That'll work out nicely. That's when the snow will have finally stopped! :dance:Well, this is a bummer. Ordered the SmartPlug and it is on BACK ORDER and won't arrive until the second week of March. ...
Shore Power - SmartPlug vs. Circa 1938
- Thread starter Maine Sail
- Start date
Spoke to the fellow from Smart Plug at the Miami Boat Show last week good folks
They are waiting on stainless parts to arrive and then will be able to ship
Great product and is goin on my boat
They are waiting on stainless parts to arrive and then will be able to ship
Great product and is goin on my boat
Would you believe
Just found out yesterday, a friend at marina next to mine had a fire onboard last week. Bet you can't guess where the fire started.....shore power plug on the boat. No significant damage, was caught before it got out of hand. He was on board at the time and started smelling it beginning to cook...very lucky he was there. It would have taken several boats along with his.....
Just found out yesterday, a friend at marina next to mine had a fire onboard last week. Bet you can't guess where the fire started.....shore power plug on the boat. No significant damage, was caught before it got out of hand. He was on board at the time and started smelling it beginning to cook...very lucky he was there. It would have taken several boats along with his.....
Yep, ad that one to the list, number 100,046 and counting...
IMHO boaters who stick with the twist lock standard are a "statistic waiting to happen".....:cry:
I upgraded my power cords and connectors to Smart Plugs last year. The scarey part is that there is only one other boat in the marina with this same upgrade(installed by MS of course). But so much potential for fires while I have made the investment to be safer.
yea and most will not make the change till they see a boat close by catch fire and burn...funny how people procrastinate the important stuff ....and then it will be like locking the gate to the paddock after the horse is out....
regards
woody
IMHO boaters who stick with the twist lock standard are a "statistic waiting to happen".....:cry:
ALCON,
I disagree with this statement on some levels. I do agree that twist lock is not nearly as good as the smart plug but I believe that when properly maintained with dielectric grease they can be very safe. As I stated in my previous post I had huge problems with my twist lock plugs in the past that use of dielectric grease complete resolved. On the plus side a tube of dielectric grease only costs a few bucks. Far less expensive than replacing the entire outlet with a smart plug if you are willing to put in the 5 minutes a few times a year to keep your plug prongs covered.
Just my 2 cents... feel free to ignore at will.
Take care,
-Levin
ALCON,
I disagree with this statement on some levels. I do agree that twist lock is not nearly as good as the smart plug but I believe that when properly maintained with dielectric grease they can be very safe. As I stated in my previous post I had huge problems with my twist lock plugs in the past that use of dielectric grease complete resolved. On the plus side a tube of dielectric grease only costs a few bucks. Far less expensive than replacing the entire outlet with a smart plug if you are willing to put in the 5 minutes a few times a year to keep your plug prongs covered.
Just my 2 cents... feel free to ignore at will.
Take care,
-Levin
Sadly this has only a little to do with just keeping the contacts clean... I wish it were that easy. The twist-lock design allows movement, this causes the female socket spring mechanism to loosen over time, this coupled with less contact surface area than a standard house hold 15A outlet, and boaters trying to push 30A through them, and no matter how clean the contacts fires can be started.
This is brand new vs. brand new at 28A. No corrosion, flexing or use to loosen the spring clamp in the female socket yet still a 19F degree spread....
Where these two lines intersect is the contact area for a NEMA L5-30.. There is no Band-Aid you can put on these twist-locks to fix that.
Stay below 20A on a 30A service, keep the contacts clean & protected and make sure they are properly attached and that is the best you can do.
woody, do you get a different taste with the different colors? :Liar:
Stu funny you should ask........only the bluewoody, do you get a different taste with the different colors? :Liar:
regards
woody
Stu and Main,
I wish I could explain why it works for me but it works for me. I was burning up plugs like they were going out of style for a couple of years. They looked like the pictures that Main has put up of some of the bad things he found. Then I went through that long conversation in 2009 that I made reference to earlier on this board and someone suggested dielectric grease. I used it on the prongs and no more problems. My plug still looks like the day I installed it, and I certainly don't stay below 20A on a 30A circuit.
Now mind you if I ever do burn up another plug (and I check it every time I leave for a sail) then I'll install a smart plug, but for those who want a low cost quick thing to improve safety I believe dielectric grease is the way to go.
Take care,
-Levin
I wish I could explain why it works for me but it works for me. I was burning up plugs like they were going out of style for a couple of years. They looked like the pictures that Main has put up of some of the bad things he found. Then I went through that long conversation in 2009 that I made reference to earlier on this board and someone suggested dielectric grease. I used it on the prongs and no more problems. My plug still looks like the day I installed it, and I certainly don't stay below 20A on a 30A circuit.
Now mind you if I ever do burn up another plug (and I check it every time I leave for a sail) then I'll install a smart plug, but for those who want a low cost quick thing to improve safety I believe dielectric grease is the way to go.
Take care,
-Levin
As I read Maine's post there are two, sometimes interrelated problems with the old style plug: Movement and contact area. The threaded collar can significantly reduce movement and ensure contact between male and female prongs, but it can't change the fact that perfect contact "surface" [what is that little pimple called anyway] is miniscule because of the design. I suppose if dielectric grease somehow distributed electricity the length of the prong, it might appear to resolve the problem, but I don't see how it can do that.
Have 4awg cable from my shorepower plug to the AC panel
Smart Plug only opens up to 10awg anyone find a crimp end somewhere that will adapt 10 to 4
Thanks
Smart Plug only opens up to 10awg anyone find a crimp end somewhere that will adapt 10 to 4
Thanks
Even a 50A service does not require 4GA. Are you sure you are looking at AC wires and not DC? 30A service is 10GA, 50A service is 6GA... Is it possible you had a 50A service?
Maine
Its a 30A setup panel can accept 4awg cable so thats what I want to run to the smart plug
Looking for a crimp style adapter to take 4 down to 10 so that I can make the connection
Otherwise I was going to reduce the cable at the plug so it will fit in
Thanks
Its a 30A setup panel can accept 4awg cable so thats what I want to run to the smart plug
Looking for a crimp style adapter to take 4 down to 10 so that I can make the connection
Otherwise I was going to reduce the cable at the plug so it will fit in
Thanks
To do this correctly and safely you will need:
*Junction box, preferably a watertight exterior version
*Glands for the J-box for the wire where it enters
*A terminal strip to mount inside the box that can accept 4AWG on one side and 10AWG on the other
I would recommend two of these mounted inside the j-box. One for black & white and one for the green wire.
Blue Sea Insulated Dual Power Post
Bring 4AWG into one side and use a jumper of 10AWG to go to the inlet out the other.
There is no such beast as a 4AWG to 10AWG crimp terminal that I have ever seen. Beyond that the inlets are specifically designed and intended for bare stranded copper not ferrules or prong terminals..
If the inlet is not too far away re-running the proper sized wire for the service would be my first choice.