Omg

[SEVEN]

Saw this online. Check your cables weekly.

 

[Scarlett]

People think they are protected from there cords burning up by their circuit breakers, but they are wrong. An overheated cord can burn with flames and all and the breaker will not trip. John

 

[Canuck Dennis]

I have noticed that some residential cords at houses burn up and the breaker stays on, seems the electrical industry has some questions to answer.

We had a big Sea Ray burn up at the dock main 50 a. brkr, no trip.

 

[Briankinley2004]

whatever happened with the dude that was missing a leg or getting partial power? there were a couple posts on this topic the last few weeks but seems like the OPs on them never responded with findings or I missed something. Shore power cords were suspect in each thread

 

[krush]

I have noticed that some residential cords at houses burn up and the breaker stays on, seems the electrical industry has some questions to answer.

They need to answer the basic laws of electricity???...or does the public need to understand V=IR and P=I^2 * R ????

 

[SEVEN]

I grab hold of my cord 3 or 4 times a day to check for heat. I also shut of the circuit breaker before I unplug either side. That’s keeps from sparking and burning the plug ends. I’ve never burned a plug in 40 years.

 

[GJH]

They need to answer the basic laws of electricity???...or does the public need to understand V=IR and P=I^2 * R ????

Yep, amazing the general ignorance. Someone expects a breaker to go off when they plug in a soldering iron or a space heater?

 

[kelpy]

The cords, plugs and all receptacles require periodic inspection and maintenance just like most everything else in the ships electrical systems. The picture from the OP shows what can happen when the maintenance is deferred or neglected. It happens quite often.

 

[SEVEN]

Far to often.

 

[Dan Mapes]

Then there is this seen back in March of '16 at West End. Note, that the exhaust is also sort of pointed at the cockpit. There was no cap on the propped up container the hose was stuck in the end and tied in place;

 

[tjshuler]

The connectors most likely got hot from an arc fault, not from overloading. Arc faults occur when the connection between the two connectors is not seated firmly. Then the electricity arcs across the loose connectors and heats up. Arc faults can be parallel (phase to neutral or ground) or serial as is the case with loose connectors. The resultant arcs are extremely hot, but they don't draw enough current to trip the circuit breaker.

New construction in homes require AFCI circuit breakers in most living areas now to reduce house fires due to arc faults. AFCI - Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter.

http://smartplug.com/marine/ is an improved connector system for marine applications. The connector provides more contact area than standard twist lock connectors. Available in 30 and 50 amp.

 

[bobk]

The connectors most likely got hot from an arc fault, not from overloading. Arc faults occur when the connection between the two connectors is not seated firmly. Then the electricity arcs across the loose connectors and heats up. Arc faults can be parallel (phase to neutral or ground) or serial as is the case with loose connectors. The resultant arcs are extremely hot, but they don't draw enough current to trip the circuit breaker.

New construction in homes require AFCI circuit breakers in most living areas now to reduce house fires due to arc faults. AFCI - Arc Fault Circuit Interrupter.

http://smartplug.com/marine/ is an improved connector system for marine applications. The connector provides more contact area than standard twist lock connectors. Available in 30 and 50 amp.

Other things that can cause an arc fault include corrosion on the plug blades, loose screws or corrosion at the wire terminals. Checking for a warm plug is highly recommended. Ditto on the breakers in the boat.

Bobk

 

[Dan Mapes]

I have never considered the 30a connectors robust. There is a poor mechanical grip that offers quite a bit of flex.
If it was up to me I would enforce an improved spec that included a more rigid support something like the 50A connectors.

 

[SEVEN]

I have never considered the 30a connectors robust. There is a poor mechanical grip that offers quite a bit of flex.
If it was up to me I would enforce an improved spec that included a more rigid support something like the 50A connectors.

Costly but I agree.

 

[jim rosenthal]

That last photo? That's a real "Hey, watch this"

 

[SEVEN]

So dumb.