dougrainer wrote:
I would say your problem is simple. CSA wiring code requires LARGER 120 romex than USA built units. That means they were attempting to crimp 12 gauge instead of 14 gauge wires to the teeth of the outlets. Since I only work on tens of thousands of USA built units, I rarely ever find what you have found. Yes, I have found inadequate crimped 120 outlets, but it is rare. When you attempt to crimp 12 gauge they MUST use a little more diligence in doing the work. Now for the Simpletons that state "they do not have electricity in their homes", What BS. Amish(Mennonites) are NOT close to the majority in the Assbly plants. I WORKED with them 40 years ago in Middlebury, and I can guarantee they know how to assemble correctly, RV units no matter what part of the production line they are on. These receptacles have been in use since at least 1975 in the RV industry. Doug
SCDs are CSA approved for #12 or #14 and the slightly thicker jacket on the Canadian wire we have is also approved for use with them and neither should be an issue. You cannot use 2 different gauges in the same device for obvious reasons. In one of the photos, the wire is too short to reach the 2nd terminal. The one wire that is inserted went in fine and has no damaged insulation. In the 2nd photo, you can see that the insulation was damaged due to not using the correct "punch-down" tool which could have been why one terminal is bent like it is. Both bad workmanship and no excuse IMO.
I've worked with a lot of electricians over the years in building construction and there is zero tolerance for this sort of bad workmanship because of fire and shock risks. It's great to have the NEC covering RVs, but if the manufacturers don't have licensed electricians on staff and an inspection process in place, there's no incentive to prevent errors from happening.
