How to test RV power pedestals before plugging in!

[@jacqueslemieux1802]

I use a surge protector. Plug it in and turn on pedestal and wait for the o.k. sign. If no signal, no plugging in the rig. Return to office. The best protectors also protect from power drops…brownouts.

[@robh063]

Every time I've tested a pedestal, they fail miserably. They don't get one multiple choice or true false question right. Seriously, this is a great tip for those not familiar with electricity. Multimeters have so many uses in a RV

[@patbullard9276]

These are excellent tips. I use a progressive industries 50 amp power management system. Before I hook up the power to the RV I first make sure the breaker is off. I then attach the pms then turn the breaker on and the pms cycles through telling me if the power on both legs is correct. It also tells if there is any reverse polarity, bad ground or other problems. Then turn breaker off and connect RV and turn breaker on. This gives me the checks that you have described.

[@r8edrv4fun65]

Now I'm interested in the training.

[@WILDEBILL308]

You are absolutely right. You need to check the pedestals before plugging in! I go a step further I constantly monitor the power with my old Surge Guard 34750. It will shut off power automatically if it drops outside of the correct limits. The good thing is it will turn power back on if/when conditions improve. It has saved me several times. The problem with just checking it once is things/conditions can and do change.

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

the extra step can be so helpful. thanks for sharing.

[@WILDEBILL308]

@@NationalRVTrainingAcademy Thank you for explaining to the new people the importance of checking your power. I would never plug in without checking.

[@Robert-zb5ep]

Todd is the go-to RV guy!!!

[@danielmueller564]

Todd's 2 Minute Tech Tip Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday!

[@danielmueller564]

two minutes till Todd's 2 Minute Tech Tip Tuesday!

[@19Clutch69]

Love it.wish the camera zoomed in

[@TheCorporateCollege]

While I use a surge protector, this still good knowledge, Thank you.

[@freeatlast8282]

Fantastic video... ONE QUESTION not covered.... how do you test for a broken/missing/open neutral at the pedestal? My surge protector says that's a problem where I am and won't allow any power through. I'd like to know how to check for it BEFORE I plug in from now on.

[@paulbellows4994]

I do all of the checks plus hot to hot, should read 240vac plus or minus a few volts. If it reads 0vac than the second hot is piggy backed from the first, not giving you separate 120vac feeds. Might not supply all of the power needs. This is for 50A only.

[@projet2907]

Excellent, Thank You !!

[@Muddinguy]

I like the green indicator lights on our autoformer but this is good info to have..

[@carllunsted1617]

For a couple of dollars at the hardware store you can pick up a tester that you can plug into the 20 amp outlet and it will tell you if it’s working correctly. Just plug it in and the lights on it will tell you if it’s reversed polarity, open ground, open neutral etc. Very handy very easy to use.

[@ironpig701]

Which is great but an rv doesnt use 20 amps. so its kinda ineffective

[@carllunsted1617]

@@ironpig701 Very true, but it does give you an instant initial look at what’s going on in the pedestal, and folks do use the outlet.

[@ironpig701]

@@carllunsted1617 no it gives you whats going on at the 20 amp outlet. Thats it. It tells you zero about the 30 or 50. Each outlet has its own ground and neutral so it they are wrong/crossed/gone then you have an issue. You cannot see this unless you test each one by itself.

[@carllunsted1617]

@@ironpig701 When did I ever say you’re testing the 30 or 50 amp outlet by testing the 20. I said for a couple bucks you can get a very easy tool to test the 20 amp outlet that’s it.

[@allan6021]

With a 30A male to 15A female dog-bone adapter you can use an inexpensive 15A tester to check the 30A receptacle on the pedestal. That’s what I did before we got our 50A fifth wheel.

[@anotherjoe5675]

Excellent tutorial... And we've had at least one experience with bad power at an RV park... But I wouldn't want to squat down, poke test leads into an outlet and try to read digital display on a multimeter and then make a decision on whether or not to plug in the RV... For about $30 on Amazon you can buy a plug-in 50A circuit tester with idiot lights that will give you a pass or fail indication in a few seconds...

