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Wabbiteer · 03-19-2010, 02:50 PM

Ah yes. My bad. Speaking of dyslexia...

I don't know how many times I looked at that and the horizontal only socket was vertical. Wind in the wires I guess...

Over59 · 03-19-2010, 04:35 PM

My favorite story is the guy who couldn't plug his trailer into the outlet on his driveway. So you went to the HD store and bought the "right" outlet for the job. Of course the breaker tripped so he went back and 50 amp break so he could "run his AC". Half burned the house down and the insurance company would not pay. The original outlet was had 14# wire. You cann't screw with this stuff if you don't know how is all comes together. Like Andy says.... people could die...

Saluda Guy · 03-19-2010, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecatsandi

Depends on the age of your house. My house is full of 20A circuits. The addition in the 1990s has 15A outlets.
I added a 30A RV outlet by the street plus a 20A and an temp switched 15A. Total draw for all three is 40A.
I will be installing a 30A RV outlet where I park my trailer in the back yard. Just have to wait for the ground to thaw.

Both of the eletricians I have dealt with in Missoula will only install 12ga wire. Keeps problems to a minimum.

I hope your electricians are using #10 wire for the 30amp RV recep, or larger if the distance from the breaker panel is greater than 50 feet. Could be a problem with voltage drop starting an roof AC if it is too far and too small of a wire.

eubank · 03-19-2010, 07:58 PM

This is not uncommon, unfortunately. We've seen LOTS of folks coming here to the park with melted or damaged plugs.

A lot of it occurs, like others have pointed out, by running too much power for the appliance(s) with a corroded plug. In many cases, folks with 50 amp rigs will go to a place that offers only, say, 30 amp outlets, add a little corroded converter between their 50 amp plug and the 30 amp outlet, and try to run everything. The result: A burned plug (assuming that they don't pop the breaker). From there, it spreads like a virus: They take their rig elsewhere, and stick their burned-up plug into a fresh outlet, and burn that outlet to smithereens. And so it goes ...

In large part, that's why we always examine people's plugs (enlightened self-interest: all in the name of helping them "park" their rigs, of course). When I find a burned-up plug, I pull out my trusty pocketknife, scrape off all of the corrosion, then plug it into our outlet.

Lynn

Melody Ranch · 03-19-2010, 08:25 PM

The Forums have come thru again.
My recollection of mention on the 30 AMP outlet for home use.....saved me an AC, fridge, microwave, etc., etc. The 30 AMP outlet that I asked my handyman/electrician to install .....was in fact an RV 30 AMP outlet wired up to 220 volts at the main breaker box. I am sooooo glad that I never hooked into it. He came back today and said that he checked with an RV shop (?) which confirmed the wiring error. I felt quite better after he opened the outside electric panel, disconnected one of the power leads to the circuit breaker, confirmed that the problem was now fixed. Then, as he finished up the "fix" he put his big screwdriver thru the box faceplate to tighten up the last screw. The ensuing flash if light, explosion of sparks, smoke, and noise threw us both back to the ground. The box lid now had a torched like hole in it and the screwdriver was arched in two. I guess I will plan on 12 volt lighting for awhile....till the real electrician gets here.
(see my post today about my 12 volt electrical adventure .....life is exciting here on the ranch......like a Three Stooges film)

Over59 · 03-19-2010, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

The Forums have come thru again.
My recollection of mention on the 30 AMP outlet for home use.....saved me an AC, fridge, microwave, etc., etc. The 30 AMP outlet that I asked my handyman/electrician to install .....was in fact an RV 30 AMP outlet wired up to 220 volts at the main breaker box. I am sooooo glad that I never hooked into it. He came back today and said that he checked with an RV shop (?) which confirmed the wiring error. I felt quite better after he opened the outside electric panel, disconnected one of the power leads to the circuit breaker, confirmed that the problem was now fixed. Then, as he finished up the "fix" he put his big screwdriver thru the box faceplate to tighten up the last screw. The ensuing flash if light, explosion of sparks, smoke, and noise threw us both back to the ground. The box lid now had a torched like hole in it and the screwdriver was arched in two. I guess I will plan on 12 volt lighting for awhile....till the real electrician gets here.
(see my post today about my 12 volt electrical adventure .....life is exciting here on the ranch......like a Three Stooges film)

I'ld get me a new electrian. That is a bone head mistake. Actually it's two bone head mistakes.

Ag&Au · 03-19-2010, 10:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eubank

........................

When I find a burned-up plug, I pull out my trusty pocketknife, scrape off all of the corrosion, then plug it into our outlet.

Lynn

Darn it Lynn, you disappointed me.
I Thought for sure you were going to use your knife to cut the plug off the cord.

Ken

ROBERTSUNRUS · 03-19-2010, 10:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7ts

Darn it Lynn, you disappointed me.
I Thought for sure you were going to use your knife to cut the plug off the cord.

