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Old 01-14-2018, 01:54 PM   #1
CrazyCain
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Melt

I looked through other threads and found some answers, but no pictures and not as severe as the one i read......
Went to the CG this past weekend and went to plug in my 30A surge protector and noticed what the picture shows. Needles to say, i didn't use it. I did not notice this when i unplugged it last time i used it. I wonder if this was caused by a loose connection to the box as there is corrosion on the prong and it was plugged in for 10 days between the Holidays. I checked my trailer plug and it was fine and looked at the outlet on the shore power pole and that looked fine. Also i made sure the trailer plug was nice,flush and secure this time in the shore power pole....Maybe since it was a possible loose connection and i know there was snow/slop during that time, it got wet even with the box cover over it???Won't use that again..Oh and it is a Camco power defender 30A, let the yelling begin for buying that in the first place.. LOLOL

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Old 01-14-2018, 02:38 PM   #2
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Loose contacts on the CG power pole can cause arcing, but most times I find that it's caused by not turning off the power pole circuit breaker before plugging your power cord into the CG power connector. With the CG circuit breaker ON, when you plug in, as soon as the contacts on your plug touch the contacts in the power pole, they draw the entire electrical demand of the trailer though that "barely touching surface". That causes a spark that melts a part of the pins on your plug and the contact wipers in the power pole. Then, next time someone plugs in, there's a bit less surface to carry the load (from previous arcing) and over the years, the burned contacts get worse and worse.

ALWAYS turn the CG power pole circuit breakers off before plugging into it and then turn them on. Do the same when disconnecting.

I always use a 30amp/50amp adapter on the end of my 30 amp power cable. It keeps the pins on my power cable clean and not in contact with a possible bad connector in the power pole and it "upgrades" my connection to the 50 amp plug (on the power pole) which typically is in better shape than the 30 amp plug. Using the adapter makes it the "sacrificial plug" rather than the end of my 30 amp power cable being the "sacrificial plug".....

While there is a possibility that the campground connector is bad and not making good contact and by you leaving it connected for 2 weeks may have been enough time for the load being carried to damage the pins on your plug. You've been there, maybe even in the same site using the same plug for a while. If there was a problem with the campground plug, you'd probably have noticed it before now......

My guess is that you haven't been turning the CG pole circuit breakers off before plugging in ??????

At this point, I'd get a MARINCO short cable end and replace what's there and start using a 30/50 amp adapter.
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Old 01-14-2018, 02:53 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by JRTJH View Post
Loose contacts on the CG power pole can cause arcing, but most times I find that it's caused by not turning off the power pole circuit breaker before plugging your power cord into the CG power connector. With the CG circuit breaker ON, when you plug in, as soon as the contacts on your plug touch the contacts in the power pole, they draw the entire electrical demand of the trailer though that "barely touching surface". That causes a spark that melts a part of the pins on your plug and the contact wipers in the power pole. Then, next time someone plugs in, there's a bit less surface to carry the load (from previous arcing) and over the years, the burned contacts get worse and worse.

ALWAYS turn the CG power pole circuit breakers off before plugging into it and then turn them on, hence they are off when i plug in next time Do the same when disconnecting.

I always use a 30amp/50amp adapter on the end of my 30 amp power cable. It keeps the pins on my power cable clean and not in contact with a possible bad connector in the power pole and it "upgrades" my connection to the 50 amp plug (on the power pole) which typically is in better shape than the 30 amp plug. Using the adapter makes it the "sacrificial plug" rather than the end of my 30 amp power cable being the "sacrificial plug".....

While there is a possibility that the campground connector is bad and not making good contact and by you leaving it connected for 2 weeks may have been enough time for the load being carried to damage the pins on your plug. You've been there, maybe even in the same site using the same plug for a while. If there was a problem with the campground plug, you'd probably have noticed it before now......

My guess is that you haven't been turning the CG pole circuit breakers off before plugging in ??????

At this point, I'd get a MARINCO short cable end and replace what's there and start using a 30/50 amp adapter.
AH, but i have been turning off the breaker everytime I connect and disconnect. We are on a new site this year. Thinking more about plugging in tat Christmas time, i recall having a harder time keeping the plug flush and MAY have had to push it in more after i had turned the power on. Also , it is plugged in now and the trailer plug is flush and tight. What is this Marinco short cable thing your talking about and a 30/50 amp adapter??
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Old 01-14-2018, 02:53 PM   #4
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Also, is the surge protector junk now???
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Old 01-14-2018, 03:26 PM   #5
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I think what John is talking about is a “dog bone” adapter. 50A male on one end and 30A female for your trailer.

