Almost Had a Fire Last Night
Our dog woke my DW last night (I wasn't home), to a haze of smoke and strong electrical smell. The smoke detectors did not activate! She got our 5yr old granddaughter out, along with the dog. DW pulle...
Forum Discussion
Curious - where would you have stranded wire connected to solid on 120 volts? Only place I can think of is the incoming shore power cable (if cable is the push in the mouse hole type) to romex that goes to the converter/panel which is #10 or under a slide if there's a fridge in it which would be #14.
From what I see online, that particular SCPC Molex connector is listed for #14-12 solid and requires another part no. for stranded wire. Plus, there are 2 different part numbers for stranded wire - one for #14-16 and one for #12. Did the factory use the correct parts? Was the wire stripped properly and were the terminations tight enough?
The problem isn't with these type of connectors or the "self-contained device" receptacles, it's the BAD workmanship at the various RV factories and total lack of inspections and quality control. They can hire one-eyed monkeys with no qualifications of any kind to do the work. The work is *supposed* to comply with the electrical code (NEC or CEC).
In buildings, the electrical code is strictly enforced. The slightest of errors require correction even when safety is not the concern. In some cases an electrician can lose his/her license.
Problem is, with the RV industry, there is nobody you can notify about bad electrical work in your RV even if it is unsafe. There's no local electrical inspector, NFPA rep. or anyone else with authority that can force corrections to be done. So bad connections and other bad workmanship happen over and over in the industry and nobody gives a fig. ANY 120 volt electrical part or device can be rendered unsafe by improper installation. The only organization that has involvement with the manufacturers is the RVIA but they don't have the authority to enforce the NEC or issue penalties.
I've found an endless number of electrical issues in our TT including bad connections, reverse polarity on receptacles and incorrect part applications, and more - both on the AC and DC systems. In our 4th season of this TT, I am still finding electrical issues when I do a mod or fix something. I hesitate to think what horrors are lurking behind the underbelly coroplast. Somewhere under our slide there is a stranded to solid splice for the fridge that is hidden despite a code requirement to be in an accessible location. If I were an electrical inspector looking at our TT, it would be an epic fail... :M
Having spent a whole career in the building construction elec. industry, I am shocked and dismayed with what they do with RV electrical work and was surprised in the beginning to find that there is no oversight by any level of gov't or any safety authority.
If anyone wants piece of mind, I highly recommend going through their RV and check all the splices and terminations they can find both 120 volt and 12 volt.
From what I see online, that particular SCPC Molex connector is listed for #14-12 solid and requires another part no. for stranded wire. Plus, there are 2 different part numbers for stranded wire - one for #14-16 and one for #12. Did the factory use the correct parts? Was the wire stripped properly and were the terminations tight enough?
The problem isn't with these type of connectors or the "self-contained device" receptacles, it's the BAD workmanship at the various RV factories and total lack of inspections and quality control. They can hire one-eyed monkeys with no qualifications of any kind to do the work. The work is *supposed* to comply with the electrical code (NEC or CEC).
In buildings, the electrical code is strictly enforced. The slightest of errors require correction even when safety is not the concern. In some cases an electrician can lose his/her license.
Problem is, with the RV industry, there is nobody you can notify about bad electrical work in your RV even if it is unsafe. There's no local electrical inspector, NFPA rep. or anyone else with authority that can force corrections to be done. So bad connections and other bad workmanship happen over and over in the industry and nobody gives a fig. ANY 120 volt electrical part or device can be rendered unsafe by improper installation. The only organization that has involvement with the manufacturers is the RVIA but they don't have the authority to enforce the NEC or issue penalties.
I've found an endless number of electrical issues in our TT including bad connections, reverse polarity on receptacles and incorrect part applications, and more - both on the AC and DC systems. In our 4th season of this TT, I am still finding electrical issues when I do a mod or fix something. I hesitate to think what horrors are lurking behind the underbelly coroplast. Somewhere under our slide there is a stranded to solid splice for the fridge that is hidden despite a code requirement to be in an accessible location. If I were an electrical inspector looking at our TT, it would be an epic fail... :M
Having spent a whole career in the building construction elec. industry, I am shocked and dismayed with what they do with RV electrical work and was surprised in the beginning to find that there is no oversight by any level of gov't or any safety authority.
If anyone wants piece of mind, I highly recommend going through their RV and check all the splices and terminations they can find both 120 volt and 12 volt.
