Burnt Pigtail
Bill
Looking for advice on the 30Amp plug for a 19' small travel trailer.
Pigtail has burned up again. All black and melted plastic. Second time in
two years.
Circuit panel in TT has a 45Amp inverter. But it came with a 30Amp cord.
Should the TT have a 50Amp cable instead of 30Amp because of the 45Amp
inverter?
Not sure why the plug ends keeps going bad. (Obviously power draw, but any
others)?
TT is lived in full time but my sister-in-law with MS.
Thanks for any advice.
Tim
should be able to set you up with what you need. You will probably need
to replace more than the cord but not too much.
GregS
If the plug is getting hot, then the wiring should also get warm after
you get new plug. A dirty plug will also progressively get worse.
It should remain dry. I often treat outdoor wiring plugs with something
like CRC 2-26.
What size is the wiring ??
greg
Bob Noble
You need to install the thirty amp plug socket and dump the adapter pigtail
if that is what you are doing.
No concern with the 45 amp inverter.
--
Bob Noble
http://www.sonic.net/bnoble
"Bill" <bar...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
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Bill
Looks like 10ga wire.
Have a water proof outlet it plugs into.
The blades on the plug appear loose.
Replacing the cord now.
Bill
> You need to install the thirty amp plug socket and dump the adapter
> pigtail if that is what you are doing.
>
> No concern with the 45 amp inverter.
>
By Pigtail, I meant the cord from the trailer to the 30Amp socket.
Looks like 10ga wire to me.
Cord is a litter smaller than the diameter of a bannana.
Bill
Now to convince someone on what to run when...
Wish me luck.
>
> Replacing the cord now.
>
nothermark
wrote:
The question I have is when does it get hot?
If it is loose in the socket then you are probably never going to end
the cycle.
If it is a solid connection and you are aound it a lot checkin git by
hand or with a cheap IR thermometer and looking at what else is going
on might help you sort it out.
Bill
She used to live in a house, and having all the appliances on is normal to
her.
She mentioned to me that the circuit breaker trips often, just like the
other trailer we had her in. Burnt that cable too.
Maybe the MS has gotten to her brain, as I can't seem to get her to
understand logic..
As far as the connection, the plug is tight in the socket, I needed both
hands to unplug the new cable.
RAM�
> Has to do with her mind set.
> She used to live in a house, and having all the appliances on is normal to
> her.
>
> She mentioned to me that the circuit breaker trips often, just like the
> other trailer we had her in. Burnt that cable too.
>
> Maybe the MS has gotten to her brain, as I can't seem to get her to
> understand logic..
>
> As far as the connection, the plug is tight in the socket, I needed both
> hands to unplug the new cable.
>
Are you absolutely sure that you're supplying enough current to the trailer?
If the breaker is tripping, then the wire in the pigtail is too small to
carry the amount of current being demanded and, thus, is a source of
resistance.
If the main power cord is ALSO getting hot then IT may either be too long or
of insufficient wire size.
Check with an electrician.
nothermark
Sounds like you hit it. Assuming she has not trashed the breaker she
is running too much power. That is easy to do with a single 30 A
feed. As it sounds like a long term issue you might want to increase
the capacity of the trailer by changing to a 50A service. That is
also a standard so parts should be easy to get. That is normally a
split 230 V service so she would have around a 3.5x increase in power.
That should do it in a 19 ft trailer.
On Tue, 9 Jun 2009 08:00:08 -0400, "Bill" <bar...@bellsouth.net>
wrote:
Bill
inverter....
Thanks.
RAM�
>I had entertained the thought of going to 50A, till I saw the prices of the
>inverter....
>
> Thanks.
INverter?
Surely you mean CONverter...
Take a look at the circuit breaker panel in the trailer and see if there is
only one (1) or if there are two (2) sections of breakers. If there are two
(2) then the trailer is already wired for 50A.
If you're having to use a pigtail [power plug adapter] then you're either
trying to use an undersized [15A] extension cord or a 30A cord to a 50A
trailer.
If the trailer's power cord has 4 blades/pins then it's already wired for
50A 240V service.
If you're trying to supply a 50A 240V trailer from a 30A 120V outlet then
it's no wonder that the pigtail is getting roasted.
Bill
3 prong plug, into a 3 prong receptacle.
Has 6 circuit breakers inside, but only one feed leg.
Wish it had 2...
"RAM�" <s31924...@netscape.net> wrote in message
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RAM�
I'd strongly suggest getting a GOOD electrician to come out and go over the
wiring setup.
Are both the plug and recepticle "/.\" in shape [30A 120V]or is one of them
either a "-.-" 20A 120V/240V or a "|.|" 15A 120V?
Without seeing the wiring or, at least, the wiring diagram the only
"inverter" usage that I can envision is to swap legs.
From your description it would seem to be a Power Distribution box rather
than an Inverter.
nothermark
Ditto on the electrician. No reason to have an inverter there. Does
the TT even have a battery? As long as you are using it as you said
you were you do not need one. Inverter's are for creating AC *from* a
battery bank but you are plugged in all the time.
Stormin Mormon
directly without the pigtail?
Other thought is to sand the terminals on the plug with wire
brush and emery paper. Shut off the power to the socket,
take that apart and brush it. Load the terminals generously
with Ox-Gard, No-Al-Ox, or similar. See if that lasts
longer.
I occasionally see burnt electrical plugs and sockets.
Sanding, and then Ox-Gard helps a lot.
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Bill" <bar...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
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Stormin Mormon
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Bill" <bar...@bellsouth.net> wrote in message
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