Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

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Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

February 02, 2014, 12:54:35 am

On a recent trip my refrigerator plug shorted out and burned due to corrosion buildup. It burned the receptacle badly inside and possibly could have been much worse if it was left on electric and had not switched automatically over to gas. I knew something was wrong when I tried switching back to electric and it would immediately switch back again to gas. I alway use the auto mode when traveling because it's a 3-way refrigerator and will select electric when available.

When I opened the compartment door and looked at the back I could see immediately what was wrong. I pulled the plug and saw where the left side had burned up along with the left side of the receptacle. Thank goodness nothing else burned.

I believe the corrosion buildup was due the plug and receptacle being somewhat exposed to the elements in the refrigerator compartment with the louvered door. Lot's of air and moisture in there and never being pulled or checked for corrosion. As you can see from the pictures there is a heavy green buildup of corrosion where all the heat was.

The fridge still operated on 12v gas with no problems. No fuses blew and no breakers were tripped. I replaced the plug and receptacle and everything checks out fine.

I would suggest pulling the refrigerator plug out periodically and checking for corrosion whether an absorption type like mine or a residential one like some of us have converted to. If any corrosion is present I wouldn't hesitate to change the plug and receptacle. You see what can happen if left unchecked.

I would appreciate any feedback on this topic because of the potential fire hazard. A built in extinguisher would have put out any fire, but most of us don't have one.

I believe inspecting that plug should be part of our regular preventative maintenance programs.

Stay safe,

Jerry aka Murph

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #1 – February 02, 2014, 07:23:21 am

A question for all the electrical guru's here. Would there be better protection from this occuring again if the recepticle were replaced with a GFI? Inquiring non electrical minds want to know

Larry

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #2 – February 02, 2014, 07:48:11 am

In answer to Larry's question-- yes.

You can keep quite a lot of the moisture out of that outlet by doing two things:

1. Make sure the cord goes DOWN from the outlet, so any moisture that forms on the cord does not run into the the outlet.

2. Put "kiddie-proof" plug in the other socket.

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #3 – February 02, 2014, 09:38:13 am

How about some dielectric grease on plug prongs? Would that help?

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #4 – February 02, 2014, 09:52:08 am

also need to check the tightness of the screws hold the AC wires to the plug !!!!
In that area I would try to seal them with something that does not melt in hot humid weather.

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #5 – February 02, 2014, 09:57:57 am

OE was RV "push wire connections"-- no screws. See Jerry's pictures for how this looks.

http://www.hubbell-wirecon.com/literature/InstallationGuide.pdf

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #6 – February 02, 2014, 12:17:05 pm

Another reason to do what I did to that vent cover behind fridge. I increased the height of the baffles so rain etc has tougher job of getting in to wiring and framework. I cannot find the photos I posted to show this but will keep looking. Simple fix and it will really help.
John H

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #7 – February 02, 2014, 01:17:18 pm

Quote from: John Haygarth – February 02, 2014, 12:17:05 pm

Another reason to do what I did to that vent cover behind fridge. I increased the height of the baffles so rain etc has tougher job of getting in to wiring and framework. I cannot find the photos I posted to show this but will keep looking. Simple fix and it will really help.
John H

I think these two posts are what John is referring to:
Our New Cold Plate Fridge
Our New Cold Plate Fridge

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #8 – February 02, 2014, 02:54:20 pm

John, I did the same after your mod - used some insulation tape I picked up at HD, about 2" wide, maybe 1/8 or so thck, already came sticky on one side, rolled it off, cut to length and was done in about 5 minutes. Held up well for 6 months, and does keep rainwater out of the refrigerator rear - If I still had propane of course I wouldn't change the vent, but having residential now I don't worry about a little less airflow and a lot less rain into rear of refrigerator.

John, as I recall you used sheet metal?

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #9 – February 02, 2014, 10:42:48 pm

Thanks for the feedback guys. All good common sense solutions with no short-cuts (no pun intended!) for what could be a real fire hazard.

Larry.... Good suggestion on the GFI receptacle. It should trip as soon as it detected any short. I will replace the one I just put there with a GFI if I notice any corrosion on the new plug.

Brett... Kidde-proof plugs will also keep mud daubers out of the open socket. I did notice some mud in the open socket in the brown receptacle above the white one used for the ice maker!

Barry... dielectric grease should work well on the plug prongs for corrosion protection.

Bill... I will get "tuit" and make sure the screws are tight on the new plug along with using some dielectric grease on them. I will also wrap the end of the plug where the cord goes in with electrical tape to make it airtight.

John... My vent cover is the old style made of metal with smaller slits and works okay for keeping water out. I do have a small fan back there to keep air moving up and over the coils for cooling and to help in keeping that space dry. Maybe a newer style cover in the future.

Jerry aka Murph

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #10 – February 02, 2014, 10:49:14 pm

Wow! I am glad to hear that it didn't result in a fridge fire Jerry...

Don & Tys

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #11 – February 03, 2014, 09:35:30 pm

What would happen if you cut off the plug and hard wired it in a metal box?

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #12 – February 03, 2014, 10:33:09 pm

Quote from: John Duld – February 03, 2014, 09:35:30 pm

What would happen if you cut off the plug and hard wired it in a metal box?

Hmm....No plug to corrode or get hot and burn. Maybe the best solution yet.

Thanks John

Jerry aka Murph

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Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

February 02, 2014, 12:54:35 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #1 – February 02, 2014, 07:23:21 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #2 – February 02, 2014, 07:48:11 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #3 – February 02, 2014, 09:38:13 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #4 – February 02, 2014, 09:52:08 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #5 – February 02, 2014, 09:57:57 am

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #6 – February 02, 2014, 12:17:05 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #7 – February 02, 2014, 01:17:18 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #8 – February 02, 2014, 02:54:20 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #9 – February 02, 2014, 10:42:48 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #10 – February 02, 2014, 10:49:14 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #11 – February 03, 2014, 09:35:30 pm

Re: Burned refrigerator plug and receptacle!

Reply #12 – February 03, 2014, 10:33:09 pm

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