Burnt neutral connection on 50amp plug at camper

[jasonmiddlebrooks]

So I was unplugging my camper from shore power this morning and noticed it was not coming unplugged as easily as it should. Got it unplugged and noticed something had cause the neutral connection to burn. This was something coming from the camper and not from shore power because my surge protector had no errors displaying. No breakers had been tripped in the camper or on the shore power side. I am not sure when it happened because it has been plugged in for a month since my last trip.

So my thought is something in the camper caused it. The AC units were set to 82 so they have been running as needed. Residential frig has been on. Ceiling fan was on. Converter/charger was doing its thing keeping the batteries charged. Probably a light or two on too.

Everything appears to be working fine. I do question the converter/charger though. When I got back home today with the camper I plugged it up and noticed it was drawing 9-8 amps before I turned the AC or anything back on. Normally when I first plug it up it only shows 4-5 amps which is the converter/charger doing its thing. It automatically goes into quick charge mode which has never been more than 5 amps that I have noticed. Maintain mode normally pulls 1-2 amps. The converter was making a humming noise and the cooling fans on it were not spinning. When I flip the breaker for the converter off the fans try to spin once as power is removed and the 8-9 amps go away. So I am going to do some testing on the converter/charger.

But I guess the main questions are...

Any ideas what could have caused this?
Am I on the right path chasing down some appliance or device that had some kind of high spike in amp draw?
Was it a perfect storm and multiple things kicked on at the exact same time to pull a ton of amps?
Could it had been a bug to crawl in the wrong spot and got cooked?

Thanks for any input..

[Grumpy]

That's usually a sign of a loose/bad connection. Looks like you're using an adapter and not the original cord.

[Cavie]

Nothing to look for in your camper. That was caused by a loose connection. That connector is called a "Twist Lock" You must push it straight in then turn it to the right! Then you must install the locking ring and turn IT to the right!

Now you must replace both sides of the outlet.

[JimD]

Burnt connections are caused by heat. The heat is caused by current flowing through a resistance. The resistance is caused by a poor (loose) connection. End of story.

It all comes down to the connection. Nothing in your rig or upstream from the socket will cause the problem. You rig can pull maximum current all day long and not cause any problems as long as the connection is solid. The worse the connection, the less current is required to damage the connectors.

The connectors ideally will be clean and smooth with no pitting. Once things deteriorate it is time to replace the plug. Unfortunately you have no way of knowing the condition of the socket. If you plug in and the plug just falls out, you definitely have a loose connection.

An old trick I used on loose 120 volt plugs was to put a slight twist in the spade or spread the prongs apart a bit. When inserted in a socket you would have to use a little effort because of the slight mismatch. That mismatch caused the connection to be tighter. Have never tried it on high power items though.

As others have said, replace both socket and plug. To replace only one side will cause the problem to come back.

[jasonmiddlebrooks]

Thanks for the replies.

The more I though about it I did not see how it could be anything in the camper. I did check the converter/charger out though and all is fine with it.

I took out the socket (male connection) on the camper and sure enough the neutral wire is welded into its connection. The neutral wire insulation is still in tack and not melted but more tan in color now. Have an extra plug at home and just ordered the socket so should have it all swapped out in a couple days.

Will take it easy until then and only run the frig until I can get it all swapped out.

[Cavie]

Originally Posted by jasonmiddlebrooks

Thanks for the replies.

The more I though about it I did not see how it could be anything in the camper. I did check the converter/charger out though and all is fine with it.

I took out the socket (male connection) on the camper and sure enough the neutral wire is welded into its connection. The neutral wire insulation is still in tack and not melted but more tan in color now. Have an extra plug at home and just ordered the socket so should have it all swapped out in a couple days.

Will take it easy until then and only run the frig until I can get it all swapped out.

take it apart and temporary wire nut or split bolts.

[PaulB12]

Get some electrical grease too.
Some campgrounds get dicey on this issue. I've been to some where I had to ask for another site due to burnt looking or broken female sockets. Sometimes it's hard to tell and you end up with burnt power cord, carry a spare and chang if necessary. Pretty common on park side of cord.
PaulB12