Plugging In
This document started out to describe the simple steps of plugging in an RV into a power pedestal for new RV owners. As I’m writing…. well… it has taken on a life of its own.
If you lay awake at night and think about all those thousands of little things that can go wrong in the ever more complex, modern RV, I’d suggest you stop reading now and go have a glass of wine and s’mores instead.
Page Contents:
Power Pedestals
Steps for Connecting RV Power
Connecting to 15-Amp
Connecting to 50-Amp
Bonus Material for Extra Credit
Hot Skin
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Power Pedestals
Campground power pedestals generally have several power receptacles (the things with the holes) and their associated breakers. Generally, they have a 15-amp, 120-volt receptacle like you would see in your home, a 30-amp, 120-volt receptacle, which is what most van RVs would require, and a 50-amp, 240-volt receptacle. The 30-amp has 3 contacts (holes), a ground on top, a hot connection on the lower left, and a return on the lower right. The 50-amp has 4 contacts: a ground on top, hot-1 and hot-2 on the left and right, and a return on the bottom.
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Steps for Connecting RV Power or… How to Complicate the Simple Task of Plugging In
1. Examine your Power Cord
First step is a quick examination of your power cord for bent pins, cuts and scrapes.
2. Check the power pedestal housing using a Non-Contact Voltage Detector.
This will verify that the pedestal is safe to touch and that it doesn’t have a hot wire shorted to the metal box with the power turned on.
Zap!! Just kidding.
Product Description:
Klein Tools Non-Contact Voltage Detector
The non-contact voltage testers are even available with an integrated flashlight. They can detect 12 to 1000V AC and indicate the presence of voltage in cables, cords, circuit breakers, light fixtures, switches, outlets, and wires, as well as AC voltage in doorbells, thermostats, low-voltage lighting, and irrigation systems.
3. Open cover carefully.
Be mindful; it could be harboring wasps, bees, or spiders. Oh my!
4. Visually check for a burned or charred receptacle.
Burning or charring is caused by worn-out or loose-fitting contacts between the receptacle and plug, which causes arching and overheating of the connection. This can melt or burn your power plug.
5. Turn ON the breaker and check the pedestal box housing again with the Non-Contact Voltage Detector.
6. Check if the receptacle is wired correctly.
Here are several different ways you can quickly test for correct wiring of the pedestal power:
A. (An OK method) Use an Electrical Receptacle Tester and a 30 Amp to 15 Amp adapter.
(Note: These testers may not always warn of reverse-wired receptacles.)
Product Description:
Plug Adapter – A 30 to 15-amp adapter is handy to plug in test equipment before hooking up your RV power.
B. (GOOD) Using a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter and Klein Tools GFCI Receptacle Tester.
Green light indicates the receptacle is wired correctly.
This tester is nice because it also displays the voltage, which ideally should be within a range of 115-125 volts AC.
Use a 30 amp to 15 amp adapter to test the pedestal power before connecting your power cord.
Product Description:
Receptacle Tester – Is a good little tester to check for correctly wired receptacles. It also has a button to test GFI receptacles. It displays voltage and reversed wiring warnings.
(Note: The problem with this tester is that new electrical codes recommend all receptacles be wired with the ground pin up on top. RV receptacles also have the ground pin on top. That means the display is facing down.
C. (BETTER) Check each individual contact hole using the Non-Contact Voltage Detector.
-Testing a 30 amp receptacle for proper wiring:
Round hole on top – ground – GREEN – no power
Slot hole Lower right – return – GREEN – no power
Slot hole Lower left – hot – RED – power on
-Testing a 50 amp receptacle for proper wiring:
Round hole on top – ground – GREEN – no power
Slot hole right – hot – RED – power on
Slot hole left – hot – RED – power on
Slot bottom – return – GREEN – no power
Warning: Connecting the two HOT terminals together is 240-volts!
D. (BEST) Testing with a volt meter
If you are comfortable around electricity, the absolute best way to test a receptacle is with a voltmeter.
