Any suggestions on how to clean and seal a shore power cord? I have two that are supposed to be yellow...right now they look like the color of rotten bananas.
Thanks
Thanks
dirty shore power cord
- Thread starter timweed
- Start date
It may be time to replace them... but if I wanted to clean mine, I would first pull them thru a rag saturated with wd40 several times, then switch to a rag saturated with laquer thinner... if that doesnt turn them yellowish again, its hopeless...
If they are old cords and have been sunbaked, they will never again be bright yellow...
I went back in the old threads for this, and yes you can clean them. I'll be checking the dumpster where Centerline has his boat, maybe a good power cord could be had.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1179482&highlight=shore power cleaning
All U Get
Plus 1 on the Acetone. I just cleaned mine last weekend. They looked just like you described them. They were really grody looking. I was concerned that the acetone would leave them sticky soft. I have cleaned old fenders with acetone that were soft for about a week. I used the cord on Tuesday and it was like new. I found the easiest way was to put tension on the cord by stepping on it and pulling with the left hand while wiping with a rag with the right.
You just can't stay on the plastic too long with Acetone since it is the curing agent for most plastics. It will remove the black printing on plastic pipe and make it look much better as well. Chief
Acetone applied quickly will return it to a like new condition but the most important part is how you preserve it after the wipe.
http://forums.hunter.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1117353&highlight=acetone
I'm gonna try the acetone then encase it in pool noodles to protect against the sun. The denser stuff used for pipe insulation makes good chafe protection for dock lines.
By the time the jacket gets grody, the contacts are usually worn and the cord should be replaced anyway.
Bad contacts in a shore power cord, contribute to heat and fire.
Starting a fire on your boat to save a few bucks is a fools game.
Don't check your shore power cords for how ugly the jacket is looking, check them for the condition of the contacts. If worn, replace, ugly jacket or not.
Bad contacts in a shore power cord, contribute to heat and fire.
Starting a fire on your boat to save a few bucks is a fools game.
Don't check your shore power cords for how ugly the jacket is looking, check them for the condition of the contacts. If worn, replace, ugly jacket or not.
Another way to clean cords is a 5 gallon bucket filled with Hot water and Oxyclean. Let soak for an hour, occasionally agitating the water. Keep the ends of the cord hanging outside of the bucket. Works very well if you don't want to go the Acetone route.