cleaning shore power cable

[scott sale]

Hello all! A very "interesting" situation happened on the dock last week. A fellow sailors boat had an electrical fire on board due to corrosion on his shore power cables. This fire caused minimal damage due to the fact that he was on board, but raises some serious questions: how clean are YOUR AC cables??? And, how does one clean them--both the male and female sections? Hustle-up with those responses and let's follow up on it. Fair winds to all!

 

[Steve Dion]

Replace them every 10 or so years.

Scott:The power cords are avaioable on sale for about $35-40. It is probably a good idea to just toss the old one every ten years or so. We have had numerous problems in our marina with these cords shorting out.

 

[Jim Maroldo]

cables

I agree with Steve! IMHO, I can't imagine ANY way that you'd be able to clean the inside of a jacketed cable. In the hostile marine environment that our boats live in, it's understandable that eventually water will work it's way inside a cable that's exposed 24/7. Once inside, the moisture stays there and begins it's dirty work. At 40 bucks for 10 years' use, that's $4.00 per year. What else on a boat is cheaper than that!By the way, if you're talking about the male & female metal prongs in the plug & socket, just clean with a small brass brush and coat with electrical connector grease BUT MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF FIRST!Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett

 

[John K Kudera]

Meltdown!

We had a similar situation several years ago, our Hunter 34 has aluminum wiring from the shore power connection to the fuse panel. The wires behind the connection became loose, and heated enough to melt the cable end and the shore power receptical. I now remove the connection and tighten the screws on an annual basis. Also remove,tighten and inspect the fuse panel connections. (with the power cord disconnected).

 

[Doug T.]

Aluminum wiring?

Please, please, say it aint so!!!!!!!If that isn't a fire waiting to happen, I don't know what is! The rampant corrosion between the aluminum wire and all of the different metals it's connecting to, combined with a humid, salty environment makes me shudder.

 

[Jim Maroldo]

Aluminum wire

Hey John, I have to agree with Doug there! First, are you SURE it's aluminum wire, and not tinned copper wire? If it is aluminum wire, and it's just the one from the shore power connector, why not change it to a piece of high-quality marine-grade cable and sleep better at night? BTW, is that wire factory-issue or an add-on?Jim Maroldos/v: Lil' Wass Ett