For those of us who do not have an electric cable reel, and still have the big round Hubble-type twist plug:
A while ago we remove our problematic 50-amp twist plug and installed SmartPlug which we continue to feel it is one of the best changes we have made. SmartPlug design is much safer and secure as it will not inadvertently loosen causing overheating or maybe worse.
We read Greg Gerber's RV Daily Report free newsletter and saw that SmartPlug was mentioned, so here it is:
SmartPlug makes 50-amp RVs safer | RV Daily Report (http://rvdailyreport.com/products/smartplug-makes-50-amp-rvs-safer/)
This week's Top 50 stories impacting the RV industry & campgrounds (http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?m=1101954599382&ca=7f68895f-9bd7-40d0-8d6f-b9eaf29c4b6d)
Is this a dedicated male plug that only works for a dedicated female recepticale at your home. Or can it be used in campgrounds? It appears to be a non NEMA plug
SmartPlug is at the motorhome end of the shore power cable. It has nothing to do with campground pedestal end.
I can't believe we did this great upgrade 3 years ago. Everytime we plug in, I am reminded how much safer we now are:
New style Smartplug shore cable plug (http://www.foreforums.com/index.php?topic=21830.0)
Shore Power Cable Installation[/url] Here is more than you asked about:
SmartPlug 50 Amp Shore Power Cable Installation (http://beamalarm.com/Documents/Modifications/smartplug_50_amp_shore_power_cable_installation.html)
It isn't cheap!
FYI,for you future Quartsite enthusiasts, they had the plugs at a show price in the tent.
It is very cheap compared to having an overheated twist plug fail to keep coach safe.
This is quality, 3 locks, positive large connections.
Drawing high amps through a worn, loose Hubble-type twist connector is walking on the wild side.
There is nothing else as an alternative. Check the price of a new Hubble connector (which is not constructed a well as SmartPlug).
Barry,have been looking at those, lets say one gets a plug and socket for the 50 amp cord, what do they have to use with a 30 amp cord do you have to get another plug?
What do you mean by 30 amp cord? Most use a 50-female to 30-male adapter on the campground pedestal end of the shore cable to connect to lower amp outlets. We also carry 30-female to 20-male adapters. Using 50 amp cable with adapters when connecting to 30 amp outlets eliminates voltage drops because of the larger wire size for the long shore cable.
Each separate shore cable will require another SmartPlug female connector. Every round female twist will be replaced with a SmartPlug.
---Original Message-----
I have a yellow heavy cord ,50amp,this will take one new plug to plug into the new receptacle.
Right now I am using a 30 amp cord and an adaptor to plug into the house,I do not need 50 amps to charge the batteries and run
one ac.
So if you go to rv parks that only have 30 amp why drag the heavy cord out when you can use a lighter cord ,all I am asking is if
they have a plug to utilize the 2nd cord.
You answered the question, they only have one type of plug.
SmartPlug has both 30A and 50A versions. The two are not the same. As I recall, Bluebird Wanderlodges used to have both 30A and 50A plugs. If you were at a place where only 30A was available you used the 30A cord and connection. If you had 50A available you used the 50A cord and connection. Yes, you carried two cords.
My suggestion is that you install the 50A SmartPlug connection and change the end of your cord to match. The other end of the cord (the part that plugs into the power pedestal) won't change. If you have an older cord that is heavy and stiff, you may want to consider getting a newer cord. I'm looking at going to an electrical store and getting a new length of 50A cable that is both lighter and more flexible, then buying both new ends. The SmartPlug takes care of one of the issues I want to correct in that the cord will be at the bottom of that connector, rather than in-line. That will have the cord pointing down instead of out. Then I will change the other end to a right-angle connection, too, so that the cover on the power pedestal can close.
The budget may not allow me to buy both the new cord and the SmartPlug at the same time, so I may buy the cord stuff and prepare it one month and then the next month get the SmartPlug.
Yes on the bird hookup. Plus they had a junction box to plug in a 30 and 20 amp to a box that had a 50 amp out plug.
Used to make then up for my owners long ago..
John, I think I got it. You have two shore cables, one heavy 50-amp and one lighter 30-amp.
One has a 30-amp campground male plug and the other has a 50-amp male campground plug.
Do they both have similar 50-amp female twist connectors on the coach end, so they can connect to the only coach bay wall mounted 50-amp male? If this is what you have, we have something similar, and purchased a 2nd female 50-amp connector for the smaller cable.
SmartPlug also has 30-amp male/female, but I cannot see how you could use it for the coach end.
To answer the why drag out the heavy cord: Actually using a smaller cord can be easier to handle.
Without some appliance management, which includes battery charger, microwave, roof airs, space heaters, hair dryers, toasters, etc, it is easy to draw 20-30 amps at one time. What usually happens with higher amp draws over any long cord there will be some voltage drop from pedestal to coach. Some drop is acceptable, but any voltage drop can shorten life of motors.
Having a under voltage control like Progressive Industries EMS will also be a safeguard from too much voltage drops. Surge control offers no protection from voltage drops.
50-amp shore connections can safely supply 100-amps, so the difference is 70-amps more than a 30-amp shore connection. Usually we never draw near the max on 50-amp cords, but could easily draw near the max of 30-amp cord.
We drag out the 50-amp when plugged into 30 or 20 amp campground pedestals to minimize voltage drops. For your home storage with only battery charger as the big draw, a 20 amp cord can do it. Often times during storage, the power outlet is far away and the extra-long smaller cord will contribute to some voltage drop. The more amps being drawn, the more the voltage can drop.
I agree with most of your comments, but this part has me confused. Every picture of the SmartPlug that I see shows the cord in-line the same way as my current Marinco/Hubble style connector. I can't seem to find any example that has the cord at 90 degrees down, which I agree would be very desirable.
Would you point out an image where you saw the cord at the bottom of the connector? Thanks.
Bill, I thought I had seen one, but I can't find it now. Too bad, because that's what I really want. I'll keep looking.
David,
Thanks for the update. I didn't see one anywhere, but just thought I had missed it.
I think the discussion about plug's cable direction is really about comparing the original twist connector to the new style SmartPlug.
Both shore cables come out of the plug the same way, but SmartPlug has an advantage here.
SmartPlug is held into the coach wall Inlet with two positive side clips and a top cover latch that keeps the plug from moving even a little. SmartPlug also fits deeper into the inlet. A cord pulling down on the plug will not move the SmartPlug. So the electrical connection is not compromised by a tugging cable.
Cannot say that about Hubbell-twist-type plug, which can rotate loose from cable movement. In fact that was one of the problems I had with Hubbell, just moving our shore cable a little, even many feet from motorhome gave our twist permission to un-twist a little. And a little rotation is a loss of a lot of electrical copper contact, which if drawing a lot of amps can cause Hubble overheating from the poor contact.
Maybe this is what was meant by the SmartPlug cable direction advantage