Has anyone ever cut off and replaced the end of their power cord?

[roguewave]

I noticed I have a couple of spare 30 amp power cords for the boat. The female ends of these cords show signs of heat, as in the rubber area around the prongs are discolored and show signs of heat. I was wondering if anyone has cut off the plug and put on a new one. Obviously the new one must be water tight...just wondering is all. Hate to throw a real nice cord away.
Thanks

 

[O C Diver]

I took a 50' cord and made it into a 20' and a 30'. In the process I replaced all the outer end covers also. It's not difficult to do. You need to shop around a bit to find decent prices on the covers and if you're changing an end. While you have it open, check to see if you have corrosion on the conductors and if so, shorten the cord to remove it.

Fairly easy to do and these look like they were done at the factory.


Ted

 

[roguewave]

I thought that would work, thanks for the conformation

 

[FF]

Depending on the quality of the power hose parts many can simply be removed and replaced .

Hubbel is not welded in place and many a foot of wire has been cut off to expose new wire after a sea water dunk.

 

[Bacchus]

If a female cord end looks bad chances are the male connection on the boat should also be changed...also not hard to do.

At a minimum I'd pull it out... inspect and tighten all connections.

Make it a practice to never disconnect under load.

 

[kchace]

Defender has a whole category of "shore power cord parts".

Ken

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. r. "Defender has a whole category of "shore power cord parts". I'm sure Mr. Hopcar can supply you with whatever you need to replace the plug ends AND you will be supporting a fellow TF member and I suspect at a very attractive price.

I've replaced plug ends as described above. Quite easy.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I just mangled the male end of my power cord. Again. This time even one of the metal connectors was missing. Every now and then I untie the mooring lines and back out w/o thinking about the power cord. Too many years of running smaller boats w/o power cords I guess.

I bought the connectors (plastic sleeve and connector) but found a spare cord on board in a locker. Put on the spare cord. Later the next night I found another cord in the garage. This one has all the little black plastic sleeves in place so I swapped out the cord again. Both the extra cords work fine electrically.

Seems a thread popping up just when your'e dealing w the issue occurs more often than odds would have it. Of course that would happen more often for someone having a lot of problems ...hmmmm.

 

[O C Diver]

I just mangled the male end of my power cord. Again. This time even one of the metal connectors was missing. Every now and then I untie the mooring lines and back out w/o thinking about the power cord. Too many years of running smaller boats w/o power cords I guess.

Might be time for a departure check list.

Ted

 

[stanfromhell]

If a female cord end looks bad chances are the male connection on the boat should also be changed...also not hard to do.

At a minimum I'd pull it out... inspect and tighten all connections.

Make it a practice to never disconnect under load.

Bacchus is 100% on the right track. You don't need to just change the discolored connector, you need to resolve the problem that caused it, which was too many amps going thru one or all of the terminals or connections at one of the plugs. High amperage draw is caused by corrosion, broken wire strands or loose connections. The wires and the recepatcles they fit into must be CLEAN. If they are corroded or rusty cut back the wire untill you find clean stuff. Clean the inside and outside of all the terminals with commercial battery cleaner or a mixture of baking soda and water. Stip back just enough of the jacket to fit all the wire into the receptacle, twist it carefully to keep all the strands together, apply a good amount of dielectric grease to the bare wire, put it in the receptacle and tighten it securely. Apply dielectric grease to the external terminals of yourr shore power cord and the recepatacle on your boat and you will never have a problem with overheated plugs again. Apply dielectric grease to the connectors on you trailer and your vehicle and you likely won't have to chase brake or signal lights that don't work next time you hook your trailer up.

 

[tadhana]

If the female end of the cord is damaged, then the hull inlet is also. Both fittings must be replaced. Here on the east cost there have been a number of marina and or boat fires directly attributed to overheated power code end fittings. During a recent heat wave we were at a dock and it only offers 30 amps of service so we were living on one cord. That is doable if you practice load management. We have lived aboard now 8 summers and winters. We check the hull inlet temperature about once a week and had noticed it was climbing. A month ago we fond that our hull inlet was running 30 degrees above ambient! I replaced the Marinco hull inlet and the new one was still running 19 degrees above ambient. that is just too hot to be safe. I switched to a whole different inlet and cord end called Smart Plug. With the same loads, we are only seeing a 3-4 degree temperature rise above ambient. If you are facing the need to replace the hull inlet, I would strongly recommend that you use the Smart Plug inlet and cord end. We have two cords. I only switched one over as it is the primary cord. At the first of next year the Smart Plug will roll out cord set with a 90 degree plug at the hull inlet end. I'm waiting for that cord set before I switch out my second Marinco 30 amp inlet. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/9779634/cbm122015 plugging along.pdf

 

[dhays]

I just mangled the male end of my power cord. Again. This time even one of the metal connectors was missing. Every now and then I untie the mooring lines and back out w/o thinking about the power cord. Too many years of running smaller boats w/o power cords I guess.
.

