Hot Power Cord

[GoldFever]

Here's a problem I think may be waiting to get worse:
Had our power cord from the trailer plugged into a 110 outlet in the garage yesterday so I could run the air and do some work inside out of the heat . We have a 25 ft Excella with about a 25 ft power cord, to which I attached an RV to house adapter. When I unplugged from the outlet the end of the power cord was extremely hot
Is this an adapter problem? Maybe the power cord is about to fail and maybe I should replace it right now? Surely this not normal....the cord was hot enough to be very limp....doesn't sound good to me. Any ideas?

[pjlingl]

Gary

Sounds like you do not have enough power in your garage circuit.
I had the same problem with the same symptom. Went to the Home Depot and got an RV receptical and enough 10/3 wire to get to my service box. I hooked it up and have not had the problem since. Good Luck. Jeff

[GoldFever]

Jeff, thanks for the (very) quick reply. I hadn't thought of that. Could this type of installation work off a 220 outlet instead? I just happen to have one nearby in the shop. The box is about 80 feet away diagonally across the entire house so a wire from the box would be a major job, although doable.
Gary

[pjlingl]

Gary
It won't work off 220 directly, but you can take 120 off the 220. Use one of the hot wires on one side of the 220 and the 220 neutral and ground and you have the proper circuit. You will have to ge a proper ground if your 220 curcit does not have a ground ( some do not) and if you plan to use an RV receptical, but this can be to a ground rod. Some people hook the neutral and the ground together (they usually are in most service boxes around here). You will have your local code to contend with on all matters electrical. If you are not familiar with electricity, maybe you can find a good "bud" that is. Good Luck. Jeff

[FrankR]

Doing electrical work can be a very risky action. Some times a little information can be very valuable or very unhelpful. There are times when asking the pro in any work field is the best avenue. Electrical power is like doing your own dental work. I have a history of being a California electrical contractor or 30 years. The liability is very high with a mistake in wiring. If there are any problems with wiring, the results can be very expensive, the insurance company will not pay, loss of trailer, a friend or relative is gone to a better place or you will not need the trailer anymore.
Make a drawing of the electrical equiptment , size of same, name of panels, outlet sizes, footage of needed/wanted electrical, anticipated needs/wants of current draw, and stop by a electrical contractor shop. Ask a lot of questions. Most will guide you and provide valuable info. The electrician will give you a price for the work needed. The pros have insurance.
I gotta call a tech, this computer tower is sparking... hahaha There are many requirements to a job well done....

[j54mark]

"Had our power cord from the trailer plugged into a 110 outlet in the garage yesterday so I could run the air ... When I unplugged from the outlet the end of the power cord was extremely hot"

This issue comes up often enough to merit further comment. A standard extension cord plugged into an ordinary 110 wall socket is not capable of supplying enough current to run the AC. As FrankR mentioned, this is one of those times when a little knowledge can be a problem. The thinking runs like this: The AC draws 13 - 14 amps, I am using a 20 amp circuit, therefore, it will work.

It doesn't.

Even if you use a really heavy extension cord, and few of us have the 12 guage extension cord it would take, the plug itself is only capable of delivering 15 amps. Even if you run only the AC, with nothing else on you are probably pulling all of 15 amps, or better. Why? Because of losses in the extension cord. And once the plug gets hot the prongs start to oxidize. This causes further voltage loss, and even higher current draws. The outlet starts to burn as well, the wire connectors oxidize, and soon the plug, the wires at the end of the power cord, the outlet, and the wiring connected to it are all permanently diminished in capacity.

Houses burn down every day from this sort of thing.

It is real simple. Unless you have a 30 amp RV connector supplied by 30 amp service, you cannot safely run the AC in your Airstream.

FrankR, I am not a professional electrician as you are, so please correct any technically incorrect statements above.

Mark

[GoldFever]

Jeff, thanks for the Frank reMarks on electricity. (Thanks to Frank and Mark) . It appears that I will now call a real, live, electrician (I am not) and see what can be done. Don't need the big house getting burned down.....

Another great reason to be hooked up with this forum

[FrankR]

It is very difficult to show how to be an electrician. But here are some good valid suggestions. Please allow me to tell about electrical power in our great country. It is mandated that the power companies send us 117 volts ac. The higher voltage received is about 235 volts, so we only say 120 or 240 volts. In the very old days, 110 volts was OK. Most electric motors will draw 150% name plate current rating on initial start up. What that means is that a 1 1/2 horse power air conditioning compressor will draw about 20 amps. There is also a 3-6 amp draw for the blower motor. The total ac draw may be 30-40 amps at startup with no other loads. The condition of all the conductors and connections also can increase the amps load. Usually if a male/female connection is HOT, the connectors are not assembled or tightened correctly. The hi temp will locate the hi resistence part. An old power cord may need to be inspected for poor connections. Wire will never fail anywhere except at the connections ends. A power cord will become very hard and brittle over time with amps loads that exceed cord gage and design. Big wire size is mostly better. Many power cords use 15 amp ends with 20 amp wire. Most rv's should be set up for a number 10 power cord with good 20 connectors. Any electrical device that makes heat is wasting power and increasing the power bill. The motor loads are the big power users.