Replacing the Male End of the RV Power Cord

[pyro383]

I am needing to replace the male end of the shore power cord for my rv as the previous one had melted a bit at one of the connectors. My dilemma is to replace the male end with a replacement adapter made by Camco (not weather tight) of which I would add silicone around the openings or to replace the full length cord. Cost is $13 vs $45.

Second part, would be to buy a new replacement cord and then splice to the existing and wrap to make weather tight so that I would have 50 or more feet.

So what have you done or what would you do?

[drsteve]

Dave H M wrote:
i also got fed up with stuffing the cored in the hole and installed a twist connector there. Think it was a marico.

That hole is nothing but a highway for the mice anyway...

[pyro383]

Thanks for the insight.

[Dave_H_M]

i also got fed up with stuffing the cored in the hole and installed a twist connector there. Think it was a marico.

[LarryJM]

newman fulltimer wrote:
buy a plug end at home delot 15 bucks and are built alot better

That is what I have done several times and agree while not weather proof it's decent quality and generally the male end is protected by the pedestal cover. If the male end is to be outside like in an extension situation then put the connection into a cheap plastic box to protect the whole connection.

Not sure if you can get a decent weather proof replacement male plug, but I doubt it's going to be cheap if you can.

Larry

[rockhillmanor]

Get the plug replacement with the handle!

Makes connecting and unconnecting a breeze. Don't know why the darn manufactures don't make this type of plug standard equipment.

The reason plugs melt is loose connections which results in arching that blackens the blades on the plug.

If your blades on the plug are not shiny copper your plugs will start to melt.

I clean the plug blades with a simple emery board people use to file their nails. Haven't had a plug start melting in years since I started routinely sanding the blades to keep them clean.


Comes in both 30amp and 50amp
And yes this size plug replacement will fit in the box where the power cord is stored.

[TakingThe5th]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Twistem tighter makem bleed...It's amazing what my new Wiha No 2 Phillips screwdriver will do. Without camming out it'll twist those screws so tight they'll squeak at the end. NONE and I mean ZERO of my receptacle screws or plug or receptacle have come loose since I started soldering fork (spade) terminals.

I did it on the Kelley 34 years ago. And no one, friends included have complained their wire ends have loosened.

My wire ends are pretty loose but the RV and the Shore Power Cord are doing well. 🙂 DW can't seem to tighten me up.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Twistem tighter makem bleed...It's amazing what my new Wiha No 2 Phillips screwdriver will do. Without camming out it'll twist those screws so tight they'll squeak at the end. NONE and I mean ZERO of my receptacle screws or plug or receptacle have come loose since I started soldering fork (spade) terminals.

I did it on the Kelley 34 years ago. And no one, friends included have complained their wire ends have loosened.

[Jframpey]

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
I solder appropriate spade (fork) terminals onto stranded wire ends then when assembling tighten the snot out of plug/receptacle clamp screws. Gobbing electrolytic silicone grease onto each finished termination makes this method of assembly better than any other - especially if a good plug or socket like Chris Bryant recommended is used. The object is to stop heating and cooling cycles which anneal the copper wire strands beyond salvation.

I arrived at this conclusion decades ago after fighting my own makeup plugs which were necessary after pre-made factory molded plugs caught fire.

I would LOVE to see a failure in the assembly of how I assemble plugs. Being both lazy and cheap I sought the permanent fix. I found it.

Winner winner - chicken dinner! Solder spade or ring terminals to the wire ends. But, Mex... try as I might I've never squeezed any snot out of any screw connections!

[acker1]

When I replaced my plug (50amp)I bought one without a handle and also bought one of these Plug Dog Works great!

DICK

[myredracer]

If you don't want the plug ending up like the old one, don't plug into a pedestal unless the breaker is turned off so as to avoid the converter inrush current from pitting the blades which leads to heat and a meltdown.

Also, hundreds or thousands of RV-ers before you may never have turned the power off first and the inside of a pedestal receptacle can be in really bad shape, also leading to heat even if you have a plug in top shape. If a 30 amp recept. looks bad, it might be a good idea to find another site or if it has a 50 amp recept., use it with an adapter. If no choice, reducing your draw to a min. will help somewhat.

Your other option to replace the 30 amp plug is to buy a whole new 30 amp RV extension cord and cut the connector end off. You can buy one on ebay starting at just $34 here.(it's UL listed too which you want).

[MEXICOWANDERER]

I solder appropriate spade (fork) terminals onto stranded wire ends then when assembling tighten the snot out of plug/receptacle clamp screws. Gobbing electrolytic silicone grease onto each finished termination makes this method of assembly better than any other - especially if a good plug or socket like Chris Bryant recommended is used. The object is to stop heating and cooling cycles which anneal the copper wire strands beyond salvation.

I arrived at this conclusion decades ago after fighting my own makeup plugs which were necessary after pre-made factory molded plugs caught fire.

I would LOVE to see a failure in the assembly of how I assemble plugs. Being both lazy and cheap I sought the permanent fix. I found it.

[j-d]

FWIW, I spliced. Not totally intentionally. We were using an extension cord that caught fire where plugged. I crimped it (yellow 12/10 connectors, crimp pliers, tape) on site.

Then home, I bought HD shrink tubing with internal adhesive/sealant. Put one 6" piece each side of the splice. Then split three of those 12/10 connectors so the plastic would come off. Crimped and then soldered. Put the split plastic over again, and shrink wrapped each splice. Then wrapped in plastic tape to try to get close to original jacket diameter. I staggered the crimp connectors so the splice didn't get big. Finally slid one heat shrink with adhesive over most of the splice and shrank it. Then the other heat shrink piece the other way.

Splice does not get warm, doesn't seem to reduce voltage in the coach. I have a meter to check that. Extension cords DO heat at the plugs, and DO drop voltage.

I love it! That said, I've heard some CG's won't let us use spliced power cables. I haven't had anybody say anything, including the Georgia ranger who helped with my on site repair. I don't show it off, I conceal it when I can, and it's still all Black. Both cables, and the shrink tubing.

[TakingThe5th]

Chris Bryant wrote:
I've installed them all, and the only one I recommend is the Progressive Industries TT30P- uses a captive type lug for hooking up the wire- all of the others just have a screw that you have to try to get all of the wires under. It also has a true round ground, much easier to deal with than the U grounds of the others. Made in the US, as well.



There is another good one out there, but I don't remember the brand.

The connector Chris is recommending might work well given the way you stow your cord.

[time2roll]

+1 for the PI plug. I wish Hubbell made a TT-30.