shore cable sockets burned, what should I do?

[smac999]

Switch to smart plugs.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by thinwater

Yes, that is what the rating means. I should have been specific. You can have 30 amps in rated loads connected; the average amperage would never pass 24 amps without blowing breakers, because of inrush.


.

A blue sea 30a breaker trips around 38a. It’s easy to run a constant 30a on the cord.

Not that it’s good. But it’s easy to do.

[moseriw]

Change the plugs and if possible change the cord from plain copper to marine grade EN 60228 Kl.5 (copper tinned) Suppose you are on 110V use 4 mm² (AWG 6).

Yes you can use the plain copper cord but you have to check it every year. If the copper goes black you have to cut this part of the cord. This is the dangereous part were the resistance get's higher and higer and causes fire.

And yes, this https://smartplug.com/ looks good.

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by vpbarkley

What about eliminating the power inlet and shore power cable socket?
Instead hard wire the shore power cable directly to the inlet breaker.

In our boat the inlet breaker resides in the aft lazarette.
When not in use the shore power cable is coiled and stored in the lazarette.

Thoughts?

Yes, that is done all the time, although not usually on 30a cords. Usually on 50a and 100a cords that are managed with a cord reel.

[CharlieJ]

@BMD21 #11: SmartPlug has developed a conversion kit for the pedestal.

[bensolomon]

I had the same issue, but not quite as bad. Put in a new shore power socket on the boat, changed the breaker from 30A to 20A for safety, and bought a new power cord.

I have single 30 amp shore power.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by vpbarkley

We have 30 amp, twist lock, shore power cables. The sockets of both cables are burned where one prong enters each socket. See photos. I suspect this damage may have been the result of a lightning strike.

Everything works correctly. The power inlets on the hull show no signs of damage. The plugs at the other end of the cables show no signs of damage. I’m trying to figure out what I should do.

1. Does anything need to be done?
2. Should I replace just the sockets on the cables?
3. Do the complete cables need to be replaced?

Thanks for your input.

As others have posted, yes, something needs to be done.

Replace the ends or replace the cables. Since you asked the question, I suspect that replacing the cables would be the best plan for you. It's not that much more expensive than replacing the ends and it's foolproof. You can't screw up and do a bad job.

If you look at the power inlet on your boat, I suspect you will find it looking similar to those sockets. That is, burned and corroded. The power inlet will need to be replaced as well or it will shorten the life of your power cords. And burned cords and power inlets are a source of boat fires.

You should hire a marine electrician to do this.

In the future, never plug or unplug the cord (either end) when the circuit is electrically energized ("hot"). Turn of the breaker on the power pedestal. Always plug the boat end in first (and unplug it last), then the pedestal end and then turn the breaker on.

If there is no breaker on the power pedestal, turn off the master breaker on your boat before connecting the power cord.

Apply a coat of dielectric grease to the prongs of your boat's power inlet every month or two. And always make sure it's plugged in all the way and twisted to the right as far as it will go.

[zeehag]

change out your plugs and make sure thatyou twist them locked to complete ground..that wasnot a lightning strike it was failure of operator to twist the p lug locked. easy peasy. i have seen this many times since 1990 when i first moved on board my first boat. operator error causes fires. be careful. check twist locks weekly and as needed..feel plug for heat. if hot, twist it locked.

[Brewgyver]

Originally Posted by thinwater

[*]Keep them out of the weather if possible. Cover them. Under a hard top or dodger is best, out in the open is poor construction.

Hmmm, by that standard, the vast majority of aALL sailboats are poorly constructed? Very few sailboats are built with a hard top or even a dodger.

Yes, having the shore power connection out in the weather is less than ideal, but it's also a necessity on most sailboats.

[vpbarkley]

Ordered a pair of SmartPlug B30ASSYNT Combo Kits, $390 from Walmart, best price I found. Amazon was way overpriced. Thank you for all the helpful input. I learned a lot.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/SmartPlug...0-2231183cc1bb

[Calif.Ted]

Originally Posted by vpbarkley

Ordered a pair of SmartPlug B30ASSYNT Combo Kits, $390 from Walmart, best price I found. Amazon was way overpriced. Thank you for all the helpful input. I learned a lot.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/SmartPlug...0-2231183cc1bb

Good move, fun story, friends called one Sunday and said "Batteries are dead and inverter alarms going off, can you take a look !!!"
Started at panel, shut down inverter etc. started tracing from there, went to cockpit checked plug on boat, looked at 50 amp power pedestal which had burned to the waterline unnoticed night before and said "I think I see the problem".

[Seymore]

+1 A marine electrician is in order.

The odour is that the hot and return lines are reversed somewhere, the return line on the boat is grounded, and so the hot goes straight to ground.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

....fun story, friends called one Sunday and said "Batteries are dead and inverter alarms going off, can you take a look !!!"
Started at panel, shut down inverter etc. started tracing from there, went to cockpit checked plug on boat, looked at 50 amp power pedestal which had burned to the waterline unnoticed night before and said "I think I see the problem".

In the ABYC training materials for Electrical Technician, they stress that troubleshooting of AC power problems should start at the pedestel.

[Calif.Ted]

Yeah, I started at the end with the annoying alarm buzzer and flashing red lights, like a moth to a flame.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Calif.Ted

Yeah, I started at the end with the annoying alarm buzzer and flashing red lights, like a moth to a flame.

It seems like you got to the pedestel pretty fast.