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Old 11-04-2019, 05:02 AM   #1
comfun1
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Power cord problem

Does anyone else have trouble cramming the power cord back into the hole in their trailer. It didn't seem to be as much trouble in the summer when it's hot but yesterday we were packing up to leave the campground and we had to pull the cord back out three or four times before we were able to get it all the way in. I was about ready to tie it to the back bumper with duct tape for the trip home.
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Old 11-04-2019, 05:13 AM   #2
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Well you could replace your 30 amp (assumption as most 50 amps detach), with SOOW cable just like us with 50 amp cables. The insulation is rubber rather then plastic based and coils much easier.
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Old 11-04-2019, 05:29 AM   #3
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I'd guess wherever you were it was a lot colder than it was "this summer". The shore power line will get stiffer the colder it gets. I'd also guess that after several attempts at shoving the cable in the mouse hole it began to warm up a little and flex a little more.

Solution? If you rarely camp in the colder Temps then take your time putting the cable in. When you start feeling heavy distance stop and go do something else for 10 min while the cable can warm a bit inside and bend easier. Repeat until finished.
If it's super annoying or you regularly camp in colder Temps then you could replace the cable as mentioned above or change it over to a twist lock connector. Personally I never liked the "mouse hole" storage as it does provide an opening for mice and bugs to enter with a "handy ramp" for them to walk up when the cable is out.
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Old 11-04-2019, 05:37 AM   #4
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So what gauge wire is used on RV power cords? I looked at several sites that sell the SOOW wire but not sure what size the power cord is. It is a 30 amp cord. Do the 50amp people have a larger gauge wire?
Just wondering.
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Old 11-04-2019, 05:57 AM   #5
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Typical 30 amp RV power cables have three conductors, all 10 gauge copper allow.

Typical 50 amp RV power cables have 4 conductors, three are 6 gauge copper alloy (L1, L2 and Neutral) with a 8 gauge "common ground" that's also copper alloy.
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Old 11-04-2019, 07:14 AM   #6
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I'm thinking my cheapest and easiest solution will be to cut the length of my present cord to about ten feet and then buy an extension cord. It is not to hard to get the first part of the cord into the mouse hole, it is the second half that gets difficult.
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Old 11-04-2019, 08:01 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by comfun1 View Post
I'm thinking my cheapest and easiest solution will be to cut the length of my present cord to about ten feet and then buy an extension cord. It is not to hard to get the first part of the cord into the mouse hole, it is the second half that gets difficult.
May be more economical to just buy both the male and female 30 Amp plugs.
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Old 11-04-2019, 08:57 AM   #8
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You may want to consider a detachable power cord conversion kit. This would eliminate the hole in your trailer and you would no longer struggle to get the cord in and out.

I used the 30 amp park power conversion kit from Marinco

https://www.amazon.com/ParkPower-Mar.../dp/B000NUYZQC
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Old 11-04-2019, 09:27 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Logan X View Post
You may want to consider a detachable power cord conversion kit. This would eliminate the hole in your trailer and you would no longer struggle to get the cord in and out.

I used the 30 amp park power conversion kit from Marinco

https://www.amazon.com/ParkPower-Mar.../dp/B000NUYZQC
This would be my first modification on any rv with the mouse hole type cord. This way you can roll up the cord warm or cold, bigger coil if cold, & store about anywhere you chose, not to mention gain some storage inside where the cord use to wad up.
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Old 11-04-2019, 10:16 AM   #10
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Just my personal preference, but I like the cord storage inside the trailer, in some "cubby" that honestly isn't really usable (at least in our rig) for much else. We've camped in the cold but have not found the problem the OP has expressed with putting the cord back in storage. Could be just the amount of space in ours is bigger, not sure, but saves space in the storage area for all the other "junk" I've seemed to acquire
Plus, IMHO, the twist-lock plugs seem to have a lot of weight hanging from the receptacle and anything plastic outside may eventually get brittle and break.
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Old 11-04-2019, 10:26 AM   #11
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I made the "Mouse Hole" larger and put a hatch in. Also, wiping down the cord with 303 spray or other silicon sprays made it slide easier and stopped knotting when coming out. I don't like finding another place to store the cord.
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Old 11-04-2019, 10:26 AM   #12
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Not sure where your power cord hides when stowed but I suggest you pull off a panel and find out if it is tangled with anything else such as a water line. Also, my 30A cord has a very flexible shielding and is pretty easy to stuff back inside the camper after unhooking.
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Old 11-04-2019, 03:46 PM   #13
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I give another vote for a detachable cord. The cubby where the cord was supposed to get pushed into was really too small and even on a good warm day it was tough to get the cord back in.
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Old 11-05-2019, 06:25 AM   #14
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While you are figuring out how to managed your power cable, i would like to suggest to you to install an EMS/surge protector from like Progressive Dynamics. I upgraded my cable to a Marinco 30 amp connection and while there installed a:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has worked great. On regular power you can see any fluctuations and when using a generator you can just bypass it. The other EMS don't have that feature.

