Shore Power Inlet

Graham_Wright said:
The cable exits through a gland with substantial stress relief and the whole lot is pulled back inboard when disconnected. the transom outlet (which is high) is then sealed from inboard with a blind plug.
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Sounds like a poor-man's version of what JFM over on the mobo forum has on his new creation. Except in his case the cable is so substantial that pulling it out by hand would be an effort, so it's reeled out by a motorised drum mounted in the engine room!

Graham_Wright said:
This arrangement also means that any excess cable length remains inboard rather than spread around the deck or dangling in the water.
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I solved that problem by dividing my cable into four 10m lengths. One length fits neatly from the inlet to the socket on our home berth (when we plug it in; for various reasons it's currently not connected when the boat's unattended). A second length also lives in the cockpit locker, to be added in marinas where the nearest socket is slightly further away. In a locker below decks are two further lengths, for situations where we have to really reach out to find power. This arrangement is much easier than having to coil an enormous length of cable every time.

Pete
 
Gymnopedie said:
How about a bit of silicone spray on the pins and sockets? Worked for me.
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I'll second that - our connector gets very difficult every few months, but a quick squirt of a suitable lubricant gets is free again. By all means change it if you want something different, but not simply because it's getting too stiff.
 
Gymnopedie said:
How about a bit of silicone spray on the pins and sockets? Worked for me.
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Hmm. Can't believe I didn't think of that. I haven't really been able to see why it's so hard: pins don't seem bent or corroded. Clearance seems tight at the bottom which I thought might be a factor but I'll have a go with some silicone. Without wishing to sound like a total idiot.. isn't silicone grease an insulator and therefore not ideal for putting on the pins of an electrical inlet?
 
laika said:
isn't silicone grease an insulator and therefore not ideal for putting on the pins of an electrical inlet?
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I don't know, but if this is a concern then you could use Contralube instead. This is specifically designed for lubricating and protecting electrical contacts, and claims to have no effect on power or signal transmission.

Pete
 
laika said:
Hmm. Can't believe I didn't think of that. I haven't really been able to see why it's so hard: pins don't seem bent or corroded. Clearance seems tight at the bottom which I thought might be a factor but I'll have a go with some silicone. Without wishing to sound like a total idiot.. isn't silicone grease an insulator and therefore not ideal for putting on the pins of an electrical inlet?
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Don't use silicone grease - that is too thick and is an insulator. I recently lubricated our shore power connectors with a spray can of silicone lubricant from Maplins and it worked fine. Again, I suspect it is an insulator, but it is very light fluid and the spring pressure of the contacts in the socket against the pins seems to be plenty to break the film insulation. I'm sure WD40 would have a similar effect, though probably not so long lasting.

Lube the plstic plug body too - these things are designed to be rain proof and the plastic is a close fit in the socket too.
 
Have ordered some contralube 770 from ebay. Hopefully it won't have a sticker on declaring it as my Internet lube order. I'll report back next week.
 
Just to thank folks, especially prv for the contralube suggestion: It's a resounding success. Obviously don't know how long it'll stay like this but it has to be top tip of the week for anyone whose shorepower cable is difficult to get in and out.
 
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