Easily replace your inlet and rewire your power cord for a SmartPlug connection that is both safer and easier to use. This package contains everything you need to upgrade your ride for a new generation of shore power connection.
Features:
Specs:
SmartPlug vs. Twist Lock
RV and boat owners have long relied on Twist Lock style connections for powering their rides. For years, it has been the best option for connecting to shore power. It's been reliable, but most know it's not without disadvantages:
SmartPlug's connector addresses each of these concerns and does all of the heavy lifting.
Locking arms grab the inlet, a clamp inside the plug body holds the cord, the inlet cap snaps to the top while in use, and the integrated seals weatherproof the connection. This helps prevent the wiggly, dirty connections that increase electrical resistance, which creates potentially dangerous heat.
Since it uses a square plug face, SmartPlug is able to use flat pins which create far more surface contact, further reducing the risk of high heat and electrical arcing. The square shape and flat pins also make it easy to plug in - no more twisting or guessing if the pins are lined up correctly.
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hello, everybody. This is Jeff at etrailer.com. Today, we're gonna take a look at the SmartPlug 50 amp replacement RV power inlet and connector. Now, this kit will let you upgrade your existing shore power inlet and connector using the easy to install SmartPlug system. The replacement inlet and the connector will let you plug in your RV or marine power cord to hook up to shore power. It is a 50 amp female connector plug that'll plug into this male inlet.
Now, the connector plugs in without twisting and it'll lock in place with these side clips. Let me just zoom in here so you can see a little better. But here's the, you can see as I press in on the side twist, that'll wanna lock this into place. Basically, it's a multi-point locking systems. Ensures a nice solid connection.
So, when you push the plug straight into the inlet which is like that, when you push it far enough, those side levers will click and lock into place. And then to remove it, you just push in on them to remove it. And also, what's nice is when you do install this, actually your cord will be attached to this and this cord set will be already on there. And what's nice about that is once you plug it in, this cap will also snap down once it's plugged in. And that cap will actually hold that cord set in to secure the plug, keep it from wiggling out.
Now, this plug, these does use straight inlet pins to maximize electrical transfer. Has 20 times more contact than the curved design. If you notice it has a sleeve design. Has this large sleeve over it. Helps keep the weight and the tension off of the pins themselves.
So basically, the body of the plug will bear the weight and keeps the point of, points of electrical contact secure. And again, this is a nice push straight-in connection. Makes plugging in very easy even when if it's dark out. They do use nice triple weatherproof seals right here and right here on the cap. This will prevent water corrosion, overheating. And this connector does wire to your existing power cord, uses, using these included parts right here. Has a 50 amp 125 volt cord seal with an install tool. It helps the cord go in there. And it also has a 50 amp 250 volt cord seal that again, this connect, conical install tool will help the wire go through here. And once your wire goes through there, it would install right in there just like that. Now, on the inlet itself, these inlet mounting flange holes you can see right here, they do match the same size as the twist-type holes for easy installation. The gray cap right up here you can see, when you do close it when it's not connected, forms a nice weatherproof seal on the inlet when it's not in use. You can see a nice seal there. And it does include this silicone mounting gasket on the back when you go to install it. Now, the construction on these parts, the external metals are all a marine-grade 316 stainless steel. The electrical pins are nickel-plated brass. And all the plastics are UV and heat resistant. These parts are made in the USA. Does come with a nice set of instructions that'll describe how these parts all go together. And the specs on it again, the amperage is 50 amps, the voltage is 125 or 250 volts. But that should do it for the review on the SmartPlug 50 amp replacement RV power inlet and connector..
Ratings & Reviews
I like the ease of use and I feel very confident that I get a solid connection each time I plug into the camper. Installation was straightforward and relatively easy with a couple basic tools.
Unit is well made BUT does not fit into most Airstream trailer models (too deep) should include a notice to that effect. Had to leave off the back-end cover to make it fit...and it was tight
Product is as described product was shipped on time. Installation was easy
This plug is very well built. I would have given it a five star rating, but the package was missing several # 6 screws that were needed....good thing I had some extra in the shop. The outer jacket stripping instructions could have been a little clearer also.
My RV repair tech replaced on camper and put connector on shore line power cord.
Told me it was nowhere near as easy as videos showed.
