Boy that sucks...

margareedaville · 09-15-2018, 07:41 AM

Went to unplug the extension cord that I used for about a day to cool down the RV, powering a 15K A/C and the Fridge - found this. The female end was not melted, but warm. Obviously the load was too high.

My thoughts were that either:
a) Cord was too long
b) Cord was not rated for 20A
c) a & b
d) Home circuit is inadequate for some reason

What do you think? Unfortunately, I can't recall what the cord was rated for. The tag resembled a CVS receipt so I ripped it off a while back.

michael.g · 09-15-2018, 07:57 AM

I would say A, B or C.

When plugging the RV in at home, I always use the 30 amp extension cord right to the house outlet and then used a 30 to 15 dog bone to plug in to the house outlet.

Ironically, the first time we needed the 30 amp extension cord was the first time we went camping in our Hybrid TT and didn't have an extension cord yet. The campground had a shared pedestal for 4 sites and it was a good 50 feet from our site. The campground loaned us an extension cord and then we bought one. Never needed it at a campground after that one trip, but used it at home often.

-Michael

margareedaville · 09-15-2018, 08:04 AM

Yeah, so basically you're mitigating the resistance by extending the 30 amp cord as far as you can and reducing the length of your smaller cord?

ALJO · 09-15-2018, 08:08 AM

My thoughts are "Boy is not to bright....lol", inform yourself and read manuals.
The cord has been to light for the load to pull. Get a proper 30 Amp installation.
Otherwise just run your Fridge or very light loads what a 15 amp or 20 amp breaker can handle with a proper extension cord.

Grumpy · 09-15-2018, 08:14 AM

USA or imported cord? The way they assemble these things make a difference to.

JohnWedell · 09-15-2018, 08:15 AM

Check the breaker, it’s probably 20 amps. The extention cord is only rated for 14 amps. Get a 20 amp extention cord.

Isaacs · 09-15-2018, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by margareedaville

Went to unplug the extension cord that I used for about a day to cool down the RV, powering a 15K A/C and the Fridge - found this. The female end was not melted, but warm. Obviously the load was too high.

My thoughts were that either:
a) Cord was too long
b) Cord was not rated for 20A
c) a & b
d) Home circuit is inadequate for some reason

What do you think? Unfortunately, I can't recall what the cord was rated for. The tag resembled a CVS receipt so I ripped it off a while back.

You can look at the cord to see what size wire it is. If it is marked 12ga then it is capable of carrying 20 amps. 14ga and 16ga are smaller.

If your house is like mine, my garage outlets are 15 amp, fed by 14ga wire and are located a long distance from my house panel. My beer fridge wouldn't even run properly and that's important! Wire length is important to reduce voltage drop which can ruin your AC unit. I solved the problem by putting a sub panel in my garage.

TWP723 · 09-15-2018, 08:45 AM

The AC is pulling too much current for that cord. It may be a cheaper made cord as well.

Captain D · 09-15-2018, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Isaacs

You can look at the cord to see what size wire it is. If it is marked 12ga then it is capable of carrying 20 amps. 14ga and 16ga are smaller.

If your house is like mine, my garage outlets are 15 amp, fed by 14ga wire and are located a long distance from my house panel. My beer fridge wouldn't even run properly and that's important! Wire length is important to reduce voltage drop which can ruin your AC unit. I solved the problem by putting a sub panel in my garage.

Definitely cord not rated for the current. House breaker would only tripped if current was higher than breaker rating or the extension shorted.

vcbice · 09-15-2018, 08:57 AM

It looks like an outlet issue. Many older outlets have loose connections or they have lost their spring tension over the years.

I would definitely remove the outlet and replace it with a new one, making sure the connections are tight.

FWIW, I have had outlets crumble in my hands on removal after being heated like that.

margareedaville · 09-17-2018, 03:11 PM

So I tracked the order down - bought it from Amazon a while back. Definitely a 12/3 with tons of great reviews (otherwise wouldn't have bought it). I think it's the outlet because it looks old as hell... =(

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

**norty1** · 09-17-2018, 03:21 PM

Your were likely exceeding the cords max capacity most of the time. Even a larger gauge extension cord may not allow that much current without heating a properly sized one either.

nevermind · 09-17-2018, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by margareedaville

So I tracked the order down - bought it from Amazon a while back. Definitely a 12/3 with tons of great reviews (otherwise wouldn't have bought it). I think it's the outlet because it looks old as hell... =(

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It says 15a right on the package.

Yes, 12/3 is ok for 20a on short-ish runs, say 10', maybe 15'. I wouldn't like that wire size feeding 3 outputs either.

IMHO, just use 10/3 and you will never have a problem...

pconroy · 09-17-2018, 04:56 PM

I have a 25' 10g extenstion cord running from a new 20A outlet to power the 15K AC and fridge. No problems over last two years.

Last night, I wasn't thinking and had AC on, Fridge on, lights and TV. Fired up the microwave and got about 90 seconds in before popping the breaker in the box.

Spend the $$ on a good cord and make sure the outlet is 20A would be my suggestion.

rjackson · 09-17-2018, 05:23 PM

I would add option E. poor connections between wire and plug in cord.

Bullitt6283 · 09-17-2018, 05:35 PM

You can safely run a 15K AC and a fridge on 20 amps? Seems borderline to me. Even a slight fault in a connection might fail.

My Rule #1:
Never run the A/C or even microwave on anything but a good 30 amp circuit.

So many times I see people post "well we've been doing this for a long time and it's not been a problem".

The thing is, when you run a motor on less than ideal voltage the winding temps go up, degrading their insulation, and you're taking life out of the motor, even if the breaker doesn't trip..

.

us71na · 09-17-2018, 06:55 PM

You probably should replace the receptacle while you are at it. Someone my have installed a 15 Amp outlet on a 20 amp circuit. The cheap ones at the big box stores are only rated for 15 amps and most won't carry that much after a couple of year use.

margareedaville · 09-17-2018, 07:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nevermind

It says 15a right on the package.

Yes, 12/3 is ok for 20a on short-ish runs, say 10', maybe 15'. I wouldn't like that wire size feeding 3 outputs either.

IMHO, just use 10/3 and you will never have a problem...

true

margareedaville · 09-17-2018, 07:02 PM

I agree and will do.

SloPoke · 09-17-2018, 09:08 PM

Lucky you did not have a fire...

Now that this happened -

* Replace the outlet that the cord was plugged into - it is heat damaged.
* Replace the cord plug with a quality product rated at 20A.
* Know the load that your RV is drawing. You had Fridge, Converter/charger and AC all working hard to cool/charge your unit. That itself should be well over 20A.
* Have a qualified electrician test/replace your breaker that serves that outlet. It was there to protect your wiring - it may be faulty.

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