(A test meter like the MM600 is very handy to have on board your RV for testing batteries, checking RV AC and DC voltages, temperature, etc.)
Product Description:
VOM (volt-ohm) Meter is always handy for checking AC voltages, vehicle DC voltages, and even batteries to see why the TV remote isn’t working.
7. OK, enough of this testing! Turn OFF all breakers
8. (Optional)
With the breakers still off, spray a bit of Contact Cleaner into each hole of the receptacle. Contact cleaner will remove any corrosion on the contacts and provide a better conductive surface.
Product Description:
Contact cleaner is a Non-Conductive formulation that evaporates quickly and leaves no residue.
9. (Optional)
Applying a very light coating of Dielectric Grease occasionally to the pins of your plug will also create a better contact and create a moisture barrier.
FYI: Dielectric grease is also good for trailer lights connectors and battery terminals. It is non-conductive. Do not use on rubber.
Product Description:
Contact dielectric grease is not a conductor. It works by reducing the oxidation and corrosion of the metal’s surface. It also keeps moisture out of electrical contacts and inhibits corrosion. Use it on RV power plug pins, trailer plugs, trailer ground wire lug, battery posts. It is silicone-based, so it will not react with plastic and rubber parts. (Vaseline is a petroleum product and will damage rubber parts.)
https://www.amazon.com/LubriMatic-11755-Dielectric-Electrical-Contact/dp/B001446LP4/
10. Plug in your surge guard and power cord into the pedestal.
Wrap the power cord once or twice around the pedestal in case someone trips over it. (Those darn kids!)
If the plug feels loose in the receptacle, arcing could melt and damage your plug.
Product Description:
Surge Protectors can block high-voltage spikes and even protect your RV from low-voltage situations by cutting incoming power.
TIP: Many new surge guard protectors have digital displays similar to the above testers.
They may NOT warn of reverse-wired receptacles.
11. Connect your power cord to the RV
12. Turn ON the breaker for the receptacle (leave the other unused breakers off).
13. Check the metal body of the van with the Non-Contact Voltage Detector one more time, just to be safe.
14. Occasionally – Check the plug temperature and voltage.
When running the air conditioner or other high-current appliance, occasionally check the plug temperature by touch or using an infrared temperature tester gun. Also check the voltage inside the RV to verify the voltage is still within a safe range (115-125 volts ac). On busy weekends with a full campground, voltage drops are possible, especially on a hot summer day. Low voltage can damage some appliances.
Now if we haven’t scared you so badly you want to go home, enjoy your camping trip (if you still can).
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Connecting to 15-amp
TIP#194: Connecting to 15-amp – In addition to connecting to a 50-amp service as mentioned above, you can also use an adapter to connect to a standard 15-amp wall outlet.
To keep the van from drawing more than 15 amps and tripping the home breaker, you will need to change the Xantrex setting from 30 amp service to 15 amp or lower. The FXC Control app makes this very easy.
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Connecting to 50-amp
TIP#040: Dog bone adapter or a smaller adapter is a handy option when the 30-amp receptacle looks a little questionable or charred. We have also encountered a few RV parks that only had 50-amp service.
If the park receptacle is burned or looks questionable, using a 50-amp with a dog bone is a good work-around.
NOTE: A 50-amp receptacle has two 120-volt connections. Connecting across these two pins is 240 volts. When using a dog bone, only one of the 120-volt lines is used. (So you will NOT have 240 volts going into your van.) One thing to note, though, is that you are on a 50-amp breaker instead of a 30-amp breaker.
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Bonus Material for Extra Credit
If you’ve made it this far, I’ve added some additional material for extra credit on your final exam. Oh, did I forget to mention there will be a quiz?
If you are camping ‘South of the Border’, extra caution is recommended. Electrical standards in Mexico are more relaxed than in the US, and damage to RV electrical systems occurs much more frequently and can be expensive to repair.
TIP: To measure the actual amperage your RV is drawing, you can use a Clamp-On meter on the power cord.
