Shower Power plug got hot.

[diver57]

Plugged in my HTT at home to charge battery, check A/C, and fridge - When I went to unplugged from the shore power I could not unplug it. One of the legs melted. I'm using a 10 gauge extension cord. Everything in RV is working. I'm wondering by turning on the A/C on high and the fridge, I might have drawn to many Amps at once. Is this something I should worry about?

[mcfarmall]

The fridge only draws about 300 watts, the inverter while charging the battery probably less than the fridge. Your big power draw is the A/C and depending on how long the extension cord is there is the possibility of the cord heating up as well. If one of the prongs on the plug melted, most likely it was due to poor contact with the receptacle. I have found that the prongs on my RV shore power plug get "pinched" together and over time they don't fit as snugly into a receptacle. To remedy this, I take a small straight screwdriver and shove it in the gap to spread the prongs out a bit every so often. A more permanent fix would be a sliver of brass shim stock placed in the gap and held in with a drop of solder.

[Threebutchers]

You haven't provided some key details....but as a general rule, yes - that's too many amps to try and pull. You're probably on a 20A house circuit - and the longer the extension - the more heat your going to generate. A bad connection will exacerbate the flow as well

I'd be careful to do much more than charge my battery with an extension cord on a 20A circuit.

[RoyBraddy]

You also need to tell us which RV ADAPTER you are using. The best one to use is the RV30A-15A LONG DOGBONE type adapter that looks like this.



The small round adapters that look like this all prone to get hot when being used.



If your SHORE POWER 30AMP PLUG now resemble this you will need to replace the cable and plug. You will also most likely have to replace the 15A/20A Receptacle you are using on your house side as well...


You also need to feel your connections when being used heavy and can most likely detect one getting hot long before it does the damage you have indicated.

Roy Ken

[mcfarmall]

Originally Posted by RoyBraddy

If your SHORE POWER 30AMP PLUG now resemble this you will need to replace the cable and plug. You will also most likely have to replace the 15A/20A Receptacle you are using on your house side as well...

Roy Ken

Why replace the entire cable if only the plug is bad? I would think you should be able to purchase a 120v 30A cord cap, cut the bad plug end off and install the new plug. Shouldn't be any different than replacing the male end of an extension cord. Disclaimer: I haven't had to purchase a 120v 30A RV male plug but a good home center or electrical supply house should have them.

[33 RLDS]

Amazon has quite a few plug ends along with lots of reviews to help you decide..