Campgrounds Shore Power Extension Cord Connections

For the van that I acquire to be connected to campgrounds shore power, do I simply buy an outdoor, heavy duty extension cord, run it inside and connect a power strip to it? Then do I connect a 12V adapter strip/cube to one of the power strip sockets if I get any 12V devices?

Greetings!

While some campgrounds offer standard household outlets, some will require an adapter.

Here’s an article about it:

Cheers!


“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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For 12v everything is wired from the house battery, that battery is charged by the vehicle’s alternator (and/or the solar panels).
The house battery can also be charged via a battery charger when you are plugged into to shore power.

Shore power can be as simple as an extension cord running into the van under a door. On my '86 Ford van I had an extension cord that went under the back door and into a power strip for when it was needed (not often).

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Greetings!

It’s a good idea to keep as much as possible 12v, so that shore power isn’t needed for any of your essentials.

Rather than any actual wiring, I have 8 acc. plugs, 4 on each side of my battery box, which is more than I ever use, and one of them has a USB adapter in it to charge or run USB goodies. It has 2x USB ports, and if I need more I could add another USB adapter.

Like @becida, if I have shore power (extremely rare), I just run the an extension cord in through a door or window, and have a surge protected power strip with a on/off switch on it to plug whatever I wish into it. I do the same if I’m running my generator, and just plug my battery charger into the outlet strip.

I purposely kept everything portable so it could also be used outside my van, and could also be easily transferred easily to a new vehicle if the need arises. My whole interior could be transferred to a new van very quickly. As far as I’m concerned, I have almost a perfect setup for me, so if I can avoid rebuilding it, that’s a plus. That’s also why I prefer modular & portable.

I just have of the small cordless adapters, 50a->30a & 30a->15-20a. With just those 2, I’ve been good for anywhere I’ve ever been.

Also notable is that many RV parks & campgrounds have screwed up electrical connections. For this reason, it’s also a good idea to carry testers specifically designed for checking them. I have fixed bad connections myself in the past, but I wouldn’t recommend it. I once ran into a fellow whose plug auto-corrected for screwed up outlets, but I don’t know where or if those are readily available. It might have come with his $500k+ motorhome.

Cheers!


“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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Why did you not need it often?

Do you recommend a certain type of cord?

That’s what I was wondering. Thanks!

I’ve taken notes on your battery setup. You always explain it very clearly.

Do you recommend a certain type of extension cord?

I will look for these.

Don’t know what I’d do about this. Probably better for me to report non-working outlets and ask for a different space.

I didn’t stay at places with plug ins that often, usually it was for an electric heater.

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Greetings!

@TheCreativeRover,

Do you recommend a certain type of extension cord?

If you go to somewhere like Home Depot or similar, try to get a 10/3 or 12/3 outdoor extension cord. The lower the number, the higher the current it’s rated for. They may or may not list an amp rating.

For this reason, it’s also a good idea to carry testers specifically designed for checking them.

Don’t know what I’d do about this. Probably better for me to report non-working outlets and ask for a different space.

The problem here is that without a tester, you can’t always tell. Some things might work, but it might kill other things, especially electronics. I killed a battery charger that way once, it started smoking almost immediately, and if I wouldn’t have noticed it could have caused a fire. I was grateful that I didn’t smoke my laptop.

They’re not cheap, but it’s good insurance, without monthly payments… :wink:

Cheers!


“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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So many kinds of testers. Will you give a link to one so I can know more about what to look for? And what do you say to the camp host if you find a problem? Thanks!

Greetings!

I can tell you what I use, and my reasoning behind it, but I can’t say it’s the best, safest, or proper way of doing it because I just don’t know, other than it has saved me more than once.

Since I’m just using an extension cord, and not a typical RV, I bought a cheap household outlet checker from Home Depot. Not because it was cheap, but because it was small, and would be easily replaceable.

So I plug in whatever adapters I need, then plug the tester into them, just like I would the extension cord, and it will tell me whether or not it’s good at that outlet. I don’t know for sure if that means it’s good for the higher amperages though.

Here’s a link similar to the one I use:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-Receptacle-Tester-RT110/206517828

And here’s a link that be helpful with information:

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rv+site+power+tester

Cheers!


“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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:smile: What do you mean they’re not cheap? This one is under $7. You must have been referring to something else. I see they’re generally called some type of receptacle tester. As with everything, there’s higher-priced ones that do more. Thanks!

Greetings!

The ones specifically for the 30a & 50a plugs are much more expensive.

Cheers!


“Everything should be made as simple as possible." ~ Einstein


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