This is a story about my burned Power Cord adventure. I took my unit to be serviced here in Arizona and was told that it would take a couple of days to complete the work. Unbeknownst to me, during this short period of time, most of the service department personnel changed as the result of a mass firing and replacement by a whole new crew. When I arrived to pick up my rig, I found that the new power cord which had been provided with my 3 month old 5th wheel had been replaced with a "well used" power cord. This cord had 3 wires hanging 6 inches from the outside shell of the twist lock connector and clearly was not in good shape. I complained about this substitution but of course, with a new crew now on board, no one knew anything about this.

Since the new crew had gone out of their way to get my rig done ahead of schedule, I didn't push the matter at that time. In hindsight, that was probably a mistake but at the time, I was trying to be appreciative of their efforts to improve repair time so I didn't complain. To prevent this from happening again, I mark my cables so anyone can easily see the owner. This can be done in several ways. I used 1 inch heat shrink tubing and a label maker. Some people use bright pink paint and put a few bands on their power cords. Later I took my rig to the now defunct, Alfa factory for repairs. There, to promote ustomer good will, they replaced the cord with a refurbished power cord that was in much better shape.

Just before a trip to Colorado approximately 2 years later, I noticed the twist lock connector on this power cord was burned and the twist connector had partially melted. I had to order a new power cord from the factory for $178. I also had the factory send me the parts so that I could cut off the old connectors and create a new (all be it shorter) power cord as a spare. The day I discovered this, I was loading up the rig and had the air conditioner running. Unfortunately, this faulty plug could have short circuited and started a fire. That time, luck was with me and that didn't happen. Now as part of my monthly and pre-trip inspection routine, I check all connections to the twist lock connectors for wear and proper fit before I plug my 5th Wheel into a 120 V electric source. Better safe than sorry...

Here is what I did to make this repair. I replaced this inlet connector along with the twist lock Levitron 3333-GC. A foot of the orginal cable was fused so I cut this section out. Please note that the burned pin is the black (hot lead. ) In my case, the twist lock connector and the inlet were being welded together. I detected no other damage as I inspected all the wiring. I installed a new connector on the end of this cable and made an entirely new cable. I now have two power cords. I use the old one for emergencies or can send it to the shop when repairs are needed.

As you can see from the connector to the right, there is wear on the plug pins since the plating has worn off thus exposing bare copper. For this reason, I use it as an emergency use power cord only. The copper can corrode which will increase the resistance and produce heat. Currently I am making changes in my shorleline. Alfa used a marine generator type connector and let's face it. If you were traveling you can not get these connectors easily. I have had 2 connectors melt possibly causing a fire over 10 years but I have been lucky. The main problem is that the shoreline fails when your far from any place you can't get repair parts. Shortly after I purchased my 5th wheel new Alfa changed all newer RV models to 50 Amp. The orginal AC shoreline was built to 30 Amp 125v specifications the replacement connectors they supplied me with was 30 Amp 250V. I have checked my 5th Wheel for excessive current usage and its normal. Surges are always are possible. I always check for heat build up on the twist lock connector inside my 5th wheel when I used the air conditioner for extended periods and inspect the connectors for burnt look after and before each use.

Note: Black=HOT, White= Neutral, Green = Ground