18 years of use has taken its role in the plug of the power cord. The plug had loose prongs and looked melted in several places. A cheap Camco 50 amp replacement plug did the trick.
It really only took about 30 minutes taking my time to make the swap. The new piece is much safer. $13 well spent.
Camco PowerGrip Replacement Plug- Transform Your RV Plug Into a Safe and Durable P... Amazon.com: Camco PowerGrip Replacement Plug- Transform Your RV Plug Into a... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000PGVZ30/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_luUnEb4N45JX5)
Excellent report with nice clear photos! That old plug was a electrical problem just waiting to happen.
I used that same exact Camco kit 6 years ago to replace our plug. It has held up very well and still works perfectly.
Toughest part of the job was cutting off our old molded-on plug. Since I did not have "proper" heavy cable cutters, I used a hacksaw.
Bubba strikes again!
Thanks. I just used a utility knife to cut the outer cable then used a regular pair of dikes to cut one conductor at a time. I saw videos of people using all types of told including an axe. I had complete control and exerted no effort.
I hate trying to fit those wires. Nice clean job.
jor
Excellent work! I did the same thing recently, but had to repair some chafed wire as well. No idea how the PO did this in several places. I think I removed two rolls of electrical tape to get to the injuries.
Since those cables are $150, they're well worth repairing if they're not too far gone. Here are some of the supplies I used:
1. Camco Power Grip 50A Male end (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000PGVZ30/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
2. Cable cutter (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MVE48Z6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1). I didn't use the crimper on this project, but used it when I replaced my starter. Once you've used this cable cutter, you'll be in love. Be careful!
3. Heat shrink (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FZ71156/ref=ppx_od_dt_b_asin_title_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1).
4. Heat gun. As luck would have it, my brother was getting rid of his.
I wish PVC electrical tape had never been invented.
When I do succumb to the temptation to use it (not often) I'm never happy with the result, and regret having a roll in my tool box.
When I encounter a place where some
other idiot used it, it is always a sign of shoddy workmanship or a amateur "quickie" repair job.
When I have to remove old electrical tape from wiring, I wonder how anything so STICKY could possibly be so bad at actually sticking to itself.
I must be vigilant and constantly remind myself: USE HEAT SHRINK TUBING - NOT ELECTRICAL TAPE!
How about friction tape? Anyone love that one?
It's good for wrapping the hand grips on tennis rackets, baseball bats, and hockey sticks.
There is a trick to using electrical tape. As you wrap the tape you stretch it to get a neat & tight wrap. When you've covered the area you want to protect stop stretching and let the tape hang loosely then continue to wrap on itself. If you stretch it the full wrap the tape pulls against itself and pulls itself loose over time. If there is a chance I'll need to remove the tape later (which is almost always) I fold the very end of the wrap on itself to create a tab that I can easily grab to pull the tape off.
Learned this installing handle bar tape on bicycles where electrical tape is universally used to hold the bar tape in place. Works like a champ.
I prefer heat shrink tubing but electrical tape has it's place. Also don't buy the cheap stuff. The high end 3M tape is a lot different from the $.50 Harbor Freight stuff.
see ya
ken