Electric Cord..."getting the Genie back in the bottle" - lol

Hi,

When it is "in the box" it is coiled. It will heat when carrying a load. That is one reason I cut mine off and put on a 30 amp male plug.

thomasmnile wrote:
Sounds good, but why would it be any better fully extended while in use, unless the cord is made of the minimum size wire gauge to carry a 30 amp load..........:h

sgrizzle wrote:
Great! This is what I had in mind. So, did you pull out the cord and cut it to length for the new box. Decent instructions included? Does the box seem "secured" and sturdy? I am really nervous about cutting the trailer...never done that before! lol

The package has good detailed instructions. You don't need to cut the trailer. After removal of the existing cover and mounting plate the kit comes with a new mounting plate and receptacle which fits in the existing factory drilled hole for the power cord. You only need to pull out the power cord all the way and cut it at about 1 foot from the trailer so you have some existing cord should you need it in future inside the trailer. Don't worry just follow the instructions.
Angela and Gary

Bama bluejay wrote:
I agree sometimes it's a fight to deal with this cord but we always pull it completely out, was told by our dealer that the cord needed to be stretched completely out when in use. I don't understand elec. and didn't ask why that needed to be done. Maybe some electrician could elaborate on that.

I don't know the reason why the cord has to be fully removed from the storage area. Only explanation I have seen in the owners' manual for our WhiteHawk TT is the cord may get hot and pose a fire hazard if not fully extended while in use.:h Sounds good, but why would it be any better fully extended while in use, unless the cord is made of the minimum size wire gauge to carry a 30 amp load..........:h

Do NOT put a heavy load on a coiled cord, it can't dissipate the heat.

As I push the cord in, I give a quarter turn clockwise every foot to foot and a half. As I pull the cord out I give a quarter turn counterclockwise every foot to foot and a half. It has never tangled or given me any trouble after starting that practice years ago.

I jade the same thing, till I put some armor all on the cord , works for me ---happy-camping

Drum wrote:
This may be a stupid question, but why cut the cord? You've got the male end at the hole anyway, so why not just plug it into a separate RV extension cable without cutting off the existing one? Then you've got extra cable to pull out in case you ever have a need for the extra length.

what is stupid about that. makes sense to me. don't know about heat build up on coiled cord inside however. OP should be glad he doesn't have to deal with a 50 amp cord. :)
bumpy

I coated mine once 2 1/2 years ago with 303 Protectant (you could probably use ArmorAll or some such thing) and use gloves when feeding it back in...still works great, slick and MUCH easier.

Hi Drum,

There are no stupid questions.

The cord tends to coil as it is pushed in. If it is carry 30 amps @ 120 volts it may start to get hot because of the coiling. Therefore it is better to cut it off, leaving a couple of feet.

Drum wrote:
This may be a stupid question, but why cut the cord? You've got the male end at the hole anyway, so why not just plug it into a separate RV extension cable without cutting off the existing one? Then you've got extra cable to pull out in case you ever have a need for the extra length.

mobeewan wrote:
You have to help coil and uncoil the cord by slightly twisting the cord slightly one way or the other as needed when pushing the cable in or out of the hole. Practice by sticking the end of a garden hose into a 5 gallon bucket. You can't feed it in and get it all inside by just pushing it straight into the bucket. You have to twist the hose slightly as you feed it into the bucket and it will coil easier.

When pulling the cable out the opening it tends to bunch up sometimes if one coil slips over the other. You may have to work it loose by twisting it and pulling or pushing a little to unbind it.

It is a bad idea to leave a cord or cable coiled with power running through it. Especially when it may be running the max amount of amps the wire is rated to handle. It has a tendency to heat up because of the resistance created by the magnetic field generated by the coils. The same principle as winding a wire around a nail and sending a current through the wire to turn the nail into an electro magnet.

Excellent description. I have seen coiled welding cables catch fire due to the heat generated by the magnetic field.

This may be a stupid question, but why cut the cord? You've got the male end at the hole anyway, so why not just plug it into a separate RV extension cable without cutting off the existing one? Then you've got extra cable to pull out in case you ever have a need for the extra length.