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electrical cord TIP

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6:50 am
September 1, 2010


Teaspoon

Strawberry Plains, TN

Moderator

posts 246

I had read on rvnet that you should always pull out your electrical cord all the way when plugging into a receptacle..the reason being coiled up electrical cord can produce heat and it lessens the chance of an electrical fire inside your trailer..since I practice this method I thought it would be a good idea to mark the end of my cord so when I pull it out I wont keep pulling and weaken the connection to the fuse box ect. I used duct tape to mark the cord so now when I pull it out and see the duct tape I know to stop pulling..any type of colored tape would work to alert you or paint a mark Laugh


Kim

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK 2006 Nissan Titan V8 5.7

7:21 pm
September 1, 2010


mbanda

ARKANSAS

Member

posts 121

thanks for the tip.

9:51 pm
September 1, 2010


smilinjohn

Minnesota Prairie

Moderator

posts 380

Thanks, Kim.

SmileJohn

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK; 2005 Ford F-150, 5.4L V8; "…..it is always advisable to perceive clearly our ignorance." Charles Darwin

12:31 pm
September 3, 2010


AJ

Milton, VT

Member

posts 10

I've never heard of a coiled cord being more likely to cause a fire than a non-coiled one. That being said, ANY power transmission wire (extension cord, RV hookup, in wall wring, etc) is susceptible to overheating when used beyond it's rated amperage. For 30amps you should be using 10 guage wire wherever you go. I'm going to assume that the wiring inside the trailer is not 10 gauge, so the individual outlets would be rated at less than 30 amps. So, if the hookup is 10 gauge, you should be fine. If it's not, then a hot cord laying on the ground outside the trailer is a lot less likely to cause a problem than a hot cord sitting inside an enclosed cabinet surrounded by dry wood and other flammables.

With that in mind, I'd pay more attention to not overloading your wiring than I would to pulling the cord all the way out (and if the hookup is not 10 gauge, I'd consider replacing it with one that is).

Happy camping!

2011 Sportsmen Classic 19SBT with rear tent option : 2010 Toyota Sienna

1:04 pm
September 3, 2010


Teaspoon

Strawberry Plains, TN

Moderator

posts 246

Im not a electrical expert, im just repeating what i read on rvnet and i would rather be safe than sorry..what are we talking here..an extra couple of feet???..I assume our trailer wiring is up to code since its got to pass some sorta code to be safe and sale-able.and i havent heard of any sportsmen trailer burning up because of faulty wiring….I just think its a good idea to mark the end of the cord so you dont mistakenly think its hung up on something inside and yank the dickens outta it and put undue pressure on its connection. Our cords that come with the trailer is pretty short, I usually have to pull mine completely out to hook up to the campground box anyways.

Kim

2010 Sportsmen Classic 14RK 2006 Nissan Titan V8 5.7

1:15 pm
September 3, 2010


Steve

San Antonio, TX

Moderator

posts 193

A surge protector between your RV plug and the power jack isn't a bad way to go either. The SP is designed to take the hit so that your RV appliances/electronics don't.

http://haven106.blogspot.com

11:02 am
September 6, 2010


Sportsman Matt

Central MA

Moderator

posts 95

Hi Kim, just a word of caution, anything over on RV.net isn't necessarily gospel to the RV world. I've heard of "you should do this because …." so many times and so many wive's tales are spead that you really need to pick and choose what information is actually useful.

Example, someone posted a video comparing the "Campfire in a Can to the Camco Little Red Campfire" where one was only lit just enough to see the flames while the other was full bore 3 foot flames. Was it unobjective, obviously not. Was everyone commenting that it was "honestly" the truth comapring both products… yup.

Another Example is that "You can't put a truck camper on the back of anything less than a 3/4 ton truck" Unfortunately when I post the picture of my Ford Ranger with the Sunline truck camper on the back, they change their tune.

As they say, everyone has an opinion…..

7:12 am
October 4, 2010


RubenZ

South Texas

Member

posts 30

The mechanic that walked us through our 16BH also told us the same thing.  I believe it too. You never know.

9:07 pm
March 9, 2011


maju

Member

posts 5

disclaimer: I have enough knowledge to be dangerous, but not enough to be an expert.  That means don't hold me at fault for anything.


Some very expensive RVs have cord retractors so they definitely have a concern with fire due to an only partially extended shore power cable.

The reality for the rest of us is that this is absolutely NO concern.

warning: slightly technical explanation below.

The concept  is that an energized electrical cord that is wrapped up becomes an inductor.  Inductors generate voltage, heat, and magnetic fields.  Left long enough, lots of heat is generated, the insulation will melt, eventually shorting the wires and causing a fire.  Additionally, the excess heat causes a reduction in resistance in the wire, also increasing current, and thus heat as well.

This is a real and genuine concern in any cable that is wrapped in a mostly circular fashion.  i.e. If you wrap a cord around your arm, drop it to the ground and it lays down mostly circular, run a 1500 watt heater through it for 8 hours, guaranteed fire hazard.  Just grab the loop of cord and see how hot it is.


Most travel trailers have a hidden compartment with a hole where you pull the shore power cord out.  When you push the cord in, does it loop up in a perfect loop?  No.  It goes in like an absolute mess going left one second, up the next and who knows which way the second after that.  There's no opportunity to create an inductor because any magnetic field is cancelled out by the next cable crossing at an odd angle, repeated a dozen times.  (I've even had mine knot up inside that box, yeah, not fun in the field.)  Even full current, continuous use (24A >3hrs) is unlikely to pose any threat.


I have had an extension cord nearly cause a fire in my house, caused exactly because I left the excess cord wrapped around a circular cord loop.  Those cheap cord loops that look like an H, not really a threat if you leave the excess cord on.  Additionally, this is only a concern with continuous use.  If you are using your corded drill to make a dozen holes, you don't need to stretch out that 100 ft cord to do it, use what you need.

Good info to know: electrical code says continuous use is anything >3 hrs.  It also says that during continuous use, you cannot exceed 80% of the rated amperage.  So a 30A cord can really only draw 24A continuously.  An example: if the AC 15A, and the microwave is 14A, you can run the AC continously and still use the microwave for the 5 minutes needed to cook dinner.  Your continuous use is 15A (<24A) and your non-continuous rating is 29A (<30A rating of the cord and system).

9:08 pm
March 9, 2011


maju

Member

posts 5

quick follow up, I really do like the idea of putting some tape near the end so you don't pull it all the way out and over-stress the connections.  I'll probably do that.  Thanks!

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