Don’t plug or unplug your RV from a pedestal with the power turned on
Dear Mike (aka J.A.M.),
We just returned from our initial Spring Wake-Up Trip. The RV Park we stayed at was exceptionally nice. At any rate, when I went to hook up to the pedestal, all the breakers were in the ON POSITION! Why do RVers leave the breakers on when they leave the campground?
Thought you should maybe mention someplace down the road for RVers to make sure they turn the breakers OFF before they disconnect their power cords.
Thanks. —Jeff
Dear Jeff,
That’s a great suggestion, so here it is. I’m not going to get into the psychology of “why” RVers do certain things, except to say that perhaps ignorance is bliss. So thanks for helping me to educate everyone.
The problem with plugging and unplugging your shore power cord while the pedestal circuit breaker is on is actually twofold.
First, the American- (NEMA-) designed plugs we use in our houses and RVs are not totally safe for plugging into a live outlet. As you can see from the picture, it’s possible for your fingers to slip into the gap and touch the live contacts before the plug is totally seated. That can result in a painful shock (or even electrocution – death from shock) if you’re standing in a puddle of water and make contact with a live wire. This suggests that it’s doubly important to turn off the pedestal circuit breaker before plugging or unplugging your shore power cord-set from a pedestal outlet in the rain. And we’ve all had to hookup or disconnect shore power in the rain, haven’t we?
Secondly (and just as important), plugging and unplugging your shore power cord while the pedestal breaker is on can induce arcing from the current trying to jump the gap in the contacts. This usually creates a bunch of pretty sparks which are actually tiny bits of your metal contacts being super-heated and burning up like tiny meteorites zipping through the atmosphere.
Doing it once or twice is no big deal, but doing it hundreds of times will cause a pitting and a reduction in the contact area of your plug and receptacle. And that reduced contact real estate will force all the current through a smaller surface area, resulting in increased resistance and plug overheating.
This constant bombardment of tiny hot spots in the contacts will result in oxidation (rust) which will increase the electrical resistance and contribute to even more heating of the plug. Eventually you’ll need to replace your RV’s shore power cord-set, which ain’t cheap! You want to inspect your shore power plug regularly to make sure it’s shiny and bright like the one in the picture above.
I’ve had a few suggestions from readers that pulling out the plug rapidly will stop it from arcing, but that’s simply not the case. And all circuit breakers should be rated for switching under normal loads.
For industrial settings we use SWD (Switch Rated) breakers for high inrush circuits like banks of florescent light fixtures. And if campgrounds wanted their circuit breakers to last for decades, then SWD rated breakers would be a good option. However, few of them would pay extra for SWD breakers. But I would guess that even residential circuit breakers would be rated for 10’s of thousands of cycles under load, which suggests perhaps a decade or more of normal operation.
I have a hypothesis that constantly plugging and unplugging shore power connectors with the circuit breakers on (and under load) contributes to the number of obviously overheated and visibly burned shore power plugs, especially the 30-amp versions.
Also remember that this plugging and unplugging under load is wearing out the contacts in the pedestal outlet as well. And that overheating probably contributes to loss of tension in the contacts. I’m sure all of you have plugged into a pedestal outlet that seemed really loose. I’m suggesting the looseness is likely the result of overheating which reduces the tension on the electrical contacts, and this overheating probably started with contact arcing from the shore power cord being plugged and unplugged with the circuit breakers on.
So, break the cycle of shore power contact abuse. ALWAYS make sure the pedestal circuit breakers are OFF before you connect or disconnect your shore power plug. Your electrical contacts will thank you for it. 😁
OK, everyone. Remember that electricity is a useful and powerful force, so we all need to pay attention to safety precautions while using it.
Let’s play safe out there…. Mike 😎
Maybe it would be a good idea (and investment), for campground owners to label pedestals with a “Please Turn Off Breaker before Plugging In or Unplugging” label.
Could save money & lives!
I’ve seen that sticker on brand new pedestals, but nobody seems to read the fine print.
Mike,
As far as I am aware SWD breakers are only available in 15 and 20 amp single pole. Have you seen them in 30 & 50? Brian
Brian, you are correct. I should have noted that SWD breakers are only available in 15 and 20-amp rating, but QO and QOB breakers are available in higher ratings (up to 200 amperes) and 3-poles. Plus they are suitable for switching live loads such as florescent lights.
Read more here: https://tinyurl.com/4hjhja9u
Mike.
Thanks for all that you do to keep us safe! It’s always as great read!
We are camp hosts. One of our “roles” is to confirm the “OFF” position of breakers at the pedestal once the camper has left the site. *MANY* (too many) campers leave the breakers in the ON position.
We are also educators….. and as such, when we get the opportunity, we try to help new campers (and some who have been camping for “longer than you’ve been alive, sonny” 😎 – with the proper setup/tear down process.
