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[Stephen Swaffer]

A 100 amp plug/receptacle-especially one interlocked to prevent disconnecting under load won't be cheap. But my guess is that if you can afford an RV that needs a 100 amp service (especially given all the new low power LED stuff) you can probably afford the right plug/receptacle combo.

BTW-twistlocks will prevent unintentional disconnects under load-but they won't stop stupid disconnects under load.

[Tim McCulloch]

A 100 amp plug/receptacle-especially one interlocked to prevent disconnecting under load won't be cheap. But my guess is that if you can afford an RV that needs a 100 amp service (especially given all the new low power LED stuff) you can probably afford the right plug/receptacle combo.

BTW-twistlocks will prevent unintentional disconnects under load-but they won't stop stupid disconnects under load.

Mike has mentioned this before, I think, but I'll say this - some the cheapest, most clueless bastards on earth are driving Class A motor homes.  "Can you make that noise stop?"  "Which noise?"  "That incessant beeping."  "Uh... that's your propane leak detector.  Excuse me while I move back 300 feet."

[Jonathan Johnson]

A 100 amp plug/receptacle-especially one interlocked to prevent disconnecting under load won't be cheap. But my guess is that if you can afford an RV that needs a 100 amp service (especially given all the new low power LED stuff) you can probably afford the right plug/receptacle combo.

Remember, some of these people will slap down another $10,000 for a better grade of granite in their kitchens without batting an eye, but will whine about paying an extra $200 for spec-grade receptacles throughout the house instead of the 59 cent backstabs.

When it comes to electrical stuff, there is a perception that if they are allowed to sell it, then it's safe, so there's no difference between one item and another that costs three times as much. What they don't realize is that it's not safe when used outside of it's intended application and duty cycle. A 100A cord and plug connection may be safe for a welder where it's almost certain that it won't be under load when connected/disconnected, but not necessarily for an RV where there is no guarantee that the load will be removed first.

[Jonathan Johnson]

1:4! (that's mathematical notation for '4 factorial' -- 4*3*2*1=24) -- one in 24.

Whoops, that should be one in 12 (2 in 24), since the two line poles can be safely interchanged (assuming 120/240V single phase service).

[Mike Sokol]

Mike has mentioned this before, I think, but I'll say this - some the cheapest, most clueless bastards on earth are driving Class A motor homes.  "Can you make that noise stop?"  "Which noise?"  "That incessant beeping."  "Uh... that's your propane leak detector.  Excuse me while I move back 300 feet."

Tim is right. I see a lot of $100K to $250K motor homes hooked up with a too-small orange extension cord from Home Depot. Or they'll be working on them while powered up with an ungrounded drop light. That's what killed one RV owner in this own front yard. I always advocate that RV owners use the best grade and heaviest power cables available, and never use a damaged cord. The exact same thing goes for sound system operators. A cheap and/or broken power cord can damage your gear and get you killed.   

[Tim McCulloch]

Tim is right. I see a lot of $100K to $250K motor homes hooked up with a too-small orange extension cord from Home Depot. Or they'll be working on them while powered up with an ungrounded drop light. That's what killed one RV owner in this own front yard. I always advocate that RV owners use the best grade and heaviest power cables available, and never use a damaged cord. The exact same thing goes for sound system operators. A cheap and/or broken power cord can damage your gear and get you killed.   

Only $100k?  The clueless asshole with the propane leak was in a $700k+ Marathon conversion on a Prevost chassis.  The story is true.  His propane leak was in the "tailgate" bay with the BBQ grill.  I met him because his 3 wire plug wouldn't mate with the NEMA 14-50 outlet provided on the power stand.  His plug had the neutral and EGC double-lugged to the middle pin...  He wanted me to disconnect "whatever is making that noise" when I was called to replace the cordset plug.

[Mark Cadwallader]

Whoops, that should be one in 12 (2 in 24), since the two line poles can be safely interchanged (assuming 120/240V single phase service).

Why do I get so alert/nervous whenever I hear a sparky say "whoops"?     Mark C.

[Mike Sokol]

Only $100k? 

I once was in a McDonalds getting a little breakfast when some old guy at the counter was ranting and raving that they wanted to charge him $1.39 for coffee when they advertized one-dollar coffee on the door. He stormed out without his coffee, then walked to his Prevost Motorhome pissing and moaning the whole way. I know they start at around half a million bucks, and he was mad about an extra 39 cents.

[Jonathan Johnson]

Whoops, that should be one in 12 (2 in 24), since the two line poles can be safely interchanged (assuming 120/240V single phase service).

Why do I get so alert/nervous whenever I hear a sparky say "whoops"?     Mark C.

Just to set the record straight, I am not a sparky. I just have a deep interest in electrical wiring AND in doing it correctly and safely. My dream job always was to be an electrician, but those stars never aligned. I can actually wire 3-way light switches without a diagram and have them work correctly the first try.

[Jeff Robinson]

Just to set the record straight, I am not a sparky. I just have a deep interest in electrical wiring AND in doing it correctly and safely. My dream job always was to be an electrician, but those stars never aligned. I can actually wire 3-way light switches without a diagram and have them work correctly the first try.

http://www.electrical-online.com/3wayswitch/

What is wong with their picture (aside from assuming you only use 15 amp circuits for lights)?

At least they didn't show other variations that could result in 2 hots on the socket.

Jeff Robinson

[ProSoundWeb Community]