Then stated it is a ton better plug then old style
Perfect, upgraded my 30 amp service to 50 amp and this SmartPlug was a great upgrade, works great.
Great upgrade to my T@b 320. Will not have to worry about stripping the plug ever again.
Product was delivered faster than expected. Detailed instructions were provided to make the transition easy as possible. My only complaint was the rubber grommet to weather proof the connector was a bit oversized and loose.
Works awesome! Fairly simple to install. Glad I got it as I found several things wrong with my old plug while installing the smart plug. Great product.
The people at trailer were a great help when ordering. The plug works great. Well made. Installation was straight forward.
It’s a quality part but could use some improvements.
First issue was the inlet isolator collar. There isn’t a description in the instructions on how far to strip back the external jacket on the wire. For the plug it was detailed. Strip this much off the wires, and this much off the jacket, and tighten the collar this much. Super easy. For the inlet wire, they only say how much to strip off the wires. No mention of how much off the jacket, and no instructions on how much to tighten the collar. This lead to a short because I stripped enough off the jacket to still be under the collar, but it was a pain to finagle the ground wire to be in the right spot. What I couldn’t see was when I tightened down the collar, it compressed the ground wire through the insulation on the hot wire. I couldn’t see this and wouldn’t know I tightened it too much because of the lack of clarity.
Second issue is the lack of a right angle on the plug. Like all Azdel sided campers, you only get so many chances to tighten the inlet before you strip out the holes. Because of the insane amount of weight and pressure from the 50 amp plug running straight out it pulled the top screws through the wall after being plugged in for a minute or so. There is just too much strain on the inlet from the weight of the wire to avoid this. This whole issue lead to me having to get threaded inserts, new screws and epoxy to the secure the threaded inserts. This wouldn’t be an issue with a right angle plug and shouldn’t be a concern spending $300 on an inlet and plug adapter.
Overall now that it’s finished I like the plug. I’d begrudgingly replace it with a right angle adapter if they ever came out with one as I’m worried still about the strain on the inlet long term.
We needed a new power plug on the way to the RV park where we needed it. The old one got damaged and the new plug I wanted came with the latest "Smart Plug" companion socket which just pushes on, a fantastic upgrade. The package arrived at the RV park on the date etrailer predicted it would arrive. I was worried because it was over a weekend but etrailer shipped it on a Sunday so it arrived on time. I was able to install it at the RV park with the help of fellow RVers. I highly recommend the Smart Plug upgrade. It is so much better to just push the plug in and hear it click into place.
Shipping was fast.
etrailer team keep you informed all the way.
Installation was straightforward, remove old socket installed new one, cutoff couple inches of original connector and install the new one.
Everything is working fine.
Installation is pretty straightforward. One thing to note is that installing the connector to your existing power cord is more difficult than it appears. I used foaming hand soap but it is too diluted. Watched a video of a person showing the installation process that they used and it worked! Instead of holding the connector with one hand and the cord in another to push the two together, I placed the connector on a solid surface, used liquid soap, and a grippy glove and was able to shove the cord through the strain relief rubber fitting. Once I was able to do that, it made all the difference.
Also, my original inlet had a round template with three screws holding it to the RV. The SmartPlug inlet is rectangular and has four screws holding it to the RV. I obviously had to drill new holes, but I went to the hardware store and purchased four #8 x 1” 32 stainless steel screws and nylon lock nuts to secure the inlet plug. My trailer is fiberglass, so I will also place a bead of caulking around the top and sides of the the inlet template to ensure a water tight connection.
This was a great replacement for my RV power reel. The power reel slip rings were starting to fail. Never liked the system from day one so when I found this power inlet and connector I figured this would be a great replacement. No more slip rings! Seems well made. Easy to install. Instructions were clear and accurate.
Installation was straightforward and its a really strong connection....simple plug it straight with no twisting...snaps in place and stays in strongly....simple press the side tabs to release easily.got it all done in 1 hour on my 2021 salem hemisphere
An excellent upgrade after having previously replaced both the socket and cord end of the factory 50A plug and cord. Holds very securely and keeps water out! No more sketchy power or hot plug ends! Worth the time to put it in for sure!
Perfect for a modern rv 50amp connection! Greatly improved from the 1938 crap the rv industry is still using!
Excellent product, amazing upgrade to your RV power connection.
Do you have a question about this Shore Power Inlet?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.