TIP: To make coiling the water hose and electrical cords, mark the mid-center of each, and when you wind them up, start in the center.
To calculate the amperage when you know the wattage, Divide the total wattage being used by 120 volts, and you’ll get the total amperage. Example: If you are using an Electric Space Heater in the RV and it is rated at 1500 watts, the amperage would be 1,500 watts / 120 volts = 12.5 amps.
You can use an adapter (15 amp to 30 amp) and plug your RV into a 15 amp home wall receptacle. You probably won’t be able to run the air conditioner, but the other appliances should be OK. On some RVs, you can set limits on the amount of current (amps) the system can draw. This will keep it from tripping the 15-amp breaker you are plugged into. (Future Document to be added)
Something we 30 Amp users don’t have to worry about: RVs that use the 50 Amp need to be careful that the return wire of the circuit is connected properly. If not, they could find themselves with 240 volts in their 120 volt system. This has the bad effect of burning out every appliance in the RV.
Electrical equipment technical standards are defined by NEMA, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association.
What are some of the different types of receptacles used on RVs?
 30 Amp Plug NEMA TT-30P (“P” stands for PLUG – male pins) |  30 Amp Receptacle NEMA TT-30R (“R” for receptacle – female socket) |
 50 Amp Plug NEMA 14-50P (“P” stands for PLUG – male pins) |  50 Amp Receptacle NEMA 14-50R (“R” for receptacle – female sockets) |
 Twist on receptacle mounted on the RV for the cord to attach to NEMA L5-30P plug (male pins) | Dog bone 50 Amp male (NEMA 14-50P) to 30 amp female (NEMA TT-30R) |
 RV Power Cord: NEMA TT-30P – NEMA L5-30R |  Extension Cord: Plug (Male): NEMA TT-30P (RV 30 Amps, 125 Volts) Receptacle (Female): NEMA TT-30R (RV 30 Amps, 125 Volts) |
 NEMA 5-15R (15 Amp receptacle) NOTE: Per Electrical Code, Ground on Top |  NEMA 5-20R (20 Amp receptacle) The 20 amp has a “T” pin NEUTRAL so that it won’t fit into a 15 amp. |
 NEMA 5-15P (Typical 15 Amp plug |  NEMA 5-20P (20 Amp plug) |
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Hot Skin
Now here comes some really scary stuff.
When you hear the term “Hot Skin” you probably think it occurs on the beach on a hot summer day. A more accurate term is “Hot-Chassis” condition. For RV owners, it refers to a wiring malfunction where the metal skin or other conductive metal parts of the RV have been electrified by a faulty power connection or something as simple as a burned-out hot water heating element.
While death is extremely rare from hot skin, a Google search has revealed a few people who have been killed over the years, including a 3-year-old boy. One website stated 21 that percent of RV owners in the survey have felt a tingle of electrical current at some point from touching the metal of their RV while outside. If you ever do feel a tingle or shock of electrical current, power off the breaker immediately. Hot Skin can also be caused by a problem with another RV connected to the same leg of power. Their wiring issue can reverse feed back to your RV.
For Class B vans and many other types of RVs, we don’t have a good electrical path to “Earth-Ground”. Trailers, on the other hand, have a metal tongue jack post and metal leveling stabilizing jacks that provide solid grounding contact. That is, assuming they aren’t putting insulating blocks under the jacks. The rest of us sit on insulating rubber tires with the only earth ground connection back through the power pedestal. Kind of makes you want to add a ground rod to our equipment list or insulating shoes….. Naww!
Now that you are scared to even touch your RV for fear of shock, sleep tight and enjoy your camping trip. Thanks for reading.
If you would like to see more information on Hot Skin, a quick Google search will find dozens of pages and videos. Here are some links for additional information:
http://noshockzone.org/
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuWX9wJwvtU
Kindle Book – No~Shock~Zone RV Electrical Safety $9.99
https://www.amazon.com/No-Shock-Zone-Electrical-Safety-Michael-Sokol-ebook/dp/B00L2DWBD8/