Cleaning grimy shore power cable

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by JordanH

This was my thought too... although... where are you getting $40 shore cables?!?! Up here, they are $120 - $170 depending on length.


The way I figure it, the amount of time to clean a 30' or 50' shore power cable + the cost of cleaning materials + aggravation of having to do it again in one or two years... I would look seriously hard at all of that to see if it's more expensive than just buying a new one. At $40, it's a no brainer to buy a new cord. At $170... well... I might see if I could extend its life.

My shore cables don't have moulded plugs.. I hate em, its captive sales by marine suppliers.
Just shop for the cable at an DIY/ electrical store and buy a 50ft whatever length of cable off the reel and fit it to the plugs.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Acetone

Made that mistake once...wound up sticky and picked up grime very quickly.

Magic Eraser though works wonders.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by JordanH

This was my thought too... although... where are you getting $40 shore cables?!?! Up here, they are $120 - $170 depending on length.


The way I figure it, the amount of time to clean a 30' or 50' shore power cable + the cost of cleaning materials + aggravation of having to do it again in one or two years... I would look seriously hard at all of that to see if it's more expensive than just buying a new one. At $40, it's a no brainer to buy a new cord. At $170... well... I might see if I could extend its life.

He's in Europe and they typically run something similar to 18gauge (1mm). I'm exaggerating a bit but they are spindly little things. They run 240v, so it does halve the amps.

[rwidman]

I remember years ago when I was in the trades, my plastic covered tool handles would eventually get pretty grimy. I used the lanolin based hand cleaner on them and it worked well. It also retained or even restored the plasticizers.

I picked up some a couple days ago and will try it on one of my shore power cords to see how well it works and how much trouble it is.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

He's in Europe and they typically run something similar to 18gauge (1mm). I'm exaggerating a bit but they are spindly little things. They run 240v, so it does halve the amps.

Rubbish.. the cable is 2.5mm and waterproof. Here's a readymade example.. a 32ft (10metre) length with plugs would cost around $33.. just the cable in a DIY store costs a bit less.


https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Maypol...nsion-Lead/T51

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Rubbish.. the cable is 2.5mm and waterproof. Here's a readymade example.. a 32ft (10metre) length with plugs would cost around $33.. just the cable in a DIY store costs a bit less.


https://www.force4.co.uk/item/Maypol...nsion-Lead/T51

Threw me for a minute...till I looked up the product number. The website you linked has it mislabeled. It's not 2.5 mm (diameter)....It's 2.5 mm2 (squared).

It falls between 13 and 14 gauge vs the 10 gauge typical to a 30amp N. American cord.

Copper is expensive and this cord has less than half the copper in it...hence the price difference.

[BonesD]

Peanut Butter

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Threw me for a minute...till I looked up the product number. The website you linked has it mislabeled. It's not 2.5 mm (diameter)....It's 2.5 mm2 (squared).

It falls between 13 and 14 gauge vs the 10 gauge typical to a 30amp N. American cord.

Copper is expensive and this cord has less than half the copper in it...hence the price difference.

Got a link.??? I just got John Deere parts when I searched M150027.. and Force 4.

[rreid01]

Originally Posted by BozSail

What's a good cleaning agent to remove builtup grime from a disgusting looking shore power cable? Regular boat soap doesn't seem to do it... lots of scrubbing and very poor result.

I happened to have some fender cleaner on hand. I tried it on the dirty shore power cables and it did a reasonably good job of removing the grease and scuffs.

[rgleason]

Why not wax the cable after cleaning with something mild. Ours is waxed years ago, looks good but is not used much.

[ggray]

I agree with Thataway; I use 303 once or twice a year.

[JRO]

If it’s 30 Amp service… Buy new if you value your time and have better things to do. They are cheap and perfect. Include the time you are wasting just thinking and writing about it. You’ll save money buying new.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by JRO

If it’s 30 Amp service… Buy new if you value your time and have better things to do. They are cheap and perfect. Include the time you are wasting just thinking and writing about it. You’ll save money buying new.

5 min with a $0.50 magic eraser while washing the boat once a year

vs

1 hour to head up to west marine and spend $60-80 once a year

Hmmm....

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

5 min with a $0.50 magic eraser while washing the boat once a year

vs

1 hour to head up to west marine and spend $60-80 once a year

Hmmm....

You must have pretty crappy quality shore power cables if they're nailed in 12mths.. mine have lasted years.. just a wipe down with a damp cloth every few weeks to shift any city grime.. some marina's suffer more than others.. 5 mins at the most.

[LargeMarge]

Originally Posted by Dogscout

I agree. Most hand cleaners for mechanics greasey hand do a fine job of cleaning up rubber and.plaztic..GoJo and others. Slather it on, wait a bit then wipe it off

.
Seconded.
.
The orange-flavored white-slime in tubes and tubs from Dollar Store.
We acquire the stuff in case lots.
.
We load it in our hands, stroke lovingly, then rinse both... a 'two-for-one simultaneously'.