Are shore power inlets dangerous?

[Shadow Catcher]

We also have one of the Marinco sockets and cords. I can't take credit it came with the MM. It has weathered a couple of storms.
What is followed by two days of rain. Monday

[caseydog]

I have used one of those for 4yrs now and have gone thru many rain storms with no problems...I wonder if it was something else besides a wet inlet...especially since the GFI or breaker did not trip.........
madjack

p.s. I have had the screws holding the wire in place loosen up...that could be a possible cause here as well...or could you possibly have been using more juice than the 15A these units are rated for.........MJ

That's the thing -- I have never lost power, or had a GFCI or breaker trip. My inlet looks fine. It is just the female end of the power cord that is brown inside, where it used to be clear.

These Marinco inlets are made for boats, hence the brand name "Marinco." http://www.marinco.com/brand/marinco-shore-power

It's a mystery to me.

CD

[wlooper89]

On our last night in Springfield this summer, we had a really heavy downpour all night. While we were snuggled up inside the giant teardrop, we were totally unaware that the rain was running down the side of the teardrop, and into the shore power inlet, ultimately causing a short.



...So the question is, on my Giant teardrop, do I just replace the shore power outlet with a new one, or do I put in a little door, and put the inlet inside, somewhere in the galley area?

Mike...

Wow, the plug and pins really got burned. I am thinking that a short right at the power inlet may only be protected by the campground circuit breaker at the power pedestal, assuming it is working correctly. The GFI and CB in the trailer would be downstream of the problem and likely would not trip.

My GFI tripped once in a heavy rain, but the situation was different. The power inlet was okay but water got onto the floor of our side tent where I had left an extension cord plugged into an outlet in the trailer. The end of the cord ended up in a puddle of water! My fault not to think of it. We were sitting in our camp chairs keeping cool with the electric fan, listening to the rain and enjoying happy hour. Finally I began wondering why the fan had stopped running.
Fortunately the GFI did its job.

Bill

[len19070]

I'm with Jack on this

I have the same plug and have had no problems with it. In fact I have had the same plug on several of my trailers and have not had or heard of any problems.

Maybe its something else? (Its the not loosing power on a GFI that makes me think this )

I see burnt cords everyday and most times its from Low Voltage.

A lot of Campground power is "Shakey" at best.

Happy Trails

Len

[mikeschn]

I see burnt cords everyday and most times its from Low Voltage.

A lot of Campground power is "Shakey" at best.

Len

That's a thought... there's no way to really know for sure what it was, is there?

Mike...

[Corwin C]

Had a similar thing happen with a cord that had a small indicator light built into the end showing it had power. But it just turned black when the light fried. It didn't have metal parts coming loose and it still worked (replaced the end just to be sure.)

Corwin

[caseydog]

A lot of Campground power is "Shakey" at best.

Happy Trails

Len

Oh, yes. You said a mouthful. I have seen some very "creative" circuitry at campgrounds.

CD

[Arne]

Wish I had thought about putting it UNDER the t/d, instead of on the side. I've never had a problem, but under would give it a lot more weather protection...

[dakotamouse]

Wish I had thought about putting it UNDER the t/d, instead of on the side. I've never had a problem, but under would give it a lot more weather protection...

I wish I had put it under too, not just for safety but for looks.

[Arne]

I'm wondering if the brown portion of the plug might have been caused by arcing around a weak connection....

[halfdome, Danny]

I haven't had any problems with my Marinco plug either but then it's placed just forward of the galley hinge and is always protected by a shelter. Placing it under the teardrop isn't convenient for me. Makes me think a piece of the "J" shaped drip molding bent over the inlet would help keep water off it. I'm with others and think your power source may be the culprit. Danny

[Nobody]

I haven't had any problems with my Marinco plug either but then it's placed just forward of the galley hinge and is always protected by a shelter. Placing it under the teardrop isn't convenient for me. Makes me think a piece of the "J" shaped drip molding bent over the inlet would help keep water off it. I'm with others and think your power source may be the culprit. Danny

Like this...? Mine isn't the Marinco but it's similar. Has a rubber/neoprene seal inside but I figured the 'J' rail wouldn't hurt either. No leaks in 3yrs & 10K miles & all kinds of weather -

[Larwyn]

I'm more suspicious of the extension cords in question here. I feel sure that heat is the cause of the discoloration of the clear outlet molding and since several of you have noticed the discoloration, I'm wondering if the cords in question are being manufactured with loosely fitting contacts. If there is poor electrical contact between the outlet and inlet, heat will be generated. In Mike's case I would suspect either a loose connection at the inlet or at the contact between the inlet and the outlet of the extension cord, or even a bad/high resistance connection of the wire to the outlet on the extension cord. But then I'm just guessing, long distance trouble shooting seldom pays off.

Loose connections generate heat. That is why we used infrared surveys to locate them in high voltage sub stations. It's also one reason that most electricians now carry an infrared thermometer in their kit, it helps locate loose wires and bad contacts.

[halfdome, Danny]

I haven't had any problems with my Marinco plug either but then it's placed just forward of the galley hinge and is always protected by a shelter. Placing it under the teardrop isn't convenient for me. Makes me think a piece of the "J" shaped drip molding bent over the inlet would help keep water off it. I'm with others and think your power source may be the culprit. Danny

Like this...? Mine isn't the Marinco but it's similar. Has a rubber/neoprene seal inside but I figured the 'J' rail wouldn't hurt either. No leaks in 3yrs & 10K miles & all kinds of weather -

That's it.
A man who's thinking of & correcting problems before they happen. Danny

[WarPony]

I'm no electric expert either but I am with those who say a loose connection could be the culprit. Arcing makes alot of heat. Maybe we should slather the male plug recepticle with di-electric grease to keep the water out but will that help in a situation where there is a bad connection?

I have one of those side plug jobs but mine is a ProMariner from Bass Pro. Haven't had any problems and I don't want to, either.

Jeff