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

You had us at idiot lights....thanks for your comment!

[@robertosgood961]

I know this might sound like a dumb question, but are the breakers on when testing? I'll take my dope slap if deserved... lol My wife and I have rv'd for 25 years, but always off grid, no experience with checking pedestals.

[@allan6021]

I used to use a multimeter all the time to do this but then I discovered that Progressive Industries makes their RRT-50 50A circuit tester. It’s a bit pricey for what it is but its so much easier to use than a multimeter for this pedestal test. If you have a 30A camper you can use a 30 to 15 adapter and an inexpensive 15/20 amp circuit tester. I still take the multimeter when we go camping but its only needed for diagnostics, not checking the pedestal. I have Progressive Industries’ EMS-HW50C hard wired in my fifth wheel to continuously check for poor power conditions. We see low voltage fairly regularly. Never see a surge. So, IMO, a simple surge protector is of little value.

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

absolutely. the video is showing how these testers are verifying. We definitely recommend the monitoring devices every time.

[@mrsnookdeb]

That's not confusing at all! I'll stick with my surge protector

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

always good to learn though.

[@dme2453]

What about a range of what is safe voltage? Too high, too low?

[@Lloyd_TX]

What was the particular name of the multimeter used in this video? I figure if Todd uses it, it must be good. There was another discussion where others talked about the multimeter with the clamp-on ammeter, but still didn't mention (or I didn't see) what the model was that Todd was using.

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

The one in the video was a Fluke

[@projet2907]

I have fluctuating voltage at my pedestal in a rv Park. maybe it's normal? 120 goes down to 114V at times,,

[@mikekilgore4887]

What is the preferred multi-meter to use when/if I take he RV tech course? What model Fluke is Todd using in the video?

[@kevinpepe9101]

I personally feel it is easier and safer to just use a surge protector. They check polarity and protect the trailer components from surges.

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

I totally get what you are saying, however, the video is for those who may not know but wouldn’t mind learning. gadgets are great but they don’t teach you what’s going on. that’s what I am doing.

[@Jimmy_Jim_Jim_1234]

@@NationalRVTrainingAcademy Thanks for your service to RV'ers!

[@marksommers6764]

A 30 amp plug in a pedestal faild me miserably when a 220V leak let the smoke out of my coach !

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

So sorry to hear that!

[@robh063]

When you checked voltage on the 50 amp plug, is there a reason you used the neutral (bottom) rather than the ground (top)?

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

You check both. Hot to neutral then hot to ground. If you don’t see voltage on one of the test then that will let you know you gage an open line.

[@st6795]

I test the power prior to doing anything.

[@keithnorris8982]

Any suggestions on what is an adequate multi meter to purchase. Thanx, -keith

[@bruceh3786]

Check out the Innova 3320. It is an auto ranging meter for about $30 on Amazon. It has good accuracy from a couple of reviews I read and and the features you would need for a DYI general purpose meter for your RV. I have three (home base, travel trailer and truck) and have given them as gifts to family and no problems. You may be surprised at how often you will end up using it once you get one. I think they are a requirement for the electrical based modern RV.

[@keithnorris8982]

@@bruceh3786 The 3320 does not have the "Lobster Claws" at the top. What are they used for and do I need them? Thank you for your feedback. -keith

[@bruceh3786]