Just my 2 cents
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Old 11-05-2019, 07:26 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cayovelez View Post
While you are figuring out how to managed your power cable, i would like to suggest to you to install an EMS/surge protector from like Progressive Dynamics. I upgraded my cable to a Marinco 30 amp connection and while there installed a:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It has worked great. On regular power you can see any fluctuations and when using a generator you can just bypass it. The other EMS don't have that feature.

Just my 2 cents
Totally agree! Anyone that owns a RV the surge protector/EMS should be mandatory with all the electronics on them these days & all the older parks that who knows how they've been maintained.
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Old 11-05-2019, 09:06 AM   #16
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My connection in my 2016 Cougar 5th. wheel is behind a cover on the table next to couch on the side where the cord is. I was able to get to all my connections quite easily and then I made a short strap from the cord to hook up to my Marinco inlet. While I was there I installed the EMS/Surge from progressive and done. The rest was converting the power cable to Marinco and that was super easy. The most expensive part was the EMS. But if you think about it once hard wired installed no one can steal it. I have seen people in parks walk out in the mornings to find their external ems have been stolen. Also, I like to monitor my power from the comfort of inside my rv. For example if I am running ac, microwave and water heater I am close to the limit of my recommended amperage so I am not going to turn my super automatic espresso with all that running. Also, I have been in Red Bluff, CA for the last 3-4 months working and with the California power outages I am not concerned for brown out or surge. The one thing you have to remember is when you connect to your genny, you have to turn the progressive unit to by-pass that is it. The other units in the market you have to build some kind of ground loop and blah...blahhh...blahh just go with progressive and forget about it.

https://www.amazon.com/Marinco-Stand...s%2C234&sr=8-2

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-PowerGr...QHBTXQRPZ5Z1ED



https://www.amazon.com/ParkPower-Mar...N4ZSEWDMXG4BT4
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Old 11-05-2019, 09:39 AM   #17
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I have a detachable cord that I disconnect and put in the warm sunshine to "soften up" before stowing. It allows the cord to become more flexible. Cords do get stiff when it is cold outside. I hope this idea helps.
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Old 11-05-2019, 10:16 AM   #18
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Regarding installing a hardwired Electrical Management System (EMS) unit, I agree that is a good choice. It is what I have. Just a quick note on the Progressive Industries (PI) EMS and it’s interaction with a generator.

Not all of the models from PI have the bypass switch to bypass the EMS unit when it is plugged into the generator, mine doesn’t have the bypass (probably because mine doesn’t have the remote display). I use a bonded plug plugged into the generator and it allows the generator and the EMS unit to play nice together.

The bonded plug is easy to make or you can buy one. Just search “bonded plug for RV generator” on google or YouTube.

...or you could always pound a copper stake in the ground and run a ground wire to your generator
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Old 11-05-2019, 10:56 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Logan X View Post
Regarding installing a hardwired Electrical Management System (EMS) unit, I agree that is a good choice. It is what I have. Just a quick note on the Progressive Industries (PI) EMS and it’s interaction with a generator.

Not all of the models from PI have the bypass switch to bypass the EMS unit when it is plugged into the generator, mine doesn’t have the bypass (probably because mine doesn’t have the remote display). I use a bonded plug plugged into the generator and it allows the generator and the EMS unit to play nice together.

The bonded plug is easy to make or you can buy one. Just search “bonded plug for RV generator” on google or YouTube.

...or you could always pound a copper stake in the ground and run a ground wire to your generator
Mike,

The PI EMS that you have, the LCHW series (30 or 50 amp) do not have the "remote display" and do not have a bypass switch. There is one available from PI to update that system. It's located here: https://www.progressiveindustries.ne...***-switch-kit

As you said, with the LCHW series EMS, you either have to build/buy a bonded plug for your generator, pound a copper stake into the ground to "wire your generator" or alternatively, you can buy the bypass kit designed to correct the problem of an "unbounded generator" and install it on your EMS.

There's no functional improvement to the operational use of the generator, but it does eliminate the need to "bond the generator neutral to ground" to get the EMS to accept the power source.

I've got the bypass kit on my LCHW 30 amp EMS and it has worked flawlessly with my Champion 2000 watt generators when used alone or when paired for increased power.

There's nothing wrong with doing it your way, but I wanted to let you and others know that PI does have a kit to address that problem with unbonded generators.
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Old 11-05-2019, 11:03 AM   #20
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John,

That is very good information, thanks. I was unaware PI sold the bypass kit. I think I will keep using my bonded plug however, as you say, it is good to have all of the information out there so anyone in the market can make an educated choice.
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