one park I happened to feel the plug not long after setting up and it was unusually hot. We reported the condition to the park & they sent a maintenance man out. After checking the power stand he found all the wiring & connections were correct & tight. Then he made a suggestion that has apparently solved my particular problem as we haven't had any further such incidents. He said that because of the constant plugging & unplugging by multiple users, the receptacle and perhaps even the flat bladed legs on the cord plug become somewhat worn & loose. His suggestion was to insert a thin knife blade or something similar into the edge of the bladed prongs on the 30 amp plug, thereby spreading each one of them slightly, which then provides a tighter connection when plugged in. Our fellow travel RVer is a retired electrician who said he could think of no safety issue in doing this, & it seems to have eliminated the heat problem at the hookup. For what it's worth. mike

[8.1al]

Thanks for the tip Mike, nothing worse than a melted plug

[powerstroke73]

I can think of one thing worse. Getting to the campground and finding that you have been dragging you plug for quie a few miles!!