SmartPlug question

[pateco]

My boat side 30amp plug on my shore power cable is showing some heat damage. Rather than just replace it I am considering switching to the Smart Plug system. It is available in plastic or Stainless steel. For those of you that have made the switch, are there any benefits or disadvantages to one or the other that I should know?

 

[Justin_NSA]

If it was in the weather, I'd go with stainless. If it's under a hatch I'm thinking plastic is fine.

 

[SG]

I hope you never need to borrow a shorepower cord on dark and stormy ;^)))).

 

[LeslieTroyer]

Love mine. Wish marinas would change their end, but that will never happen

My only somewhat obvious advice is to reuse the existing cutout. Some P.O. cut a new cutout rightnext to the old one. Now when I plugin the male portion of the old receptacle is hot. Got to fix that this year.

Mahalo

 

[SG]

My only somewhat obvious advice is to reuse the existing cutout. Some P.O. cut a new cutout rightnext to the old one. Now when I plugin the male portion of the old receptacle is hot. Got to fix that this year.

That's something that I'd disconnect ASAP. You could "switch" it, isolate it, etc. --- but in the meantime, I'd get back there and simply disconnect it. CAREFUL that you DON'T have your inverter powering up your shore circuit in an unexpected way -- even when you're working in there!

 

[Sailm8]

Mine a perfect fit when I removed the old receptacle. That is part of the beauty of the new system. I second what Justin said.

 

[Hello Below]

any benefits or disadvantages to one or the other that I should know?

It would be hard to provide a comparison as I only have experience with the stainless steel cover. It seems to be good quality as there is no rust or stains showing after 3 years. It seals tightly when the shore cable is not connected and pulls the female shore side connector in nice and tight when the shore cable is connected. Other than the fact that the sun usually has an adverse affect on plastic, plastic is certainly not as robust and the small price difference, both should work fine.
Indirectly related. Save your old Marinco cordset for when you need an extension to your new Smartplug. I know the cost of the Smartplug combo assembly which includes the new Smartplug cable is up there (B30ASSY-NT) but IMHO is well worth the money. But yes make the change to Smartplug. Your insurance premium may come down because of it.

 

[BigEasy]

I replaced my plug a couple years ago with the stainless steel version smart plug. Undoubtedly, it is one of the best upgrades that I have done. No more fiddling with trying to orient the plug into the socket and no more difficulty threading & removing the dreaded black plastic retaining ring....not to mention the more robust metal conduction prongs on the smart plug.
I would advise using the stainless steel version of the plug for superior weather resistance, being exposed to UV rays, as compared to plastic. Also note on your photo of the plastic version, there is a raised plastic "lip" on top of the power cord plug and a corresponding recessed slot in the hinged plastic cover. After engaging the female plug in the socket, the two lateral metal latches, on the female plug, engage the male receptacle on the boat to retain the plug. However, once the plug in engaged, the hinged cover closes to a horizontal position and engages the plastic lip on top of the power cord plug to further lock the plug into the outlet. Once the cover is locked onto the plug, the cover is subject to some stress from movement that occurs with movement of the boat from windage , wave action, and current. You can see in the photo that the hinge on the stainless steel version is much more robust as compared to the plastic version & should be more durable. Installation is simple as the smart plug components fit Marinco / Hubble connector cut outs and screw patterns exactly. I liked the first plug so much, I bought a another one for my air conditioner/heater circuits.

 

[jssailem]

Chip, I went with the stainless. Closes a bit tighter to the side of the cockpit when underway. The Smart Plug receptacle fits in the old Marinco hole. Even the screw holes matched on my boat. It was a 22 minute install. (Dropped one of the bolts) Love it.

 

[dlochner]

Another vote for stainless if the plug is exposed to weather. My only complaint, and it is probably specific to my boat, is the genoa sheet sometimes gets under the handle of the cover and opens the cover. Not a big issue in freshwater, but in salt water it could be a minor problem. I'll have to devise some sort of locking method to keep it closed

I hope you never need to borrow a shorepower cord on dark and stormy ;^)))).

If someone really needs one, he can borrow mine.

 

[pateco]

My only complaint, and it is probably specific to my boat, is the genoa sheet sometimes gets under the handle of the cover and opens the cover.

Mine is in a corner of the cockpit shouldn't be a problem with the sheets.

 

[pateco]

Thanks everyone for the replies.

I just realized I typo'd the thread title. Can anyone fix it?

 

[dlochner]

After seeing the photos of the non-metallic plug I contacted Smart Plug about getting a new mount. Here is part of their response:

The stainless inlet lid has the added advantage of helping to lock the plug into the inlet. The plastic inlet only secures the plug into the inlet with the two side levers. I do not think that your jib line will open the non-metallic inlet which is available in white, gray and black.