Extending 10/3 gen cable?

[tealboy]

I made my 10/3 cable too short at 25 feet, need 35 feet. Neighbor gave me 20 feet of 10/3 so wondering if it is ok to splice in 10-15 feet and if so, what tips do u have for making a good quality splice that will hold up. Only running up to 4000 watts.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Guaymas Mexico. 1988 Commercial fishing boat dock

Brand new Price club orange 12/3 extension cords (4) Yep 400 feet...

To power a fifty watt rotary squirrel cage blower. Temp was 103F Humidity 88%

Joined each cable to the nest using cable ties. Four per splice.

First failure happened within six hours, the cobra head triplex outlet. Then five more failures the next couple of days. Failure means burned and melted connector = repair.

I gave up and soldered the connectors and heat shrank the terminals and cord jacket. The massively heavy roll lasted many years until the orange jacket cracked and fell off. I didn't feel like the idea of paying ninety dollars in pesos to convert to twist lock plugs and sockets.

[pianotuna]

Hi Kayteg1,

I've had 30 amp connections from cameco female in line plugs burn up when carrying a 15 amp load. The tines had been treated with deoxit. They are simply junk connectors.

Try to find Hubble connectors if you can afford the price.

Kayteg1 wrote:
I had too many RV plugs overheating when under heavier load (AC).
Splicing brings even higher risk of overheating and when you drop such cord in dry grass and you camp in California, next thing we hear about you is headlines
"Camper died in 4000 acres brush fire"
Even if you connect 2 cords with legal plugs, put the plugs in metal box.

[tealboy]

KD4UPL wrote:
Just splicing it in the middle isn't good practice. Just get a male and female and a make another cord. This will give you greater flexibility in total length; you'll have 3 choices: 25, 20, or 45.
#10 is only rated for 30 amps so at 120v you can only put 3,600 watts thru the cord.

This is what I ended up doing yesterday. The 10/3 was free from neighbor so I ordered 2 new 30 amp twist locks on eBay, and now have a 25, 20 or 45 foot option. Worked out great

[BFL13]

I cut up my portable surge guard and attached it to (partly) the bitter end of the shore power cord, and then (the other part) to the power centre as a permanent installation inside the shore cord lockable storage box. Probably against NEC but who cares about those foreign rules ? (Except ours are probably the same!)

The OP could add his extra length of #10 by adding the one end to it, but also by cleverly adding the other end to meet the surge guard end at the bitter end where it joins to the RV power centre since it is already "cut".

[HTElectrical]

Cold shrink is several times thicker than heat shrink, and is allowed by the nec for hydraulic spliced connectors on electrical wire. I have never looked in the code book to see if splicing SO, SJO, SOOW, is allowed, but I do not believe it is due to the fact that it interrupts the ability to keep tension from being applied to the conductors, and conductor terminals. (Strain Relief)

[MEXICOWANDERER]

time2roll wrote:
Do you want a waterproof splice or just get the ends and make up an extension?

Top quality TT-30 connectors.

Heat shrink butt splice

If you splice the cord remove the RV end from the J-box and extend the tail. Don't cut the middle or the plug off. Seal it with heat shrink.

I would make an extension if temporary. Splice if long term.
Actually I would just get a longer pre-molded cord.

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Do the splice correctly and it will last as long as the rest of the cable. The secret with using heat shrink like this stuff is to apply two or even three layers of it. I've never had a soldered splice fail. But I have had to repair countless other people's crimped failures. A crimped only connection in a wire or cable cord is a "death sentence". The cables flex unlike a regular set in place wire or cable.

[Kayteg1]

I had too many RV plugs overheating when under heavier load (AC).
Splicing brings even higher risk of overheating and when you drop such cord in dry grass and you camp in California, next thing we hear about you is headlines
"Camper died in 4000 acres brush fire"
Even if you connect 2 cords with legal plugs, put the plugs in metal box.

[Bumpyroad]

Ralph Cramden wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

Dusty R wrote:
Last I knew NEC does not allow cords to be spliced.

what difference does that make in this situation?
bumpy

Is the Ranger going to stop by, whip out the NEC code book, then take a pair of dykes and cut his cord in half?

A splice if done correctly is nothing deserving drama.

since that offense enables entry without a search warrant, the Ranger will notice that the tags have been removed from his mattress.
bumpy

[Ralph_Cramden]

Bumpyroad wrote:

Dusty R wrote:
Last I knew NEC does not allow cords to be spliced.

what difference does that make in this situation?
bumpy

Is the Ranger going to stop by, whip out the NEC code book, then take a pair of dykes and cut his cord in half?

A splice if done correctly is nothing deserving drama.

[Bumpyroad]

Dusty R wrote:
Last I knew NEC does not allow cords to be spliced.

what difference does that make in this situation?
bumpy

[D_E_Bishop]

I'm with the new ends group. Buy new ends and attach to what ever length you want(I'd use the entire piece), at about $20 for each connector, your set to go for up to 45 feet and someday you might need that extra 10 feet.

[rhagfo]

KD4UPL wrote:
Just splicing it in the middle isn't good practice. Just get a male and female and a make another cord. This will give you greater flexibility in total length; you'll have 3 choices: 25, 20, or 45.
#10 is only rated for 30 amps so at 120v you can only put 3,600 watts thru the cord.

Best explanation splicing in the middle of a loose cord violates NEC.

[tealboy]

Thanks to all of you for a bunch of great suggestions, much appreciated. I should have thought of this myself, but I didn't. Making another cable by installing 2 new ends, one female and one male is the best idea and most versatile option. As noted above, this will give me 3 options, my original 25 feet, a 20 foot or a 45 foot cord depending on my needs. In terms of load, my yam gen is a ef2800i so could not exceed the cord rating and my other option is 2 Honda eu2000s which combined is 27 amps, again within the cords specs. Will be picking up a new male and female connector today

Thanks again!

[Dusty_R]

Last I knew NEC does not allow cords to be spliced.