A checklist, a sticky note, something might be a good idea. On my sailboat I started to hang the ignition key over the seacock for the raw water intake after I once started it up and left my slip without opening it.

 

[dhays]

Another plug for the Smart Plug. I switched my sailboat over and it was a big improvement. I have yet to do it on my new boat since it has a 50amp/120v plug.

 

[tadhana]

On my sailboat I started to hang the ignition key over the seacock for the raw water intake after I once started it up and left my slip without opening it.[/QUOTE]

That is what I do too. I keep all sea cocks closed if not in use, and if we are in a slip for up to a week, then the engine sea cock is shut and the key is on the handle. In addition to the obvious safety issue with leaving unused sea cock in the open position, this also forces one to operate the sea cock regularly. Seacocks that are regularly exercised are less likely to get stuck. An additional benefit of closing the sea cock is that it prevents barnacles and other biologic growth in the sea strainer and the hoses. If the sea cock is closed, the water in the system goes anoxic and nothing can live.

 

[Capt. Jon]

Another plug for the Smart Plug. I switched my sailboat over and it was a big improvement. I have yet to do it on my new boat since it has a 50amp/120v plug.

Can you buy just the smart plug repair ends for an existing cable? If so where?

 

[psneeld]

Don't be too quick to change a regular 50 amp plug for a smart plug..50 A plugs are pretry roust compared to the 30A regulars.

The most commonn issue with the 50s I have seen is broken dock pedestal outlets from heavy duty cords yanking on them from improperly strung out cords.

 

[roguewave]

Greetings,
Mr. r. "Defender has a whole category of "shore power cord parts". I'm sure Mr. Hopcar can supply you with whatever you need to replace the plug ends AND you will be supporting a fellow TF member and I suspect at a very attractive price.

I've replaced plug ends as described above. Quite easy.

 

[dhays]

Can you buy just the smart plug repair ends for an existing cable? If so where?

Yes, that is what I did. I can't recall where I got them at the time but they should be easy to find.

 

[dhays]

Don't be too quick to change a regular 50 amp plug for a smart plug..50 A plugs are pretry roust compared to the 30A regulars.

The most commonn issue with the 50s I have seen is broken dock pedestal outlets from heavy duty cords yanking on them from improperly strung out cords.

I haven't change out the plugs yet primarily because I haven't figured out what I want to do. Basically, I don't understand the 50amp/120 plugs. A good question for another thread.

 

[tadhana]

In my experience the 50 amp cord ends are able to handle the amperage. I have only seen one 50 amp inlet burn up in many years running marinas. But I sure ave seen a lot of 30 amp connections smoke. The 30 amp cable ends and inlet are not able to carry a full load for long. It is easy to get a new Smart Plug cord end, but it requires a new hull inlet too. A bit of $$ outlay. However the downside of a fire in your hull inlet is even more $$.

 

[HopCar]

It is a very easy job. The terminal screw heads are color coded so it's hard to get it wrong. A guy from Smart Plug came to my store and convinced me that the Smart Plug was enough better than my regular plug that I'm going to change even though my twist lock is working fine now.

 

[dhays]

In my experience the 50 amp cord ends are able to handle the amperage. I have only seen one 50 amp inlet burn up in many years running marinas. But I sure ave seen a lot of 30 amp connections smoke. The 30 amp cable ends and inlet are not able to carry a full load for long. It is easy to get a new Smart Plug cord end, but it requires a new hull inlet too. A bit of $$ outlay. However the downside of a fire in your hull inlet is even more $$.

Physically the 50amp/120 connectors are a lot better than the 30 amp connectors. However, the Smart Plug connectors are rock solid.

My confusion is that I have a 50amp/120v plug, but I have 30 amp circuits on the boat. I end up using a 30amp shore power chord with a 30amp/120v to 50amp/120v adaptor.

