cleaning shore cord

[toddedger]

I have a 50 amp white shore cable mounted in a glendening reel that is not working so well. I think cleaning may be part of the solution, but with what? Back in the day Poly Poxy thinner was the stuff, but they don't make it anymore. Any recommendations out there?

[captain465]

Wow! a 50 amp cord on a 27 ft boat? You do have a hungry electrical system!!!

[ranger58sb]

West Marine's shorepower cable/cordset cleaner works pretty well, actually.

Bear in mind that "too clean" -- actually too slippery -- doesn't always work well with the CableMaster, so whatever you use, you'll not want a slippery coating or resideu left behind on the cord.

-Chris

[psneeld]

Originally Posted by captain465

Wow! a 50 amp cord on a 27 ft boat? You do have a hungry electrical system!!!

Depends whether it's 50 amp 125V or 50amp 125/250V and even then how the interior panel is wired.

A heater/AC and water heater plus normal misc house loads are all many 30 amp cords handle. Double that to add a second space heater say in winter, add an electric range and microwave and boom...50 amp 125/250v service is sweet. On my 3rd liveaboard and do appreciate not having to turn stuff off to use something else.

Sure you can do without..but even a 27 foot boat can have as many devices on as a small house and when was the last time you saw even a 100 amp service (equivalent to 50amp 125/250v marine) on a new house?

[hellosailor]

I've cleaned cords with a terrycloth or plastic scrub pad and "Goop" "GooBeGone" and similar citrus cleaners. Also "GoJo" non-abrasive waterless hand cleaners. And of course ArmorAll cleaner, which seems less effective than any of those. A couple of good pulls through the cloth & cleaner, a water wipe, followed by some plain ArmorAll protectant to rejuvenate the plastic, and that's probably all you can do.

It is possible the plastic reel needs to be taken apart to clean out any salt and dirt in the bearing, too. That may be the only real problem if it is just "stiff". Reels are nice but a simple coiled cord and some Velcro straps to cinch it up neatly work for me. Packs down smaller, too.

[toddedger]

Relax guys, don't get to excited. The cord is on a Tiarra that I run on the side. Poly Poxy thinner used to leave a cord like new without the slippery shine. I need to get the grip back in the cablemaster. Sometimes the cord just slips on the way in and there isn't any adjustment on the Glendenning Cablemaster.

[stevensc]

I wish they made those cords and adapters black in the first place!
Steve W

[hellosailor]

todd, fwiw?

MSDS : POLYPOXY THINNER, 12097
NAME :
toluene; (methyl benzene). vp: 22
xylene; (dimethyl benzene). vp: 21
4-heptanone,2,6-dimethyl-; (2,6 dimethyl-4-hetanone). vp:
isopropyl alcohol; (2-propanol). vp: 33
propyl alcohol; (1-propanol). vp: 14.5
2-pentanone, 4-methyl-; (methyl isobutyl ketone). vp" 15

All that stuff will pull the plasticizers out of the cord, making it go brittle or gummy and break down sooner than it would without them. Ditto if any was still on the cord and evaporated inside the plastic reel case.

I know, sometimes you need something harsh to clean off tar and creosote. Still, it isn't good for the plastics.

[gamayun]

I used acetone on mine, did a small section at a time, and then immediately washed it with a wet cloth. I was concerned that it would turn gummy, but it has not. The cord had a lot of sticky black goop on it (probably just dirt and grease) and the acetone cut right through that.

[Capt.Alex]

Best thing I have found is a product called "Marine Strip" available from restorationtechnology.biz. Cleans shore cords like magic. I have no affiliation with the manufacturer, just a satisfied customer.

[Stu Jackson]

Instead of acetone, which as reported will work, try paint brush & roller cleaner. Does the same thing without the rubbing effort. We use it on our fenders, too.

[rebel heart]

I've cleaned mine with a green scrubby and detergent with good results.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I547 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[HopCar]

I second Capt Alex. Marine Strip is what most of my customers use to clean vinyl. It's strange in that Marine Strip is sold as a varnish remover but it's not very good at that. They should rebrand it as a vinyl cleaner.

[HopCar]

Just went to the website. It looks like they are rebranding it as a vinyl cleaner.

[John Galt]

Brush cleaner is cheap and works fantastic with a green scrubby pad.