CRITICAL RV Fire Hazard EVERY RV Owner Needs To Know! (PLUS Cheap Fix)

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

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[@DrBob64]

I’ve been camping for over 45 years and I still learn new things all the time. Most people will never have problems with their electrical cords, but now they will know better what to check and how to fix it if it occurs. I’m thankful for people like Tom who shares the good and bad sides of RVing. His videos are very informative and he is a very humble person for sharing his problems with all of us. He never claims to have all the answers. Cut people some slack. He used his misfortune as a learning opportunity to be shared with others.

[@GlennMay1970]

I have been RVing my entire life. I have only been using surge protector for ~3 years or so. Unfortunately on August 15th I was in a park in Barre MA and took what we believe to be a neutral loss in the main wire which took out my 5th wheel completely. It was burned to the ground. You should protect yourself in multiple ways. Surge protector, autoformer and perhaps even a 2nd surge protector. I don't know how much it would have taken to correct this but most definitely be careful. Also be sure you have fire extinguishers and know how your getting out. We got lucky. We had just left the rig and we're about 15 minutes down the road. Lower power does cause heat and busted components like refrigerator control modules and converters. So the autoformer will help with that.

[@Razamanaz77]

The metal ring on top of the watchdog that is hooked to the cable is where you want to run your cable through and then do several wraps around the pedestal to make your lock tight and can’t pull it up and over, hope that helps. And Hughes also offers a watchdog sticker that goes over the front of the unit to dim the lighting I believe for like 8 bucks. I actually installed a hardwired unit in one of my bays no hanging off the pedestal.

[@BK-dv1hh]

Been RVing for nearly 50 years and have learned the hard way that the biggest reason the cord caps get burnt and cause problems is plugging in to the pedestal when the power is “hot”, or turned on. When introducing the cord into the power source it creates an arcing until the prongs are fully seated. Always have the power source circuits off before plugging in. Also have installed an internal electrical management system replacing the portable one. Just so much less to worry about, theft, or leaving it behind, etc. Happy trails, enjoy your videos.

[@sued115]

You can have this installed inside your camper for security. We did that and no worries about it getting stolen.

[@robertnasser9937]

I installed the internal watchdog and love it

[@GlennMay1970]

I have been RVing part time for almost 40 years and a little more than 3 full time. This is the most important thing you can possibly listen to. I recently suffered a catastrophic power surge that caused a total loss of my full time RV. I was using a surge protector but not a high grade one. The park also had some of the worst power I have ever seen it degraded very very quickly. Never plug into a park without a protector and even more so an autoformer alongside of it.

[@sgtfully]

Safety first. RV’s are great but there are risks. Tons of dangers if you don’t know what you’re doing. Love the guys at e-trailer always doing the right thing and keeping us informed, and thanks to you Tom for relaying this important info.

[@DrBob64]

You can wrap your lock chain around the pedestal tightly so that they can’t pull it up over the pedestal. The door on the pedestal will block it from just slipping over the top. Now if they are smart thieves, they will unplug the Watchdog from the pedestal first, close the lid and slide it your chain off the pedestal. For peace of mind, I installed mine inside the rig. It would take a lot to steal it and I never forget to grab my surge protector when I leave. I check the pedestal with a stand alone plug tester before I ever plug into a pedestal. One time the pedestal was wired backwards and it told me. The maintenance man came and rewired the pedestal and we were back in business. I have the Progressive EMS 50 amp built in surge protector and I mounted the display in the cabinet with all my controls. It tells me the voltage on both legs and the amps I am using on each leg. I don’t have to look at my phone or go outside to see if there is an error code etc.

[@TomCurrie-j2t]

A sweater elbow patch dims the bright Power Watchdog light perfectly. To be clear, the patch has adhesive and is fabric.

[@larrymurnane1545]

We have a hardwired progressive. We experienced high voltage, low voltage, bad neutrals, and never had electrical problems with appliances. We're in Newfoundland now and some campgrounds electric aren't that great. 30 amp at most. And old. If the plug goes bad, just cut it off and replace the end of the cord. Cut the end of the portable and there may not be enough cord to replace.

[@davidleon3588]

Thank You for Sharing !😊

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

You are so welcome!

[@USA-sx1xi]

Man, that's good to know. Thank you, guys.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

You are welcome!

[@Capt-John-T-Moore]

Never plug your power cord into any pedestal with the breaker turns on or anything in the Rv like a/c, refrigerator or water heater anything that uses 120v. If there is anything needing power at the instant you plug into a receptacle. High voltage arcing occurs and over time this causes the connections to become loose and then more arcing occurs then melting and eventually an electrical fire. This is my method of hooking up our Rv. Breaker at pedestal in off position. Plug in Hughes Power Watchdog. Turn on breaker and check out pedestal for clean power. Flip off breaker. Then go inside my Rv flip off main breaker in the distribution box. Go back out side and connect shore power cord to surge protector making sure of secure connection (plugged all the way in. Then flip pedestal breaker back on. Then go turn the main breaker in the distribution box back on. You might say this is over kill, but if you have ever survived an electrical fire onboard a boat. Then you understand. Experience is a great teacher if you survive the lesson!

