30 amp trailer plug hot

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Sorry, I completely missed that the problem was on the trailer end of the cable.

Al

Me too.

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by Julie-Bob

Thanks to all. The cable is the cable that came from Mothership. The end that plugs into the RV Park power has never need the problem, the male connector on the AS is where the problem has been. Yes the female end of the power cable was changed both times that we had the male connector replaced. If we have another problem we will go with the Smart plug. Thanks for the different ideas. Will try them.

Got any old damaged parts you can take a pic of and post them?

[demijac]

We were having an issue with shore power at a State Park in Texas awhile back. The Park Ranger who fixed the problem said that alot of the problems people have with their power cords at both the power pedestal and the trailer are caused by plugging in when the circuit breaker at the power pedestal is in the 'on' position and to always make sure it is in the 'off' position before plugging in at the pedestal and trailer. For me, easier said than done. Either due to poor eyesight, bad lighting conditions and sometimes, even unmarked circuit breakers we end up plugging in when the circuit breaker is in the 'on' position. He could tell all that just by looking at the condition of both our shore power and trailer plug connections. The good news is that we've been using the same 30 Amp power cord since 2013 and it's still kicking.

Can anybody corroborate the Park Ranger's advice?

[rmkrum]

No. Makes zero sense. Just hook up with most of the big loads turned off on the Airstream. If this concerns you, get an EMS that will check your power connections before putting ANY load on the pedestal. Flipping regular pedestal or AS internal circuit breakers all the time is not their purpose. They are not designed to be used as switches, they are protective devices.
A decent EMS/surge protector will give you time to connect everything, it will then delay taking a load while it does its checks, Then it will safely turn on the power.
I don’t bother flipping breakers, but I do carefully check the condition of the receptacle on the pedestal for signs of damage or overheating with a bright flashlight. I also stop using it if my plug goes in without much force. That says the receptacle is old and worn. Then I let my built in EMS do its thing. It’s internal relay is designed to switch loads.

Mr. Ranger is trying to mitigate poor maintenance. Get a built-in or good portable EMS and quit worrying.