Shore cord gets warm/hot!

[Cubanredneck]

Good morning just purchased a 2007 Winnebago-Itasca Sunova 35J and hit our first 2 camping trips with it while bringing it down from the dealer. The question i have is the unit has an Onan Marquise Gold 5500, 2 roof top HVAC's however the coach has a 30 amp cord. I was concerned when i purchased it b/c i thought it would have a 50 amp cord. The tech that did the walk thru explained to me that it has a 30 amp power cord and an EMS shedding system. I checked the owners manual and he was correct however the cord gets a good temp on it and i was concerned there may be an issue. According to the EMS board i am only drawing 23 amp and that is below the allowable 80%. Do you think maybe i have a bad plug? i was thinking of cutting of the plug and installing a new one as the blades are discolored.

Any insight would be appreciated. I would have really thought this coach would have come with a 50 amp service.

[vermilye]

martipr wrote:

Lynnmor wrote:

rv2go wrote:
First I would clean the discolored blade with fine sandpaper, Or maybe an emery stick.
Second, buy you a 30 to 50 amp adapter and use this if your CG pedestal has a 50 amp receptacle. The 50 amp receptacle will more likely have better contacts than the 30 amp. 30 amp receptacles tend to get overloaded, causing the contacts to get hot, then weaken, causing overheating of the plug.

I wonder if he is already using a 50 amp adapter and somehow drawing more than 30 amps. One needs to be careful using a 30 amp, #10 cord and protecting it with a 50 amp breaker.

Wouldn't the coach 30 amp breaker protect everything?

Yes, except for the 30 amp rated cord if there was a 30 - 49 amp fault before the RV main breaker (which is pretty near impossible). A dead short in the cord (a more likely fault) would trip the 50 amp pedestal breaker fast enough to provide protection.

[martipr]

Lynnmor wrote:

rv2go wrote:
First I would clean the discolored blade with fine sandpaper, Or maybe an emery stick.
Second, buy you a 30 to 50 amp adapter and use this if your CG pedestal has a 50 amp receptacle. The 50 amp receptacle will more likely have better contacts than the 30 amp. 30 amp receptacles tend to get overloaded, causing the contacts to get hot, then weaken, causing overheating of the plug.

I wonder if he is already using a 50 amp adapter and somehow drawing more than 30 amps. One needs to be careful using a 30 amp, #10 cord and protecting it with a 50 amp breaker.

Wouldn't the coach 30 amp breaker protect everything?

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Guesswork Eliminator...

[Cubanredneck]

Just wanted to follow up with everyone after trying everyone's suggestions. I ended up having to cut the cord and replace the plug. after dissecting the old plug I found a bad connection at the neutral spade. Needless to say the issue has been resolved and all is good. Thanks for the help and insight!

[Bird_Freak]

Tin Pusher wrote:

Harvard wrote:
And if the looseness is between the male and female connections it may not be the fault of the male connectors.

You men always say that 🙂

can't help it if the plug I am trying to plug into has been used to many times and is loose. just saying.

[Tin_Pusher]

Harvard wrote:
And if the looseness is between the male and female connections it may not be the fault of the male connectors.

You men always say that 🙂

[Harvard]

X2 on the "some thing is loose" if it is localized heat. And if the looseness is between the male and female connections it may not be the fault of the male connectors.

[powderman426]

If it's that hot temperature wise, I would start by checking the voltage at the pedestal. if everyone is running air conditioners there could be a voltage drop which will cause it to run hot.

[oldtrojan66]

From what I have learned about appliances, any time a sheltered cord or plug is hot to the touch from normal use, there is something loose. I would check where it is plugged in, as well as what kind of load you were using. I had a pedestal with a loose connection that I did not notice till I pulled the plug at the end of the week-end. I should have picked up a couple hints, though. The charger cords for our various techie do-dads, were hot, and one did not charge in the normal time. I replaced the end before I plugged it in again at home.

[Wayne_Dohnal]

If I didn't make a math error a 25 foot 10 AWG cord will dissipate about 46 watts at 30 amps. Same heat produced as a ~50 watt incandescent lamp. Not enough heat to burn up the cord or IMO discolor the contacts, but it will raise its temperature noticeably above ambient.

[RJsfishin]

I wasn't tryin to be a smart ass,.....even tho I am sonetimes :))
I was charging my 12/24v lawnmower the other day, and noticed the charger cord was waaaaay too hot. But come to find out, it was the current temperature making it hot ! And that was in the shade ! Fooled me !
If a black 30 amp cord is in the sun in 95 deg temp, it going to be too hot to touch, truss me !

[wa8yxm]

RJsfishin wrote:
In Miami, are you sure the cord isn't hot before you even plug it in ??

Second the above... True story follows, if this rig is not blown over by the wind before I finish.

When I got the motor home I modified the electrical system (Added outlets) so that I could provide emergency power to the modified house (Added generator transfer panel and inlet).

I put together a heavy duty (six ga I think) cord to run from RV to house.

I also have adapters to use this cord in other ways.... ONe of the was providing power for a Ham Radio Field Day operation.. The Generator is nice and quiet (100 feet away the operation chairman could not hear it). Well when I went to roll it up it was so hot I had to wear gloves. This is a 30 amp cord, actually that size wire is rated 50 amps but we went over size due to the length.

We were drawing perhaps 5 amps, if that.

Finally I got to the part of the cord that was under the awning. IN the shade.. That was COLD to the touch.

And now comes the rain. (Weather outside my motor home).

[Weldon]

I have used my 50 amp cord coiled up for years without a problem. I would be more concerned with the discolored prongs.

[Lynnmor]

rv2go wrote:
First I would clean the discolored blade with fine sandpaper, Or maybe an emery stick.
Second, buy you a 30 to 50 amp adapter and use this if your CG pedestal has a 50 amp receptacle. The 50 amp receptacle will more likely have better contacts than the 30 amp. 30 amp receptacles tend to get overloaded, causing the contacts to get hot, then weaken, causing overheating of the plug.

I wonder if he is already using a 50 amp adapter and somehow drawing more than 30 amps. One needs to be careful using a 30 amp, #10 cord and protecting it with a 50 amp breaker.