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Old 01-15-2021, 10:07 PM   #1
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Power cord gets warm

This past summer I've noticed on hot days the plug that goes into pedestal was quite warm. It was a very hot day, the A/C was probably running all day and pedestal was in full sun. The cord itself was not warm, nor was any part that was leading into the RV.

I've looked at my plug and there are no signs of melting.

I know in the past I've run too many appliances (water heater and A/C) and have had the circuit trip. In the fall I've checked the cord and it was not warm while running the heat pump - but I doubt if that's a good comparison since it was pretty cool outside.

Has anyone else noticed this behavior? Do I chalk it up to maybe the pedestal was old/bad connection/etc... ? Should I consider replacing my cord?

(I've seen other discussions mentioning that if the cord is coiled in the RV that could cause issues. If that is causing it, wouldn't the entire cord be warm and not just the plug?)
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Old 01-15-2021, 11:35 PM   #2
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If the plug at the post is warm when A/C is running, along with other normal draws, there is an excellent chance the receptacle has loose and/or corroded contacts.

Tight contacts don't usually gene rd ate heat. Bad connections do because of the resistance.

Warm can be fairly normal with close to full load but HOT is bad snd needs to be addressed.

Doubtful coilong of cord has anything to do with what you described.
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Old 01-16-2021, 12:26 AM   #3
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Did you notice the warm plug at just one particular electrical pedestal, or at various pedestals?
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Old 01-16-2021, 06:13 AM   #4
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Also, make sure your power cord is not "coiled up". That adds resistance and doesn't allow the heat to dissipate but rather gets caught between the coils.
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Old 01-16-2021, 01:33 PM   #5
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Plug getting warm.

I'm stationary in a campground and we once noticed our plug melting. Found out the pedestal receptacle was worn and caused the issue. New pedestal outlet, New plug problem solved.

Also, when we replaced our trailer a few years ago, my power wiring to my porch had been cut when the old trailer was pulled. I took the romex cable and put a male plug on it and plugged it into a 50ft 15amp extension cord to temporally have power to the porch which I used an 18000 BTU air conditioner on for a couple of months, No issues. The extension cord only got warm when the a/c was on all day. Eventually had someone run the Romex via junction box to pedestal box.
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Old 01-16-2021, 01:46 PM   #6
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As a practice, I spray pedestal receptacles with a squirt of contact cleaner before plugging in. Not sure it does any good, but that's what I do.
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Old 01-16-2021, 01:56 PM   #7
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a dab of diaelectric lube on prongs helps a lot
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Old 01-16-2021, 02:40 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rjshiflet View Post
Also, make sure your power cord is not "coiled up". That adds resistance and doesn't allow the heat to dissipate but rather gets caught between the coils.
Isn't that basically the same as tying a knot in your cord to stop spikes? Wouldn't the coiled up cord be acting like a filter?

The plug socket on my TT is 5 ft from the pedestal and I have my cord coiled up laying on the ground. I'm wondering if it has anything to do with my PI HW-30C never detecting a surge but it has shut down from low voltage.
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Old 01-16-2021, 07:14 PM   #9
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I use the product shown below often on all of my electrical connections... 12 VDC and 110 VAC... protects and cleans contacts of oxidation... highly recommended
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Old 01-16-2021, 09:08 PM   #10
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Also, make sure your power cord is not "coiled up". That adds resistance and doesn't allow the heat to dissipate but rather gets caught between the coils.
If that much heat is being generated in your cord you need a larger gauge wire.

Also, resistance doesn't increase when coiled either. One might make the case that impedance is increased by the reactance created by the wire coils but as they are separated by two layers of thick insulation, without an iron core in the center of the coil you'll never be able to measure the amount.

Well maybe if drawing hundreds of amps.
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Old 01-17-2021, 11:01 AM   #11
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If that much heat is being generated in your cord you need a larger gauge wire.

Also, resistance doesn't increase when coiled either. One might make the case that impedance is increased by the reactance created by the wire coils but as they are separated by two layers of thick insulation, without an iron core in the center of the coil you'll never be able to measure the amount.

Well maybe if drawing hundreds of amps.
Agree resistance and probably impedance don't increase. What can be an issue, the coiled area doesn't dissipate heat as efficiently, potentially causing a problem. Manny coils, higher possibility of an issue.
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Old 01-17-2021, 02:05 PM   #12
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Agree resistance and probably impedance don't increase. What can be an issue, the coiled area doesn't dissipate heat as efficiently, potentially causing a problem. Manny coils, higher possibility of an issue.

Still goes back to my earlier comment. If a wire is heating up when the normal load of an RV is passing through it, the wire is too small a gauge.

I'd see this as a problem if using a cheap Harbor Freight extension cord with a 15 amp adapter rather than the typical 30-50 amp power cord that comes with today's RV's.
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