Just inspect the contacts on your surge protector, if they are not corroded or burnt your good. Another reason for a hard wired surge protector.
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Old 01-14-2018, 04:14 PM   #6
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I lied

It's not Marinco that makes the "short 30 amp plug" It's CAMCO. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55283-R...A3Y0JZ22JCBAPS

The marinco plug is too long to fit in the "mousehole hatch". The door won't close for travel. Camco's plug is shorter and will fit. There are others on the market, so just make sure whatever you buy will fit in the mousehole.

And Chuck is correct, It's a 50/30 amp dogbone adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Marinco-5030A...co+30+amp+plug

I was not aware you're using a surge protector. So, if it's plugged into the CG power pole and your power cable is plugged into the surge protector, it is probably the contacts inside the surge protector that are bad. If it's a Progressive unit, they have a lifetime warranty, if it's another brand, check your receipt. Burned contacts should be a warranty item.
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Old 01-14-2018, 04:55 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
I think what John is talking about is a “dog bone” adapter. 50A male on one end and 30A female for your trailer.

Just inspect the contacts on your surge protector, if they are not corroded or burnt your good. Another reason for a hard wired surge protector.




Your the winner Chuck, i was waiting for the first response of using a hard wired surge protector. As the picture shows, only slight melt on the plastic and just some greenish blah on the contact.. Will look into that and how to hook them up. Can't be to hard eh!
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Old 01-14-2018, 04:56 PM   #8
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I lied

It's not Marinco that makes the "short 30 amp plug" It's CAMCO. https://www.amazon.com/Camco-55283-R...A3Y0JZ22JCBAPS

The marinco plug is too long to fit in the "mousehole hatch". The door won't close for travel. Camco's plug is shorter and will fit. There are others on the market, so just make sure whatever you buy will fit in the mousehole.

And Chuck is correct, It's a 50/30 amp dogbone adapter: https://www.amazon.com/Marinco-5030A...co+30+amp+plug

I was not aware you're using a surge protector. So, if it's plugged into the CG power pole and your power cable is plugged into the surge protector, it is probably the contacts inside the surge protector that are bad. If it's a Progressive unit, they have a lifetime warranty, if it's another brand, check your receipt. Burned contacts should be a warranty item.
MAkes sense about 50/30 amp adaptor, but i don't believe my site has 50 amp service...
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Old 01-14-2018, 09:11 PM   #9
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I had the same thing happen to a 30 amp end on a 30 to 50 dogbone. The problem with 30 amp plugs and sockets is, you only have the one hotleg, and most likely many 30 amp circuits in campgrounds are pretty well loaded, so you have minimal voltage which increases the amperage drawn through that one blade, so there is quite a bit of heat from the load, which not only melts the plastic of the housing but it also can cause corrosion at the actual wire to blade connection inside the plug housing. It's best to try to keep the load down as much as possible when connected to 30 amp outlets, and if you do replace the plug for whatever reason, get back into it occasionally to tighten the connections.
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Old 01-14-2018, 09:16 PM   #10
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Whenever I have to use a 50A to 30A adapter I am always amazed at how terrible the 30A plugs are. The 50A are apparently far less used and at some places the 30A receptacles can't even hold the 30A plug in worth a flip. They are so loose that yes, there is arcing and extra resistance added simply due to the poor quality of the connection.
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Old 01-15-2018, 08:47 AM   #11
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What Danny describes has also been my observation at many campgrounds. That's why I just bypass the 30 amp plugin on the campground post and use a 30/50 amp dogbone. It not only protects my equipment from the loose 30 amp connectors, it also gets me off the overloaded, low voltage side of the common line being used by all the other 30 amp users plugged into the same circuit.

The 50 amp leads are bigger, usually not as much use (load) so less voltage drop and tighter connectors in the campground post.
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Old 01-15-2018, 12:04 PM   #12
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This post begs the question. What type of rv surge protector should we be using?
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Old 01-15-2018, 02:49 PM   #13
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Thinking i will pay more attention to the 50amp if it is available..
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Old 01-15-2018, 08:17 PM   #14
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This post begs the question. What type of rv surge protector should we be using?
I used to use a Progressive Industries SSP-50X plug in surge protector, but after losing two Dish boxes, I upgraded to a Progressive EMS-HW50C hardwired electrical management system. There are other brands of both the portable plug in type as well as the hardwired units. You just have to decide how much you want to risk losing compared to how much you want to spend to prevent loss due to electrical issues.
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Old 01-22-2018, 05:42 PM   #15
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SO i noticed a slight melt on my power cord connector pin ( same pin as on the surge protector) also. Nothing major, but still. Now is that bad news>>/?

