Pet Peeves at Campgrounds

[whjco]

Originally Posted by richp

Hi,

Getting away from electricity...

I really get aggravated when the pavement at the dump station is tilted away from the hole instead of toward it, or even vaguely level.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips

Or stepping around the toilet paper where someone didn't dump using a stinky slinky and just opened the cap and let 'er rip.

[Macrosill]

Originally Posted by Oaklevel

Doesn't bother me at all. Many people just unplug and plug in their RVs without turning the pedestal beakers off. I would say it is a 50 / 50 split.

I do. At home too. We get home and I plug in the RV cord. We are leaving and I unplug the RV cord. Never touch the breaker in the basement of the house.

What is the reasoning of turning the pedestal breaker off before plugging in and unplugging?

What you should really be doing is turning the main and all other breakers inside the trailer off before unplugging and not turn it back on until plugged in. Then turn on the loads one by one.

Do you turn off the breaker before plugging in the vacuum cleaner or other appliance? You probably turn off the switch of the appliance before unplugging it,

[RandK-M]

I'm not good about switching off at home and just plug in. I have a short custom cord I made that stays plugged in by shed where I park in a 20 amp outlet and I just leave it hanging on a hook (protected from rain) when the trailer isn't there and plug in when I get home.



I know one of the reasons to switch of the breaker is to avoid the small arcing that happens on the plug contacts when you plug in since the converter, microwave, etc are all on when you plug in and you get a little spark in the plug when connecting it when the power is on. I don't think it's that big of a deal though. if the AC or other high current devices were left on, the sparking might be bigger though.


Ray

[Bill and Gail]

I was at a campground in Fla last year. I had to turn off the breaker before I plugged in, found out why it was left on. The day before I was to leave, the grounds people asked me to turn the breaker back on after I unplugged, because the street light was run through it. I tested it that night, and yes, the light went out when it was turned off.

[revbilly]

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah, I flip it off before plugging my EMS in. AndI know it’s minor, it doesn’t make me boiling mad, just an irritant. The mess at dump stations is much more aggravating. DW has me well trained so toilet seat isn’t an issue. Ants? Yikes. The guy down the lane from us at one campground had his MH invaded by ants. The park owner was like, “We’ve been meaning to call the exterminator, guess we better get on that today.” He did offer to pay for whatever it cost to get the ants out of the MH. I would have been boiling, too.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Daycruiser

How the devil did the prior guy get access to the wires to cut them? He had to have dismantled the pedestal, what a jerk.

Yep, but it was just a couple of screws. This was a weird setup and the 50amp receptacle was off by itself. So 1, maybe 2 screws.

Originally Posted by upflying

Maybe it was a copper thief?

Nah, it was a really short run between the breaker and the outlet. If it was thief, they only took 1-2" of copper.

[Iwannacamp]

Hmmm. Not a "bother" to me, but I always make sure they are off before connecting. Funny... at home I never do. My power comes from an extension cord wired to a 30 amp breaker. It would be a little issue to go inside and trip breaker, then go plug in, then go turn on. I don't know if I trust my wiring or I am just lazy. As stated my EMS won't let power in anyway.

[rbq]

And reading the heading on the post I thought I was going to read about gripes people had with their pets, like barking dogs & crap not being picked up. Instead I find an electrifying post!

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by revbilly

Thanks for all the replies. Yeah, I flip it off before plugging my EMS in. AndI know it’s minor, it doesn’t make me boiling mad, just an irritant. The mess at dump stations is much more aggravating. DW has me well trained so toilet seat isn’t an issue. Ants? Yikes. The guy down the lane from us at one campground had his MH invaded by ants. The park owner was like, “We’ve been meaning to call the exterminator, guess we better get on that today.” He did offer to pay for whatever it cost to get the ants out of the MH. I would have been boiling, too.

I had an invasion a couple weeks ago also. I used some spray I had and bought some ant bait when I got home. Hmmm I better see if it worked.

[GL1800Rider]

Not really a bother turning the breaker off before hooking up. I do it to reduce the chance of arcing which I am sure is not good for the pedestal's receptacle. I could turn off the main in the coach but it's easier to turn the power off at the pedestal.

At Yonah Mountain Campground in Cleveland, Ga., they check the breaker to make sure it is off after somebody checks out.

Let's face it, a lot of people lack common sense. Somebody yesterday on a Facebook group was wondering why the roof AC would not work going down the the road. Never dawned on them that the generator needed to be running.

[Martsing]

Doesn't bother me. I just turn it off; plug my surge guard into it; then turn it back on. All good.

Marty

[atemplesr]

Yes, drives me nuts. One day they will get zapped or the poor person following them who doesn't check.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by atemplesr

One day they will get zapped or the poor person following them who doesn't check.

What do you mean zapped?

Assuming "electrocuted", how would you get "zapped" by this?

[BandJCarm]

Originally Posted by atemplesr

Yes, drives me nuts. One day they will get zapped or the poor person following them who doesn't check.

What? If they get zapped, the should refrain from sticking their finger, a paper clip, or a fork into a receptacle that they don't know whether it's hot or not.






Otherwise, no clue how to get zapped just cause the breaker is on.

On every receptacle in my house, the breaker is "ON". I just plug in. No zapping. Same here.

[DRM796]

Would some one explain to me why this is the best practice? At some point the connection is being made what is the difference between doing it via the breaker of just plugging in? We have a Progressive EMS that I plug in with the breaker on, let it run its cycle and then connect the power cord. Not trying to be indifferent just trying to get some education.
Thanks

[Iwannacamp]

Originally Posted by DRM796

Would some one explain to me why this is the best practice? At some point the connection is being made what is the difference between doing it via the breaker of just plugging in? We have a Progressive EMS that I plug in with the breaker on, let it run its cycle and then connect the power cord. Not trying to be indifferent just trying to get some education.
Thanks

Plugging in with a load(converter, water heater, reefer or possibly a/c) on would/could cause arcing to the terminals and plug.

[nayther]

Originally Posted by mogman

Doesn't matter to me. The power won't go to my rig until my Progressive Power Pack has sampled the incoming power and deemed it OK to use.

me too. If you have all the heavy loads off in the rig then plugging in while "hot" should not be an issue. If there's a heavy draw you might get some arcing. I plug in my EMS, wait for the green light and we're off and running. Done it both ways, no issue.

[NMWildcat]

This is like those threads asking if you should put the battery disconnect on the positive or negative side. Answer is the same. It doesn't matter. Either way works. Neither way is more right or wrong than the other. Do what makes you comfortable. Easy.
As far as peeves; some things that really upset some folks, isn't even on other folks radars. This one of them evidently

[ard58]

[QUOTE=rbq;2145900]And reading the heading on the post I thought I was going to read about gripes people had with their pets, like barking dogs & crap not being picked up. Instead I find an electrifying post

Did finding that SHOCK YOU

[rlh1957]

Doesn't bother me what other people do to their stuff. Their always the ones to have issues and trashed equipment.

Me, I always confirm breakers are off at pedestal before connecting anything.
Then before disconnecting turn off the breaker.
Same with my portable generator.

It is all double redundant for me because I use 30 AMP Power Defender Voltage Protector With Integrated Surge Protection which doesn't allow voltage to pass through until all the safety checks are done internally. Any problem it senses and it disconnects power going to trailer even if pedestal breaker hasn't tripped.