 

[koliver]

On my survey a few yrs ago, the Surveyor's Recommendations included putting in a Smart Plug. Since the insurance co wanted the SRs followed, they contributed $150 to the cost of the refit of my power cord. I bought the SP for about $180, did the swap myself, so got a much better plug to boat connection for about $30. (really cheap in $US).

Thread creep warning
Close the seacock? Whatever for? My engine water seacocks are not very accessible, but can be seen and after 36 yrs the Stb one still looks good. I changed out the Pt one 2 yrs ago because I didn't like the rusty handle, and could no longer move it. If I couldn't inspect, I might close them, but since I can see them, and am not ever going to mistakenly stand on them, due to their inaccessibility I don't worry about them failing. Also, I have never had any morine organisms take up residence beyond the seacock. I once had an oyster grow to cutting off the flow in my salt water pump intake screen, but that could be seen and cleared from the outside.
I like to be able to get under way without a long list of SOPs. I turn off AC power, check the gear shifter positions, and turn the key. while the engines are warming up a tiny bit, the power cord comes in and the lines come off. Usually under way before my dock neighbours can show up with a helping hand. I prefer that, as helping hands usually slow the process down quite a bit. Checking the oil and water is for after a run.
A friend has a cover over his throttles with a brief check list stamped into its metal.
1 item "make sure wife is aboard".

 

[tadhana]

Close the seacock? Whatever for? My engine water seacocks are not very accessible, but can be seen and after 36 yrs the Stb one still looks good. I changed out the Pt one 2 yrs ago because I didn't like the rusty handle, and could no longer move it. If I couldn't inspect, I might close them, but since I can see them, and am not ever going to mistakenly stand on them, due to their inaccessibility I don't worry about them failing. Also, I have never had any morine organisms take up residence beyond the seacock. I once had an oyster grow to cutting off the flow in my salt water pump intake screen, but that could be seen and cleared from the outside.

Well closing sea cocks is a matter of personal preference. I grew up on boats and running boatyards and marinas. I've seen a number of sunken boats. Never saw a sunken bot with all its sea cocks closed. there are a lot of other hoses and fittings connected to the sea cock which could be a source for leaks. can you clear your sea strainer with out closing your sea cock?

If you live in the warm salt waters of the lower Chesapeake on down through FL and into the gulf you will get barnacles and stuff growing in your sea strainers.

 

[koliver]

Right you are. I have cleared eel grass out of the sea strainer once, in 40 yrs of boating). I didn't need to close the seacock, as the litre or so of water that went into the bilge was of no concern. Nothing grows here when you take away the light.

 

[Mule]

Gimme some guidance here. I have 30 amp service. Looking on line at "smart plugs" it appeared the plug pattern was different than my standard, locking Marinco cord and female on boat side. Also the replacement plugs are EXPENSIVE. On sale I find 30 amp cords +- $70. What am I missing?

 

[tadhana]

The standard Marinco or Hubble hull inlet and cord end will over time develop a bit of corrosion. This leads to heat build up when the cord is carrying a heavy load and eventually if not caught in time leads to a fire. A company called Smart Plug has created a different hull inlet and plug end. You have to change both. Yes it is a lot more than the price of a new cord, but every year there are several boat/marina fires attributed to the hull inlet connection. Unfortunately the power post receptacle is defined by the electrical codes and so making a change in the fitting at that end requires changing every 30 mp dock fitting in the country and so it is virtually impossible to ever expect that t end to change. But if you use the smart plug you at least move the possible source of fire off your boat and over to the dock.

 

[Capt. Jon]

My reason for the smart plug is two fold, first my wife can plug it in easily. Secondly you can see power at a glance just looking at the end.

 

[Nomad Willy]

My sea cock is down in the engine compartment. Left it open for years but for awhile now I've been closing it. One needs to exercise it anyway. Haven't forgot it as I tie one of those orange flexible ties on the throttle as a reminder. They work as long as they are'nt taken off just before getting distracted. They can be forgoten quickly since you are used to them.

But re my sea cock if I lift one of my eng comp hatches I can reach the cock lever .. just barely. But I've been doing it.

Lifting the same hatch cover I can reach my valve levers on the fuel manifold just barely. The problem is being sure what valve lever you reach. Fliped the wrong one departing Prince Rupert once and went dead in the water quickly. Couldn't get the air out before the CCG was alongside. Hanen't done that one since. The main engine hatch cover is much harder to open.

 

[tadhana]

How do you see power at a glance?