Frozen Power Cord

[ynott96]

I have a 2008 Georgetown 374 and the 50 amp power cord became a nightmare this past Christmas holiday while traveling in southern Florida! The cold temperatures made the cord extremely difficult to return itself to the storage compartment. I am looking for a flexible 50 amp cord to replace this monster!

[NWJeeper]

Originally Posted by ynott96

I have a 2008 Georgetown 374 and the 50 amp power cord became a nightmare this past Christmas holiday while traveling in southern Florida! The cold temperatures made the cord extremely difficult to return itself to the storage compartment. I am looking for a flexible 50 amp cord to replace this monster!

I hear ya, but what you want doesn't exist. The cord is the size it has to be to safely carry that much amperage. Your request is like saying "I want things to fall up when I drop them" or "life should be fair"

However, as long as you aren't exceeding 20amps worth of draw you can carry a heavy duty construction type of extension cord and use an adapter at the end of your 50amp cord to bring it down to the smaller size. We carry two of them (I believe they are 12 gauge). That way you can leave the heavy cable coiled up in the compartment and run the smaller cord.

As long as you aren't running electric space heaters you should be fine. You will be limited to one high amperage device running at a time though.

Oh and before I forget, Welcome to the forums.

[mbtelguy]

Although not a perfect solution, to eliminate the need to place cord back in a cold storage space. see sketch

[ynott96]

Thank you very much for your idea,,,I like it.

George

[cfsoistman]

The outside black rubber insulation is really more of the problem. Ive been comtemplating replacing it with another cord. This ad on eabay claims it's very flexible even in cold weather. Has anyone ventured in this direction? The male end of my cord is starting to seperate from the cord. This is the second cord I've had. First one replaced under warranty. I really wished they would have used the lock-type receptacle on the outside similar to some of the fifth wheels I've seen.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/%22NE...ewItem?rvr_id=

[mbtelguy]

I agree with the lock type connector. My original idea was to mount this type in the
cup board and install a manual transfer switch. i may do that yet

[Bama Rambler]

First off the cables that come with RV's aren't rubber insulated they're thermoplastic (i.e. PVC) and they get stiff in cold weather. If you look at that ebay item you'll notice it states "PVC" as the jacketing. That is going to get stiff when cold by its very nature. I don't think you'd be helping yourself any by getting that one. If you really want flexible cable you need to look for SOW or SEOW jacketed cable. It has real rubber insulation and it remains very flexible even in freezing temps.

[cfsoistman]

Originally Posted by Bama Rambler

First off the cables that come with RV's aren't rubber insulated they're thermoplastic (i.e. PVC) and they get stiff in cold weather. If you look at that ebay item you'll notice it states "PVC" as the jacketing. That is going to get stiff when cold by its very nature. I don't think you'd be helping yourself any by getting that one. If you really want flexible cable you need to look for SOW or SEOW jacketed cable. It has real rubber insulation and it remains very flexible even in freezing temps.

Thanks for the info. It probably wouldn't be such a pain if the compartment where the cord is connected was a little larger but that's the way it goes. We just need some warm weather to loosen those cords up so they get be rolled up inside the compartment. Currently the cord is fighting back and winning.