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Old 01-21-2018, 04:15 PM   #21
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Originally Posted by Gene_M View Post
RL, I think you have it.

Photo, I do want to plug one end into another. The 30a RV cord should be just like a home extension cord. I can plug my home generator cord end to end. I can not with the RV 30a cord. This says that the interfaces are different and that is a mix of interfaces that, IMO, is a mistake of the industry.

So, I guess what I'm asking is: why has the industry mixed plug faces?
Your RV cord will not plug into it'self. Your RV extension cord will plug into it'self but not into your house or Generator. This is t keep you from killing yourself with 220 volts.

from a 45 year electrician.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:16 PM   #22
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The twist lock that connects to the Rv also has a screw cap to help secure the receptacle end to the Rv. This provides less chance of a loose connection, is water tight and safer also required by code. However a twist lock is twice or more than the price of a straight blade cord cap male or female end. The male end connects to a receptacle or pedestal that after being plugged in is protected by the cover of the enclosure. Still it has a lot to do with cost of making both ends a twist-lock.
That is a manufacturing process, any type can have a screw ring to secure it.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:18 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by cavie View Post
Your RV cord will not plug into it'self. Your RV extension cord will plug into it'self but not into your house or Generator. This is t keep you from killing yourself with 220 volts.

from a 45 year electrician.
But cannot the wrong cord be plugged into the MW and then plugged into the house 220?
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:20 PM   #24
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plugged into 'WHERE' in the house?
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:22 PM   #25
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youroo is correct. An RV cord is not like a water hose, either... in which case you can screw one end into the other. There is no such obligation for RV power cords. The male end matches the outlet in a campsite electrical pedestal. The female end matches the "hole" in the side of your RV. That's all that matters.
I have seen many people make mistakes, I disagree. All I am saying is a one time use of the wrong cord can be a huge, costly mistake.

If it's possible it may one day happen.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:24 PM   #26
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plugged into 'WHERE' in the house?
The "house" here I am referring to is a brick and mortar house, not the coach.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:26 PM   #27
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plugged into 'WHERE' in the house?
nowhere. that's the point!
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:28 PM   #28
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I have seen many people make mistakes, I disagree. All I am saying is a one time use of the wrong cord can be a huge, costly mistake.

If it's possible it may one day happen.
It's not possible. that's why they are made the way they are.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:29 PM   #29
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Originally Posted by Gene_M View Post
RL, I think you have it.

Photo, I do want to plug one end into another. The 30a RV cord should be just like a home extension cord. I can plug my home generator cord end to end. I can not with the RV 30a cord. This says that the interfaces are different and that is a mix of interfaces that, IMO, is a mistake of the industry.

So, I guess what I'm asking is: why has the industry mixed plug faces?
For years and years the R/V side of the shore power cord was hardwired to the R/V so the only plug that mattered was the pedestal end. The industry came up with the 30a R/V plug to keep R/Vs from being plugged into similar (at the time) dryer and range receptacles.

With the advent of heavy 50a service cords that were tough to wrangle while permanently attached and the R/V industry mimicing the marine industry, they went to twist lock connections for the reasons mentioned previously at the R/V end.

If you need to add an extension cord, the 30a (and the 50a for that matter) extensions are designed to used between the pedestal and the cord and not between the cord and the side of the R/V.

They do plug into themselves but I'm still at a loss why that is so important to the OP?
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:30 PM   #30
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[QUOTE=Gene_M;1712133]The "house" here I am referring to is a brick and mortar house, not the coach.[/QUOTE


you can not plug a 30 amp RV cord into you Brick and mortar house or your portable generator.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:30 PM   #31
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Cavie,
So I can't pick up a 30a 220v cable from my house's standby generator and plug it into the MH, then into the standby generator and cause damage?
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:32 PM   #32
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yes, but ruling out 'every' possible scenario is not possible, either... sometimes common sense has to rule... example:

a great little rv park/campground was found out in the boonies in Alaska during our travel from Anchorage back toward the US/Canada border. It had a very 'rustic' Alaska office/restaurant, a nice meal, good conversation, and even a hot tub for park goers. We paid and was told to find our favorite site(nobody else there but us!) and they were all 15a, with one 30a close to the front area. Of course, we found the 30a site and started setting up for the night.

I went out to hook up - the 30a 'rv' pedestal plug was actually a 30a DRYER plug!

I then relegated us to having to make use of the 15a outlet next door, but quickly found out that it, and all the others, where simply the end of an extension cord coming out of the ground! crazy.

...found out later through a casual conversation with the owner that her 'brother in law' was the 'electrician'.... nice.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:34 PM   #33
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The "house" here I am referring to is a brick and mortar house, not the coach.
right, but I would then ask how close your coach has to be to your house for a shore cord to 'reach in' to where a 30a dryer outlet would be... it would certainly have to be someone with special intentions to do that... it's not just a regular outlet many of us have on the outside of the house that's easy to reach.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:35 PM   #34
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Somewhere on here I've seen side by side photos of the plugs in question. Perhaps that would help.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:37 PM   #35
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Well thanks, there's the one in a million possibility that it CAN happen. If both ends had mating connectors of the 30a 120v RV type it CAN'T happen. Just like you can't plug a standard home extension cord into a 30a receptacle of any type. IMO the way it should be is all I'm saing.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:38 PM   #36
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I haven't tried it yet but I will. No power of course.
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:44 PM   #37
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Originally Posted by Gene_M View Post
Well thanks, there's the one in a million possibility that it CAN happen. If both ends had mating connectors of the 30a 120v RV type it CAN'T happen. Just like you can't plug a standard home extension cord into a 30a receptacle of any type. IMO the way it should be is all I'm saing.
sounds like you'd be better off playing the lottery, at those odds, than changing most of our minds.... : ) enjoy!
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:51 PM   #38
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Yeah, you're probably right. Just being the "devil's advocate"
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Old 01-21-2018, 04:54 PM   #39
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Cavie,
So I can't pick up a 30a 220v cable from my house's standby generator and plug it into the MH, then into the standby generator and cause damage?
I do not believe your standby generator has a 120 volt 30a rv outlet on it. Do not plug you MH into a 30 a 220 outlet on your generator. You will cause much damage. 30 120 volt is different than 30 amp 220 volt. You are prevented from doing this because the plugs do not interchange.
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Old 01-21-2018, 05:12 PM   #40
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Somewhere on here I've seen side by side photos of the plugs in question. Perhaps that would help.
here you go. top line far right.

https://www.google.com/search?q=imag...8xkA8i_0Ep-OM:
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