@@keithnorris8982 No, you do not need that type of meter for what he was doing in the video or for other volt meter functions. The meter he was using is a combination of two meters in one package, a multimeter (or volt meter) and a clamp on amp meter. The meter I mentioned is just a multimeter. It measures voltage (volt meter) plus some other stuff (multimeter). The clamp on amp meter measures the current flowing through a wire by clamping the jaws over the wire. That information can be very important depending on what you are trying to find out. It is not a factor for the pedestal testing shown here. I have a clamp on amp meter but it is a separate tool and I think that is better than a combo meter. I am not familiar with the meter in the video but generally, amp meters with big jaws like that are intended more for home and commercial wiring dealing with higher amperage. They usually are unable to read the low amps that are more common in many parts of an RV or vehicle. Also a lot of them only read AC amps, not DC which is widely used in an RV or vehicle. Additionally, the large jaws make it difficult to clamp around a wire in tight spaces. The clamping to the box was done as a convenience to hold the meter in an easy to read location but it was not measuring anything. It is not uncommon for a tool marketed as a multimeter or as an amp meter to also have the ability to masure amps or volts but it is usually very basic functionality. The Innova meter I mentioned can measure amps but the meter has to be part of the circuit and the amps (current flow) has to be low. It is not near as useful as a separate clamp on amp meter that is small in size, can easily be clamped over a wire, can measure both AC and DC, and can measure low amp rates when addressing RV elecrical issues. Here is a practical example of using both. Let's say the water pump in the RV is running very slow. That indicates a possible low battery. At that point you would turn of all large DC loads then check the battery by setting the multimeter dial to DC voltage and put one probe on the main positive post and the other probe on the main negative post of the battery or batteries to get a voltage reading. Normally voltage of a full 12 volt battery at rest is around 12.7 volts. Let's say the voltage reading is 10.8 volts, indicating a very low battery. At that point you may want to check if it is getting a charge from the converter. Here you would use the clamp on amp meter to clamp over the positive or the negative wire or wires going either into or out of the battery to see if there is any current flow and how much. If ther is no current then it could be a bad converter, no AC current going into the converter or a blown fuse on the DC side between the converter vert and battery or batteries. This is just a very basic example. If I could just have one it would be the multimeter however it is best to have both. Once you gain and understanding of amps, volts and watts (amps X volts = watts) then both of these meter will be easy to use and extremely valuable in resolving RV and vehicle electrical issues.

[@keithnorris8982]

@@bruceh3786 Wow, thank you for taking the time to explain the different functions and uses. R.V. people are the greatest and you are the greatest of the great. I'm O.K. with most house wiring issues but the low voltage stuff... not so great. I never really paid much attention to meters. I have a little glow plug to test if something is hot and if it's 220, grounded but that's about it. Based on everything I've been watching on KZbin, I need to bone up... especially with evenrything going solar. Again, thank you Bruce... You are the man:-) -keith

[@bruceh3786]

@@keithnorris8982 Thanks for the kind words, glad I could help. I get a lot out of these videos and posts so I try to give back when I can. An example of a clamp on amp meter to consider is the UNI-T UT210E Pro or the UT210D. I just received the Pro E yesterday to replace a different brand I had that was discontinued years ago and has seen better days. So far so good with the Pro E.

[@michellebieke2589]

Is a multi-meter the same thing as a volt meter? Do they both do the same thing? What brand of multi-meter do you recommend?

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

As long as your multimeter / Volt meter can read AC power and DC power you are good. The price ranges from $15 at walmart to $500. If you go for a multimeter in the $45-$65 range it'll be a good balance between price and quality. Harbor Freight has some great options.

[@shanedenmark5536]

I have a question… My wife has an electric car, we had a 50A outlet installed to charge the car. Just by dumb luck it’s the same plug as a 50A RV. Our travel trailer is 30A and I figure I can use a 50A=>30A adapter to run the camper off the outlet. If I test the 30A end of the adapter it should work the same way, because it doesn’t matter which 120V leg is dropped out through the adapter?

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

that is correct. one leg will be dropped snd it doesn’t matter which one

[@upinthishitch]

Rookie here.. so I bought a new RV with 50 AMP, if I get to a park and they only offer 30 AMP is there a converter that I can plug in to still function?

[@robertschulke1596]

Yes, but make absolutely certain that you CANNOT pull more than 30 amps. My inverter-charger is programmable, and I set it to 25 amps max.

[@JohnNguyen-iw8qn]

CC

[@davelauraphillips8814]

How do you test for an open neutral line?

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

open neutral- put 1 meter lead on the hot side the other meter lead on the neutral side. you will NOT get volts if the neutral is not connected (open). verify this by then testing between the hot and ground. if you see voltage then you know that the neutral is the problem

[@johnnylightning1491]

Is it important to clamp the meter on the box? Inquiring minds want to know.

[@NationalRVTrainingAcademy]

No, not at all.