Ken

Hi, and after you cut the end off of the cord, the camp store sells a new cord for twice the going price.

eubank · 03-19-2010, 10:17 PM

Nope, I don't cut them off. But I did come across a rig with a plug so bad that I told them that they couldn't plug in. They left.

There's economic sense to the enlightened self-interest: Those outlets cost $18 apiece plus shipping (if I do the installation). If we charge twenty-something bucks for a site (Maria's call) and spend about a third of that on expenses (mostly taxes), that doesn't leave a whole lot left over if we have to buy a new outlet, too.

Lynn

thecatsandi · 03-20-2010, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wabbiteer

Dyslexia kitties doing the word processing & posting for Michelle again?

The Ivory colored one is the 120VAC 20A

120VAC 20A has two verticle slots and one horizontal attached to ground side.

47WeeWind · 03-20-2010, 10:09 AM

. . . the ivory electrical socket on the left that Crawford Gene posted looks like it got into a bar fight. Maybe it was a 120 volt receptacle that walked into a 240 volt bar . . .

Wabbiteer · 03-20-2010, 10:10 AM

47WeeWind... I owe you one. That was the best laugh I've had in weeks

Gene · 03-20-2010, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 47WeeWind

. . . the ivory electrical socket on the left that Crawford Gene posted looks like it got into a bar fight. Maybe it was a 120 volt receptacle that walked into a 240 volt bar . . .

Was it a buss bar?

Well, I got the voltage right on those pictures. All the discussion of just what they were proves this to be very confusing. Somewhere on the receptacle it will tell you the voltage and amps. You may have to remove it from the box to find it (after turning off the breaker first) after an "electrician" has installed it. Because I'm sure I'm making a mistake, I read it a few times, sometimes using a magnifying glass if the specs are printed really small. To find a 30 amp, 120 v. receptacle I had to go to several stores, finally locating one at an Ace Hardware.

Gene

tallytwo1994 · 03-20-2010, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

The Forums have come thru again.
My recollection of mention on the 30 AMP outlet for home use.....saved me an AC, fridge, microwave, etc., etc. The 30 AMP outlet that I asked my handyman/electrician to install .....was in fact an RV 30 AMP outlet wired up to 220 volts at the main breaker box. I am sooooo glad that I never hooked into it. He came back today and said that he checked with an RV shop (?) which confirmed the wiring error. I felt quite better after he opened the outside electric panel, disconnected one of the power leads to the circuit breaker, confirmed that the problem was now fixed. Then, as he finished up the "fix" he put his big screwdriver thru the box faceplate to tighten up the last screw. The ensuing flash if light, explosion of sparks, smoke, and noise threw us both back to the ground. The box lid now had a torched like hole in it and the screwdriver was arched in two. I guess I will plan on 12 volt lighting for awhile....till the real electrician gets here.
(see my post today about my 12 volt electrical adventure .....life is exciting here on the ranch......like a Three Stooges film)

I'm so glad no one was hurt. Did he forget to secure that disconected hot wire?

In my opinion, it alway pays to call the real electrician first. The whole idea of hidden problems is scary. I feel the same way about plumbing.

Carol

ticki2 · 03-20-2010, 04:11 PM

A 30a , 120v , rv plug has a very specific prong pattern . Easy enough to plug into the trailer chord before you hook it up to see if it fits .Wire size will depend on the distance and the amps. When speeking to an electrician you need to specify that it is an 30a RV outlet.

Melody Ranch · 03-20-2010, 11:39 PM

It was, in fact, an RV plug outlet. As you say RV specific. It was wired wrong to the CB at the plug and the main CB panel. Thats what bothers me, and should get everyones attention....the plug was an RV type and I could have easily hooked up to it.

ticki2 · 03-21-2010, 04:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Melody Ranch

It was, in fact, an RV plug outlet. As you say RV specific. It was wired wrong to the CB at the plug and the main CB panel. Thats what bothers me, and should get everyones attention....the plug was an RV type and I could have easily hooked up to it.

Then you did all you could do , except keep your handy man out of your electrical system . I'm sure he's a very able fellow at the things he knows.

This subject will be helpfull for many , it's not the first time I've heard that mistake being made , even by electricians . Most of the time 30a means 220v , RV's are unique .

ROBERTSUNRUS · 03-21-2010, 08:18 PM

Hi, we all went to school and we all learned to read, I presume. Correct me if I'm wrong or you know otherwise, but every single 30 amp RV plug/ recepticle that I have seen in Home Depot or Lowes says right on the box and on the actual part, "30 amp 120 volt RV". [also on the shelf label] Plain and simple. Show me one that isn't marked.

tallytwo1994 · 03-21-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, we all went to school and we all learned to read, I presume. Correct me if I'm wrong or you know otherwise, but every single 30 amp RV plug/ recepticle that I have seen in Home Depot or Lowes says right on the box and on the actual part, "30 amp 120 volt RV". [also on the shelf label] Plain and simple. Show me one that isn't marked.

Good point Robert: Reading is fundamental!

Carol