Shore Power Cords

luvrbus · September 09, 2014, 03:08:24 PM

It is best to go through the floor in IMO then you can still lock the bay doors mine goes through the floor has a 3 inch opening and has cap you screw in after the cable is in or out

I bought one of the $$$ low profile motorized reel from Shore Line you diffidently want to spool all the cable off I had a mess when the cable melted on the spool

I had to redo that bay it melted the FRP board on the walls we were lucky to notice it when we came back to bus after being gone all day

eagle19952 · September 09, 2014, 03:16:50 PM

Quote from: bevans6 on September 09, 2014, 01:41:27 PM
Look into what can happen if you put a decent amount of power through a cable on a reel. It can over-heat enough to catch on fire. You are usually supposed to un-reel the cable fully before you use it, not just pull out enough to reach the socket. I had it happen once with a 12/2 extension cord that I was running my table saw with. Caught it before anything happened, but it heated up fast.

Brian

I would not own a cord reel. Of any size, not even a USB cord.

Scott & Heather · September 09, 2014, 06:57:33 PM

Stealable...but definitely convenient.

Dave5Cs · September 09, 2014, 09:24:51 PM

Marinco on the drivers side waist high with chrome metal threaded cap. I have a reel in the bay for it but haven't mounted it yet. Intend to use it but just for holding it neatly and unrolling it when needed not plugged in while on reel. Got almost new reel for 3 dollars at yard sale.

sdc53 · September 09, 2014, 11:34:17 PM

Ditto to the 12/2 extension cord reel. It turned into a big inductive coil and melted itself, down inside, had to toss it. Don't use them. Fortunately discovered it before it caused a fire or something.

Lostranger · September 10, 2014, 04:02:03 AM

I'm in the process of changing from a hard wired cable to a Marinco socket on the street side. Since we rely mostly on solar, we seldom use shore power. The detachable cable will be easier to store out of the way. At least I think it will. Our theft exposure is minimal.

Jim H

mung · September 10, 2014, 05:26:01 AM

Like I said before, be very, very careful with those Marinco jacks. The vibrations will loosen the screws that hold the wires to the blades and if they start arcing they will burn up your cable and maybe your bus. Somewhere I have a picture of the chared cord and the char spot on the dock. Funny thing is it didn't burn up at the boat, it burned up where the 30 amp was going into a splitter, but it was for sure the Marinco jack that caused it. When I replaced the cord it was still getting hot, that is when someone told me to check the jack. Sure enough the back side of it was also pretty black and I could see where one of the wires had loosened up and was arcing. Hard wired the plug right into the fuse box and haven't had an issue since.

Take my advice, check those connections regularly.

luvrbus · September 10, 2014, 05:56:26 AM

I would watch the Marinco plugs I have had problems with those before just be sure it is locked in place, Country Coach has 3 on their conversions 2-30 amps and 1- 50 amps if you look close the paint is always blistered a little around all 3 in 4 or 5 years

TomC · September 10, 2014, 01:55:44 PM

I have my shore power hard wired to my breaker box. The only plug is to the power pole. Having another plug on the side of the bus is another maintenance spot to watch. Good Luck, TomC

Bob & Tracey · September 10, 2014, 02:29:02 PM

Think about your boat... we used a deck plate.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--screw-in-deck-plate-8-smooth-white--11743069

mung · September 10, 2014, 03:49:26 PM

Yep that would work as well.

Lostranger · September 11, 2014, 03:01:40 PM

If we used shore power extensively, I would be more concerned about the Marinco socket. We rarely plug in.

With that said, I appreciate knowing about this potential problem. I'll be extra careful. Will probably use dielectric grease in the wire sockets and blue thread locker on the screws.

Jim H

mung · September 11, 2014, 03:40:40 PM

Very good idea.

Scott & Heather · October 12, 2014, 04:42:25 PM

Lostranger, just curious as to how you manage to not need to plug in regularly? I would love to have more electrical freedom but we are tied to the pole or the genset...

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk. Clumsy fingers may contribute to mistakes.

Lostranger · October 13, 2014, 06:26:44 PM

Quote from: Scott Bennett on October 12, 2014, 04:42:25 PM
I would love to have more electrical freedom but we are tied to the pole or the genset...

Hey Scott,

I've seen your question, and I look forward to giving it the answer it deserves. It will take me a few days. We're swamped at the moment. In the meanwhile, you might skim both of Rob Gray's build threads at www.robgray.com That's what got me started thinking independent power in a motorhome.

Jim H