[@GlennMay1970]

Great advice!!!!

[@bobdavison8304]

Hughes Autoformers, maker of the Power Watchdog, makes this, PWD-EPO Dimmer Shade, you can put over the face of the unit and it diminishes the bright light so it isn't so bright. It's available on their website.

[@patriciaforster3421]

I have the Watchdog and love it. You can get an adjustable cable at Buckee’s.

[@SteveDodson-l8n]

Yep - I have a 30 amp Power Watchdog for my TC and think they are the best. I taped a piece of cardboard over the bulldog and only left his ears exposed to watch and make sure it stays white (which is OK) and not red (indicates a problem). I enjoy your videos!

[@billpenning2256]

Awesome tip thank you so much

[@williamfry6087]

I have the 30amp WatchDog. Works well.

[@CartersTrail]

Power Watchdog is excellent; best to get the permanently-wired one so you don't have to worry about theft. Pretty easy to install.

[@ThePerfectSeason1972]

Nice video, thanks for sharing it.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for watching!

[@LoCleTXRV]

We decide to go with the hardwired version, so it was not visible outside by the power pole.

[@shannanbegley8189]

Scary, thanks for sharing!

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for watching!

[@kevinking4371]

I just watched your video and feel that some correction is needed. There are other brands that have the replaceable module. My Progressive Industries is installed inside so the potential for theft or forgetting it at the pedestal is reduced. It also eliminates one more connection in your power cord that is exposed to rain and moisture. Having only the power cord end rather than the additional connection between the power cord and surge protector eliminates that.

[@EVoltage00]

Power watchdog will do nothing to stop the plug from burning. You would need an arc fault protection device to do that. I will say their new design is a big improvement. It has a covered receptacle to plug your cord into. Since moisture and dirt intrusion is the main cause of this failure, the covered receptacle should help prevent that.

[@kimsomerville8692]

I put a padlock through the hoop that holds the lid in place on the pedestal with a piece of chain and another padlock to the Watchdog. I’ve heard people will send kids out to steal them and this will keep that from happening the metal that you’re putting the padlock on is very thin and could be cut with no problem, keep the people honest lol

[@rebeccamcclellan5284]

I've been using the power watch dog for the last 3 years. I downloaded the app but seldom use it. I put a padlock on the outlet box and haven't had any issues yet.

[@kwhit6537]

I have the Watch Dog that is hard wired in my Class A

[@danapicray9040]

We just replaced our plug and recieptical on the side of our fifth wheel. Our surge protector is hard wired inside with a digital readout on our wall. The connection just got loose and heated up.

[@davidwilliams5825]

There’s a clam shell that clamps around the electric umbilical cord and power surge plugs then padlocked together. A chain around the electric pedestal and padlocked to the power surge cord can work also. Both will help honest people stay honest.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Thanks for sharing!

[@kayleen9110]

Just buy a new one!

[@r8edrv4fun65]

Pulling too much current through the loose connector, like a microwave and two AC units for a minute.

[@benhancock1408]

But, all replacement ends are not equal in quality. I bought what I thought was a good one for my 30 amp cord. As it turns out, the mail prongs were really short and just barely made contact in the plug.

[@EVoltage00]

Agreed! I bought a Camco replacement end for my 50A cord and it was junk.

[@andystewart1580]

Part Number: SM76FR etrailer is what I used.

[@SteveDodson-l8n]

I know the feeling!

[@BigGuyIn_aLittleBoat]

Quit wiggling your electrical connections to get them out. Pull your connections straight out.

[@lou-anntedesco2567]

Is there anything that can stop someone from unplugging your electric or water?

[@kayleen9110]

How about a good yell lol

[@lou-anntedesco2567]

@@kayleen9110 Lol

[@johnhines3591]

RV 101, If plug is loose or outlet is damaged, don't use it. Another reason to carry dogbone adapters. Have seen 30 amp socket that was broken. Chunks missing. Plugged into 50 amp. This is something you should have learned the first 6 months of rving. End of that cord should have been replaced a long time ago.

[@EnjoyTheJourneyLife]

Great tips, thanks for sharing!

[@DrBob64]

Kind of a negative comment to make. We learn from others, like Tom who is willing to show what happened to him and the fix.

[@johnhines3591]

@@DrBob64 Would have thought after years of full time rving, giving advice to others, he would know a little about this. I'm still a bit of a novice to all this, but if it looks bad, don't use it.

[@billstackpole3494]

I haven’t seen your videos in a while. You don’t come up on my feed anymore 😡

[@peterdejoseph5197]

Where are you staying that someone would steal your watchdog. I have a camera facing my pedestal