Question Turning breakers off at pedestal prior to connecting/disconnecting?

[Neal]

I've heard the myth about turning the breaker off at the pedestal prior to connecting/disconnecting my power cord. I wonder if this really is a myth and if in fact we are doing more harm than good to our own campgrounds. Maybe @Deer Springs RV Park can also chime in to see what they've heard to protect the longevity of their electrical components.

If we are cycling breakers are we wearing them out and causing the problems we often see? Point being, the outlets in our house, including 240V dryer outlets, are always on. We have never heard in a residential environment to turn off a breaker prior to connecting anything. Outlets are "always on". So did someone spread some bad myth that many of us are adhering to that shouldn't? Also, when at Newmar this last week, the tech never turned the breaker off when connecting/disconnecting also adding to my doubt of this myth.

I've heard the "myth" about arcing, or whatever. I'm just not sure I believe it.

 

[NWIP]

I think this is overall a safety issue, I was jus recently at a park that all pedestals had label warning “shock hazard, turn breaker off prior to connecting”.

 

[Neal]

I think this is overall a safety issue, I was jus recently at a park that all pedestals had label warning “shock hazard, turn breaker off prior to connecting”.

Makes sense, haven't seen that before.

 

[RandyB]

At one park, I was trying to pull the cord from the receptacle on the shore power post. It was a particularly hard pull. To get a better grip, I started to wrap my fingers just around the cord head, not immediately thinking about the proximity of my finger tips to the hot blades of the plug. The very moment that vision came to light, I've been a proponent of tripping the circuit breaker at the pedestal before plugging in and before disconnecting.

Please, please, please trip the circuit breaker before handling the cord end. For your safety.

 

[redbaron]

A breaker is cheap.

A ride in an ambulance is not.

 

[FL-JOE]

I guess I don't care if it shortens a campgrounds breakers life or not. I don't like being shocked by electrical current and certainly don't want to get hit by a 50amp circuit. There have been several times I have had to hook up utilities while standing in wet areas either during a rain shower or after. Imagine getting a shot of juice when standing in a puddle.

I'm with Randy, please make sure the breaker is off before plugging in or unplugging. Then it will also be safe for the next camper.

 

[docj]

In the UK where the household voltage is 240V and the typical plug is fairly large and easy to grab onto, most, if not all, wall outlets are equipped with switches so you can turn the power off before inserting or removing a plug. On the European continent the two-pin receptacles are recessed so that it's nearly impossible to touch a live conductor. It's my understanding that there are a mix of grounded receptacles in use in Europe but they, also, use recessing the socket to prevent touching a live pin.

It would seem that we're in the minority with respect to having 240V outlets with no active protection to prevent contact with a live wire. Turning off the outlet before connecting or disconnecting has always made sense to me.

 

[Texas Clodhopper]

I often see the female plug on the pedestal with burn marks from arcing. I always turn the breaker off when connecting and disconnecting.

 

[Gronk]

I often see the female plug on the pedestal with burn marks from arcing. I always turn the breaker off when connecting and disconnecting.

That would be the reason to turn off the breaker. MOST household appliances do not have a much of a load on them when they are plugged in. RVs can have a 15+ amp load when plugged in. That little "tick" you hear when you plug in or unplug without shutting the breaker off is an arc. That causes little pits and can add metal from one side to the other (think welder). That in turn starts to cause higher and higher resistance and it will get to the point of burning contact surfaces and has the potential to literally weld the plug to the outlet. That is also the cause of a plug feeling warm to hot to the touch. A breaker is designed to switch under load, so your cord and the outlet will thank you for using the breaker as a switch.

 

[J&JD]

There are no puddles or wet grass in your home (usually). I’m a believer in plugging in with the breaker off.

 

[Just George]

I'm turn the breaker off before connection and off prior to disconnect camp. However on the initial connection the coach has very little current draw since I'm running the power through a Progressive Industries EMS. If I plug into a hot 50A receptacle the EMS is the only thing on since it has a ~ 2 min delay to "qualify" the power before connecting the power to the transfer switch. Now on disconnect there could be significant power being applied particularly if I forget to shut down the air conditioners, and / or hot Oasis elements.

 

[RKins]

On the flip side, if you run something like a Progressive HW50C, it gives you like 20 seconds after plugin before it connect the inside to the outside. I try to remember to turn off the pedestal but don't all the time. Thankful for the HW50C protecting me.

 

[Joe Hogan]

Paragraph 3 covers breakers but entire article is useful

How To Protect Your RV Electrical! RV Surge Protectors – All About RVs

allaboutrvsinfo.com

 

[GypsyR]

I pulled my 50 amp cord from my socket Installed at home "live" one time. I don't recall the AC's being on or anything but it made a mighty ZAP that put me on my butt from surprise and I indeed saw an arc. Maybe it was a one time thing because of something I don't know about but you can bet your boots I work that breaker EVERY time nowadays.