Electrical Issue. Holiday Ruined!

[hillsdaletc]

"From what I have encountered over the years, it appears to be the top wire connector burnt. The primary cause of this happening is from not tightening the safety retainer ring..The ring keeps the weight of the cord from pulling the plug loose.. a loose or inadequate connection causes heat and the burnout you received..

[D W]

Originally Posted by twochicksandarv

Attempted to go camping in our 2015 Sunseeker 3010DS over the holidays. First night the power went out. We were plugged into shore power (30amp). Only thing powered on was the tv. We were able to reset and the power was restored until the next day. This time, the tv was on and when we went to use the microwave the power went out again. Tried previous methods to restore and nothing worked. Checked the surge protector and it showed normal conditions. We decided to unplug our cord from our coach and was surprised to find that it was burnt. Holiday trip came to an abrupt end! Please see pics. Has anyone experience this?Attachment 158815Attachment 158816

Loose connection w/ current draw = high resistance = HEAT. Ohm's Law prevails. A surge protector will not prevent this as it is just high resistance in a circuit. With a Home Depot or Lowes nearby it's easy enough to fix.

[Steve-W]

The Forest River technician that typically does the dealer training seminars as well as the Goshen & other rally seminars, advocates that you always tighten the lock ring for support as hilsdaletc said.

[mhbell]

Originally Posted by TheGerman

Agree, seeing that the whole blade terminal came out and the wire is still visible in the hole there's a good chance it wasn't tightened down properly.

I agree, had the same thing happen to me a couple of years ago in another RV. Warranty probably won't cover it as they will say vibration going down the road caused it.
Mel

[Dan n Gerda]

Recommendation! Don't let something this small ruin your trip and vacation! What will you do when you have a major problem on vacation! Stuff happens new or older RVs! It's not the challenge that matters, rather how you handle it! You have several checks and proposed fixes on this post! Go for it! Merry Christmas! Dan & Gerda

[Murbella7]

Originally Posted by Dan n Gerda

Recommendation! Don't let something this small ruin your trip and vacation! What will you do when you have a major problem on vacation! Stuff happens new or older RVs! It's not the challenge that matters, rather how you handle it! You have several checks and proposed fixes on this post! Go for it! Merry Christmas! Dan & Gerda

Remember too that in a camp there are heaps of folk who would be happy to help, if they are asked. You might be a bit surprised at how much expertise there is in an RV park, everything from animators to accountants, builders to busboys, caterers to cartographers, dentists to DJ's, embalmers to electricians, florist to flying instructor, gunsmith to gynaecologist, hairdresser to helicopter pilot, insurance broker to interpreter, journalist to jackaroo, and so on.

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally Posted by Steve-W

The Forest River technician that typically does the dealer training seminars as well as the Goshen & other rally seminars, advocates that you always tighten the lock ring for support as hilsdaletc said.

I would like a connector setup in which the lock ring was metal rather than cheesy plastic.

[card16]

Metal over plastic x2 on the connector ring.

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally Posted by card16

Metal over plastic x2 on the connector ring.

There has to be a mil spec connector that would fit the bill...

[Delco Bobby]

Originally Posted by hillsdaletc

"From what I have encountered over the years, it appears to be the top wire connector burnt. The primary cause of this happening is from not tightening the safety retainer ring..The ring keeps the weight of the cord from pulling the plug loose.. a loose or inadequate connection causes heat and the burnout you received..

HA, I was just outside hooking up the electric and wondering about the reason for the lock ring. My guesses were incorrect.

[Jim in Halifax]

#1 concern should be why did yhis happen?????????? Then fix!!!!!!

[oldblueroadking]

Had the same problem with a 2015 Vengance tt. When I removed the receptacle from the trailer the wire on the burned leg was loose and slipped out of the receptacle. Replaced the receptacle and power cord. We purchased a new 5th wheel is year, one of the first things I checked was the receptacle. all the screws (50 amp) took a little tightening, not loose but I was able to snug them a little.

[Awilson]

I had a Motorhome the almost caught fire from lose connections in the electrical box from bouncing down the road. Luckily I had a SIL that is an electrician and he knew exactly what to buy and replace. I suggest everyone check once a year for lose electrical terminations or have it done.

[Tom-n-Dale]

My neighbor had the same thing happen to his new to him FR toy hauler. His first RV. He just pushed the plug on but didn't twist it. So only the "edges" of the blades in the plug made contact. That is what caused it to overheat and melt. If this is your first time with a twist lock plug, you may have done the same thing.
Tom D
2015 REVrb
Orlando

[Bill Bryant]

Gfci

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by twochicksandarv

Attempted to go camping in our 2015 Sunseeker 3010DS over the holidays. First night the power went out. We were plugged into shore power (30amp). Only thing powered on was the tv. We were able to reset and the power was restored until the next day. This time, the tv was on and when we went to use the microwave the power went out again. Tried previous methods to restore and nothing worked. Checked the surge protector and it showed normal conditions. We decided to unplug our cord from our coach and was surprised to find that it was burnt. Holiday trip came to an abrupt end! Please see pics. Has anyone experience this?

Merry Christmas, twochicks... how are y’all making out?

[otrtrucker]

Originally Posted by jrwalkerpa1

Yes, I had the exact same thing happen last summer. We never lost power but discovered the issue when we smelled it. The cord was fused on.

In our case, when I removed the burnt plug, the screws on the bank were so lose the wires barely were in the plug. My theory is the loose wires caused the heat.

FYI...ours is also a 2015 3010

Correct. I have seen this same symptom in several non RV applications. A loose connection caused increased resistance, which heated up the connection, which melted the plastic and destroyed the connection.
The increased resistance causes heat, which causes more resistance, which causes more heat.
He should also check to ensure all of his other connections are clean and tight.

[Mr. Dan]

Originally Posted by Bill Bryant

Gfci

Say what?

[johnbryanpeters]

Originally Posted by Mr. Dan

Say what?

Go for coffee instantly.

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Bill Bryant

Gfci

Girl Friend Cheated Indiscriminatly! That's My WAG! Youroo!!