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Old 01-22-2018, 06:30 PM   #16
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SO i noticed a slight melt on my power cord connector pin ( same pin as on the surge protector) also. Nothing major, but still. Now is that bad news>>/?

A lot more info is required. If you are melting anything on any electrical connection you have an issue. Where are you? What is the connection? Did it just start on this trip? Is the plug/receptacle new/tight? What are you running inside and what kind of amps are you pulling? Again, melting is a big red flag.
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Old 01-22-2018, 06:39 PM   #17
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A lot more info is required. If you are melting anything on any electrical connection you have an issue. Where are you? What is the connection? Did it just start on this trip? Is the plug/receptacle new/tight? What are you running inside and what kind of amps are you pulling? Again, melting is a big red flag.

Danny, I explained alot at the beginning of the thread, but did not say what i was running. Just noticed this all last weekend. I do run 2 1500W electric heaters in the trailer at the same time. I also use the microwave a few times and toaster, but i turn off one of the heaters when i do. This past weekend i was plug straight into the shore power pole, contact seemed snug, and last time the surge protector was plugged in and the cord into that. Hope that helps..

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Old 01-22-2018, 07:39 PM   #18
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When the voltage drops, if the watt usage remains the same, the amperage goes up. Amperage is what produces heat and burns/melts pins and insulation around the pins. You'll never notice a change on the plugs unless you're close to capacity (in your case, close to 3600 watt draw). If the voltage in the campground goes down, like from a lot of people using it or from the power company having a "brown-out", if you're running close to capacity (near 3600 watts) as the voltage goes down, the amperage will increase to meet the need.

Typically, 3600 watts at 120 VAC is 30 amps. 3600 watts at 110 VAC is 32.72 amps and normally won't cause a problem, but might cause more heat at the pin connections in the shore power cord. The "hot lead" is the one that will typically get hottest, so you'll see burned/melted insulation and discoloration on the pin connected to the black wire.

Now, if the voltage drops to 100 VAC, if you're drawing 3600 watts, your amperage will be 36 amps. That normally would trip the circuit breaker in the trailer or on the campground post, but with a double breaker system, it will carry the load for a while (a minute or two) before it trips. If the campground voltage drops for a few minutes, off and on through the night, or if your two heaters are on high (3000 watts) and the converter kicks on to recharge the battery ( roughly 1200 watts), you can see how even "average 115 VAC (which is 31.3 amps) can cause a "maximum load" on the plug and not trip the circuit breaker. That's probably where your browned insulation and discolored pin are being caused......

You might consider a 25' 12 ga extension cord and plug one of the heaters into it. That would reduce your maximum amperage draw on the trailer shore power plug significantly and probably eliminate any problems in the future.

Will you burn down your trailer? Probably there's no danger at all since the plug is outside and the circuit breaker in the trailer will trip long before you get a "brown-out amperage load" high enough to melt the insulation and cause anything other than discolored yellow plastic..... But, it's probably best to just eliminate the problem completely if possible... A secondary extension cord would do that.....
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Old 01-22-2018, 07:41 PM   #19
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Danny, I explained alot at the beginning of the thread, but did not say what i was running. Just noticed this all last weekend. I do run 2 1500W electric heaters in the trailer at the same time. I also use the microwave a few times and toaster, but i turn off one of the heaters when i do. This past weekend i was plug straight into the shore power pole, contact seemed snug, and last time the surge protector was plugged in and the cord into that. Hope that helps..

I read the initial post. I'm just trying to figure out what is drawing the current. The melting is caused by that. Maybe 2 1500 watt heaters is more than the plug can handle....not top of the line? You are pulling/using more amps than your components can handle. Loose connections, dirty plugs, etc. etc. will cause a lot of resistance which then causes what you are experiencing. It should be an easy fix. Dig into all connections, what you are using, amps pulled etc. If you have an EMS, as you should, it will tell you what you are pulling. You can dig in from there...good luck.
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Old 01-23-2018, 02:01 AM   #20
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All great advice. Will start digging into it next time i am up there.....oh and i took the battery out for winter storage, if that makes any difference.. No slides btw.....

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