It’s great to see the ‘light bulb moment’ when they “get it’!
Pet peeves (top 3)?
* Trash/food/stuff in the firepit.
* Cigarette butts not picked up or in the firepit.
* Dog poo not picked up.
It really doesn’t take much effort for the camper to be considerate of the campground and camp hosts. Most of us are volunteers (not paid).
Again, I appreciate your posts and educating us on RV Electricity!
Thank you for your excellent and concise explanations. Many of he 30 amp receptacles we have run across are burned up so I always use 50 amp if they are available. Most 30 amp rigs are always run near the 30 amp limit without concern for the 20 percent derating requirement after 1 hour.
Great article Mike. I am a retired master electrical contractor. I worked camped last summer at a KOA campground. When doing the departures every morning I would check the pedestal to make sure the breakers were in the off position. I was amazed to find how many were left on. And yes, it was a constant job replacing the receptacles. Do to my career, I drove my manager crazy because he didn’t want to spend the money on replacement of what he thought were perfectly fine “outlets”. The 50a receptacles are $40 a piece. The 30a are less expensive.
Your articles are so well written for the non professional. Keep up the great work you do.
Thanks Mike for a very thought provoking article (as always). I must also say that I always learn something from your readers’ thoughtful comments as well. Here is a more subtle but equally important question I believe. What about plugging our RVs at home? I have no easy way to switch off the receptacle on the outside of my detached garage except to use the GFCI test button since the breaker is in the house and far away from the garage. I have assumed (possibly incorrectly) that plugging-in my surge protector which I’ve already connected to my RV will protect my RV, my surge protector plug, and my wall receptacle. This is because my Surge Guard surge protector (which Mike recommended) has a relay to isolate the input power while it tests for faults (such as an open neutral connection) before powering-on the RV after a few seconds delay. I’ll be interested to hear what you all think about this.
Looking at that nice shiny pedestal with the label for turning the breaker off before plugging in or out is great. But I’ve not seem any of those labels, actually most pedestals boxes are so old that you can’t read what position the breakers are in!
Wondering if there is a code that says that breakers must be installed a certain way, so one would know that if it was up it would be off or the or the other way around?
Thanks for your information.
Snoopy?
Unfortunately there are many campgrounds that do not have a local breaker/disconnect at the pedestal, just left one in Florida with a questionable electrical service this past Saturday. My Surge Guard has a time delay after plugging In so it acts as a switch but disconnecting is another issue. I do advocate cleaning the blades with a rag and applying a thin coating of contact grease before plugging Into the pedestal and also into my Surge Guard. Every now and then I use an old green Scotch Brite pad and some Deoxit to clean the blades a little better. After assuring with my meter that the receptacle is de-energized I like to shoot a little Deoxit into the receptacle and wait a minute or two for the moisture to evaporate before plugging in.
This would be a great article or information sheet to give to every new RV owner when they pick up their new or new to them RV. We’ve been campground hosting for the past 5 years and the pedestals are on a forever list of check on every year. In Arizona a year ago at River Island SP I replaced several receptacles, especially 30 amp, due to worn out contact springs internally. Some showing signs of melting the plug around the contact openings. The 50amp receptacles fair a lot better due to heavier load capacity and the design of the prongs on the cable plug & receptacle provide better hold and support when plugged in. The 30amp design is fine in it’s first few years of use but it starts loosing it’s tension due to the load they sometimes carry repeatedly. Especially in Arizona during the summer. This is a subject I always go over when I’m assisting newbies or uninformed. And tell then to carry some emery cloth with them to shine up the contacts from time to time. Keep up the informative work!!!
Great article Mike. BUT, the picture showing the power cord being disconnected with the persons’ finger on the contact blade is scary. I never touch the contact blades when disconnecting… even if I think the power is ‘supposedly off’ because I see the breaker off. I have seen breakers appear to be off and as soon as I plug in my power cord the surge protector starts working.
It is indeed scary. I staged the picture and put it in the article because I’ve actually seen someone do this.
Thanks Mike for your answer. Ive had a motorhome for 8 years using a 50A circuit at the parks i visited. I usually turn off the 50A breaker at the pedistle then plug in my surge protector turn on the breaker to test then turn the breaker off, plug into the surge protector then back on with the breaker. I recently purchased a newer coach and I thought I read in their literature that I should turn off the main in the coach. I am assuming one of the breakers being off either the coach or on the pedestal will protect the coach. I prefer turning off at the pedestal and did not have any problems with my last coach and Im planning on continuing that practice.
Thanks again
Jim B
Yes, you are correct. Only one of the breakers needs to be off. But as I noted, it’s far safer for you to turn off the pedestal breaker because it also eliminates the shock hazard if your finger contacts the exposed plug contact.