30 Amp Electrical Inlet

opus · 05-12-2011, 10:34 PM

You need 30A service? I just did 20A on mine and get by just fine.

jkindt · 05-12-2011, 10:39 PM

My 30A service is a nice thick power cord with the appropriate plug that goes into the bus through a 'mousehole' hatch. It wires directly into the breaker box. When I tuck the wire into the 'mousehole' it coils up underneath the refridgerator out of the way. Then I pull it out and plug it in. Simple and easy.

I would add pics....but I can't. Attachment quota has been reached. This has been going on for many days and is quite frustrating. Without pics this board is going to become a ghost town!

opus · 05-12-2011, 10:43 PM

Put your pictures on Picase or Flickr, something like that. We'll be waiting.

Redbear · 05-13-2011, 08:59 PM

You need male pins on the bus side for safety, you don't want to use a "receptacle" and risk walking around on wet grass with a double-male "suicide cord" in your hand. But the "waterproof in use" cover, with the big hinged plastic bubble and cord slots on the bottom, would be an acceptable way to make a "mouse hole" to pass a pre-wired cord through.

What I did for my pop-up trailer was remove the heavy and long 30-amp cord, and replace it with a cord and plug just long enough to reach from the breaker panel to the mouse hole. I can plug the trailer in by using a heavy extension cord, and then push the plug and extension end just inside the mouse hole to get it out of the weather. We usually camp at "boondock" type sites with no services, so we save weight and gas by leaving the extension cord at home.

Redbear · 05-14-2011, 03:08 PM

A "Mouse Hole" is campers' slang term for an access hole with a hinged lid that lets you pass the large end of a cord through between inside and outside, and then close it. A sliding cover slides up to expose a notch in the lid that lets the cable through run through it when closed, or slides down to seal the notch for travel, boondocking, or storage. I suppose mice can run up the shoreline from the ground and sneak in through a large opening if it is left uncovered, hence the name.

Camping World lists "cable hatches" for $5.55 for non-members of the discount program:

I think you have the right idea, but the term "receptacle" to those who work with electrical wiring means a female outlet. You always want the female on the source or "hot" side, and male pins on the "load" side. That way, there is never a case where you have exposed metal pins with power on them when the cord is disconnected. If you still want to tempt fate, you need to stick a paper clip or screwdriver into the holes or slots of the receptacle to electrocute yourself.

You can't electrocute yourself (or an unsuspecting friend who wants to help you set up) just by accidentally getting your thumb on bare male pins when picking up the shoreline.

If you can find or fabricate a connector with male pins to sit behind your cover, great. That would be the way to go. Because of the cost, a cheaper way many choose is to have a cord run through the body instead of a more expensive fixed connector on the surface.

Redbear · 05-24-2011, 06:47 AM

Excellent!

i swear by the twist-locks.

lornaschinske · 05-24-2011, 10:53 AM

A word of warning... we had an old Apache pop-up that we remodeled (repeatedly... we just can't stop) and it had a 30 amp power cord. It was such a pain to pull out and replace when it was cold since the heavy cord got very stiff and we often camped in the winter. So we put another end on the cord to that we could unplug from the pop-up and carry the cord inside when traveling. Worked great, just had to remember to plug into the camper first THEN into the shore power. Not a big deal when you take into consideration the sequential steps required to set up a vintage hardsided pop-up. We did find a downside to this setup. We would be in a campground and some idiot kids would pull the locking plug out of the socket on the camper. This not only meant I had to go outside and replug but the end of the power cord (male) was live and in the hands of some moronic children... who were the product of moronic parents. This happened many times over the years while we had the pop-up... at least once every summer. So for any who plan to do a double ended plug, if you are going to have an exposed receptacle (one not behind a locking door) get a female plug/male receptacle. The locking part just keeps the plug from falling out from the weight of the cord (and the weight of the cord WILL pull the plug out if not locked). It does not keep idiots from removing the cord.

We do like the ability to unplug the shore power cord from the RV. We can't do this on the Class C. We will do this on the bus because we have discovered that there are times when we need a "short" power cord and times when we need a longer one. We will be using the heavy cord we used as an "extension" cord on the welder and dryer. It's too long to run without splitting it. So one short cord and one long cord. We will also have all our hoses,cords routed "down" rather than out the sides. This alleviates the stress in the fittings from having to make a 90 degree turn and the access panels will have locks on them. We have learned a few things in over 30 years of camping/RVing.

Regarding locks.... you all do know that those little cam locks that have keys with numbers on them like "CH751" and similar number (I think there are three) will fit ALL other locks that take the same numbered key. The tumblers are often labeled with the key designation... just to make things easier on you (or thieves). Nice and... secure?

GreyEagle · 05-27-2011, 09:07 AM

Just a word of warning!!
ALL stick and staple units come standard with the "CH751" lock on the cargo/storage doors......... Everyone with a camper, 5th wheel or motorhome will have a key that fits your lock.... If you shop around you can find replacement locks with a different key number...

Bobholthaus · 06-15-2011, 05:24 PM

Thank you guys for this post. I just wired my bus with the flip up type cover that is mentioned here, but since I bought all of my supplies at Home Depot, I did make a "suicide cord" (actually two of them, one 30 amp locking and one 15 amp standard plug) that I will redo this weekend. After I did it (about a week ago), I thought that I should have put a male at least on the 15 side so that I could use an extension cord for 110v power in the bus when I was parked in my driveway (this is just a party bus and won't be used for camping or sleeping). So anyway, thank you for the advice. Now I have to find a male plug end to wire into a standard electrical box; I'm thinking home depot only carries the females "outlets" and not the male outlets. I'll check and see. If not, then I will have to go with a marinco like the one pictured in this thread. Thanks!

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