50A Power Cable Coming Apart

Repair or replace.

If the plug is assembled using screws dissemble it and use Chris Bryant suggestion above to stretch the sheath back out and reassemble it. If it is a molded plug, cut it off and get a good quality replacement.

The outer sheath installed properly helps in keeping the stress off the connection of the wires to the blades of the plug. Not repairing this means the wires will be pulled on which could cause them to loose their connection to the blades (as they are normally either screwed or crimped on). This will lead to a poor connection and voltage drops. This can lead to low voltages, which will stress the motors on the A/C and shorten their life. It also can lead to the connections getting hot, the plug melting and possibly fire.

Spend a few bucks, replace the plug and in the end, save a lot of bucks.

On Edit -

I just saw the OP post that he is going to use a " stainless steel hose clamp" to repair it. Do you really want to put clamp a piece of metal around a flexible cord where the flexing can enable the metal to cut through the insulation and short things out - or worse make contact to the hot wire then when you or one of your loved ones touch it to unplug it and they get electrocuted? Please dont be cheap! I dont want to read about you being killed by your power cord on RV.NET.

here: $17.46 Camco 50Amp replacement cord end

FWIW, if you do wind up replacing, I very highly recommend connectors from Progressive Industries- they have by far the best and easiest connections for the wire- actual captive lugs, rather than the simple screws others use. It's a pain to get a #6 or #10 stranded wire under a screw.

It seems they do that. You can repalce the plug. Or you can just wrap a few layers of rescue tape around it sealing well (That is what I'd do) I do not think the rescue tape "fix" is code however.'

Rescue tape is that super streatchy silicon tape you get from teh "As Seen On TV" section at your local store. It really works rather well.

portscanner wrote:
Repair or replace.

If the plug is assembled using screws dissemble it and use Chris Bryant suggestion above to stretch the sheath back out and reassemble it. If it is a molded plug, cut it off and get a good quality replacement.

Mine is a molded plug where the sheath pulled out.
Stretched the sheath back in on a warm day. JB Weld applied as it went back in.
Holding great.

+1 for no hose clamp.

Plug replacement is cheap & easy to do yourself.

Haha... Mine's been like that for years as well. I couldn't figure out how it got that way. The shrinkage theory works I guess!

Veebyes wrote:
Plug replacement is cheap & easy to do yourself.

That is what I did with my old cable. Then I got a new cable, just the cable, and put the ends on my self! :B

So no more wires showing, and storage is much easier. I get 40' of cable into a 3 gal bucket at 35 degrees.

Lincoln4 wrote:
Haha... Mine's been like that for years as well.

It is, I think, worth repeating:
IF you can't see any bare copper in the gap
AND it is not out in the weather
AND it is not under constant stress

There really is no good reason to be messing with it; it will be just fine.

Mine shrunk back also. Nothing that a little electrical tape could not fix. If that shrinks or gets old I will just retape it. Cheap.