Electrical issues - sign of the times?

[Neal]

Small sample size but so far of my 4 CG's visited I've had power issues at two of them. First one was a crowded CG on Sunday and I can't think of any unusual demand I caused, washer/dryer not running, AC's were running, can't remember if I was using the Microwave but doubt it. I was at end of the row in what appeared to be a full section of the CG for motorhomes. Other side of the CG was minimally occupied, that was the 30A or lower area.

I stopped at a KOA in Newport, TN and as soon as I get the convection oven going bam, the entire row goes down. I called the office, it was late, around 7:30 and they said they'd get maintenance to look which never happened. I requested a refund which they were granting even before I asked, so she said (I need to check that by the way). I really didn't need the power, it was an over night pit stop for rest. I ran the Gen for dinner cooking and that's it, ran it again in the morning for coffee and breakfast which I probably didn't need to do but as SOC was down to 80% it was probably a safe bet. As I was packing up the maintenance guy showed up, this was his first day, he said the electrical system was installed in the 70's and can't handle the demands of today. They are going to be redoing a lot of things with new CG ownership.

With RVing at peak, is this going to be the new norm? I'm very aware of my electrical demands now which I probably shouldn't have to be. I'll turn off things I don't need to avoid getting over 40A on the pedestal, i.e. electric elements off (OASIS) etc. I'm hoping this was just a fluke and two sub standard CG's, one of which I've frequented several times pre-Gaffney. Anyone else experiencing stressed electrical grids at campgrounds?

 

[sheridany]

It seems I read about this all the time happening to more people with the influx of new rv’ers and parks cant handle it. Did you have your Hughes voltage booster plugged in? I am not an a electrician but doesn‘t it add wear and tear to the electrical components in your RV’s having these shutdowns?

 

[Neal]

Yes, the Hughes Autoformer is interior mounted next to my cord reel and is always on and in use. I don't know the impact of electrical loss, in my opinion it's hard when anything electrical goes on or off either normally or abnormally, that's how things fail. This is why I leave my refrigerator on in storage, etc.

 

[AbdRahim]

I only had this happen a few times over the last 5 years. It happened in the middle of the night in Elkhart. I was glad I was there and not away from the MH for an extended period. It was not and outage but a suggested or brown out, enough to trip the breaker at the pole. It only happened once during that month. Most places have been very good. The place that I first had this happen back in 2015, has now upgraded their electrical system.

 

[J&JD]

Small sample size but so far of my 4 CG's visited I've had power issues at two of them. First one was a crowded CG on Sunday and I can't think of any unusual demand I caused, washer/dryer not running, AC's were running, can't remember if I was using the Microwave but doubt it. I was at end of the row in what appeared to be a full section of the CG for motorhomes. Other side of the CG was minimally occupied, that was the 30A or lower area.

I stopped at a KOA in Newport, TN and as soon as I get the convection oven going bam, the entire row goes down. I called the office, it was late, around 7:30 and they said they'd get maintenance to look which never happened. I requested a refund which they were granting even before I asked, so she said (I need to check that by the way). I really didn't need the power, it was an over night pit stop for rest. I ran the Gen for dinner cooking and that's it, ran it again in the morning for coffee and breakfast which I probably didn't need to do but as SOC was down to 80% it was probably a safe bet. As I was packing up the maintenance guy showed up, this was his first day, he said the electrical system was installed in the 70's and can't handle the demands of today. They are going to be redoing a lot of things with new CG ownership.

With RVing at peak, is this going to be the new norm? I'm very aware of my electrical demands now which I probably shouldn't have to be. I'll turn off things I don't need to avoid getting over 40A on the pedestal, i.e. electric elements off (OASIS) etc. I'm hoping this was just a fluke and two sub standard CG's, one of which I've frequented several times pre-Gaffney. Anyone else experiencing stressed electrical grids at campgrounds?

We have only had it happen 4 or 5 times in over 15 years of Rving. Once was recently in Moss Landing when a car took out the power pole for the whole neighborhood. The homes and restaurants were out of luck. All of us Rvers just turned on our generators. There was no power for about 8 hours!

 

[FLSteve]

We have only had a power loss several times over the past 5 years or so and it is usually a bad or weak 50 amp breaker in the pedestal. Last time it was at Disney's Fort Wilderness and they had it changed out in 15 minutes after my call to the office.

FLSteve

 

["EZ"]

We've been lucky so far I guess. It hasn't happened to us yet.

 

[FL-JOE]

Over the past 10 years we have had it occur maybe 3 times. Each time it was either 50 to 60 year old wiring (some aluminum) underground at CG or a weak breaker.

 

[Scotttkd2]

First and second campground we went to with new to us coach had electrical issues. Autoformer was boosting in both, and eventually went to a L1 leg red light, but still passed power, and my second opinion dogbone surge indicator indicated green light. Contacted Hughes, sent them photos and they sent me a replacement surge module. I was carrying a replacement module and plugged it in, back to all green lights. I ordered another spare and now carry two. Latest campground no issues, and Autoformer indicates all green lights.

I agree, as more larger rigs are being sold, campgrounds need to update to keep up with the demand. Wishful thinking though.

 

[91CavGT]

This was a BIG factor when we were looking for a park to full time. The park we chose has separate 15 amp, 30 amp, and 50 amp outlets at each pedestal in every spot in the entire park! This weekend they had a horseshoe tournament with MANY more big RVs than normal. I’ll admit that I was concerned about power, and water pressure, but to my delight there were no issues.

 

[bpaikman]

Yes, the Hughes Autoformer is interior mounted next to my cord reel and is always on and in use. I don't know the impact of electrical loss, in my opinion it's hard when anything electrical goes on or off either normally or abnormally, that's how things fail. This is why I leave my refrigerator on in storage, etc.

What is a Hughes autoformer? If leave your refrigerator on in storage what is it running on?

 

[sheridany]

Voltage regulator/booster if power level at the park dips. They are great in a park where the power is concerning. They come with a built in surge protector.