Extension cord to plug in trailer

[mandolindave]

I have been using an orange 16 gauge power cable to charge and
power my trailer while it sits in the driveway. I had no problems
until the snow came. Now the extention cables gets hot and trips
my house circuit breaker. Any ideas what went wrong or what to look for ????

[john hd]

green stuff on the ends!

corrosion on the connections increases the resistance in the circuit and causes the heat and the breaker tripping.

toss it out and get or make a good cord out of type SO cord.

john

[Rebee]

16 gauge is a little too small. I would go to a 14 or even a 12 gauge to take power to the trailer.

Any cable that gets hot when in use is over loaded and a potential fire hazord.


Good luck

dale

[Inland RV Center, In]

Extension cords, even 25 feet, should be a minimum of 10 gauge.

50 feet should be 8 gauge.

Andy

[markdoane]

Dave,

I think what happened is your battery charger went from 'float' to 'charge', and it by chance coincided with the first snowfall.

The higher amp draw was more than a 16 ga extension cord could handle.

[overlander63]

Get the shortest extension cord you can use, the shorter it is, the better off you are (less voltage drop).

There is a formula for length of extension cord to amp draw, I have forgotten the specifics. If your trailer is 15' from the outlet, get a 16 foot cord, if possible, and make it a 12 gauge or heavier. I have a 25 foot 10 gauge extension cord, and I wish it were a little heavier.
Terry

[sander17]

A hidden source of problems is broken tiny copper filaments, especially at the point where the cable enters the connector. This area gets a lot of twisting during use. If you keep the green crud polished off the connector and it still gets warm, snip off the last 4 inches of cable and install a new connector.

[mandolindave]

if the snow insulated the wire or something. It has been fine for 2 years
without the circuit breaker tripping. Maybe my batts were always
charged from the trip home.( I had the trailer unhooked for a month)

[74Argosy24MH]

http://www.csgnetwork.com/wiresizeca...&amps=4&wire=0

Url for a wire size calculator (can't get the hyper link to work). There are some other calculators there too.

John

[Nye Thatcher]

If you are using an outside receptical on your house it should be on a G.F.I. circuit braker which trips when it senses the least amount of moisture. I would use a heavier cable and moisture proof connections.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by 74Argosy24MH

http://www.csgnetwork.com/wiresizeca...&amps=4&wire=0

Url for a wire size calculator (can't get the hyper link to work). There are some other calculators there too.

John

Thanks, John. That was the one I was thinking of.
Terry