Trailer Power Cord has been hot

[bobby57]

I have a new 2008 831RLSS and I have noticed that the "hot" wire on my power cord plug is now discolored and I can tell that in the molded plug end itself it has been hot. I had something similar on my older trailer but attributed it to age. Any suggestions?

[rockwood06]

Originally Posted by bobby57

I have a new 2008 831RLSS and I have noticed that the "hot" wire on my power cord plug is now discolored and I can tell that in the molded plug end itself it has been hot. I had something similar on my older trailer but attributed it to age. Any suggestions?

I had the same problem, you can buy a replacement male end. I think what is happening is that if you plug in the cord when the breaker is on in to box, there may be a draw in the camper and sometime you may notice a spark as you insert the plug. This will happen with an extenion cord as well. The arcking will cause the blades on the plug to over heat that's the discoloration and will loosen the rubber molding around the blades.

[Bama Rambler]

This happens quite often. The factory plugs aren't the highest quality and the CG receptacles are abused by plugging and unplugging without turning the breaker off as well as being subjected to corrosion. Camco makes a replacement plug that's pretty heavy duty. I replaced mine after the molded plug head got distorted from the heat. I keep the blades clean and apply a bit of dielectric grrease to them. It not only helps the plug but also helps the CG receptacle a bit too.

[Radio]

As above.

Turn off the breaker before pluging in the cable. If the power pedistal doesn't look new, test the wiring with an outlet checker you can get at a good hardware store. You'll need an adapter to get from 30 amp to 15 amp in order to plug the checker in. I have a checker more or less permanently attached to an adapter for this purpose. About $8 invested.

When the connectors arc, carbon is built up on the lugs. This interferes with a good connection which causes the lug to get hot. If you suspect the outlet is corroded or carbonized, plug and unplug the cable 5 or 6 times to clean things off a bit. (Breaker turned off)

[KyDan]

It can also be caused by old receptacles on the camp ground power post.
Once they have been plugged and un-plugged a few zillion times they loose
their "grip" and this causes a loose connection.
The loose connection causes heat and a melted cord end.
It's messy but you can brush some aluminum or copper base "never seize" on the
cord lugs and it will really help prevent this.
You can get anti-seize in a small can with a brush in the lid at auto stores like
Autozone and others.
Note-- if you use the compound you'll want to stick the cord end in a Wal-mart
bag when you're not plugged in.