My shore power cord plug was in the water

[MichaelB1969]

I was washing my boat down today and not sure how it happened but the plug to my shore power cord that connects to the boat got knocked off the dock and was face down a few feet underwater. Not just the cable, but again, the plug itself (female end).

I really didn't know what to do, and it was already submerged, so I rinsed it with fresh water and left it hanging to dry.

I'm assuming if I give it 3 or 4 days it will be completely dry and will be fine.

Should I be concerned?

BTW - the cord was not powered when it went into the water. I never leave the power on when the cord isn't plugged into the boat.

Thx,
Mike

 

[Seevee]

Soak it in Corrosion X for a while and clean it out with a good contact cleaner, should be fine.

 

[psneeld]

You should always keep an eye on power cords, but the real question is frequency.

For awhile, be extra vigilant.

If any salt water was wicked into the wire connection part, that can be trouble.

In my experience, a dunking seems to reduce the time before problems arise if they ever do.

 

[O C Diver]

The cord is unsafe to use and should be properly disposed of. I will send you my address, and you can send me the cord for proper disposal.

Ted

 

[Larry M]

I'd rinse it in fresh water and let it dry for a few days then spray with lots of contact cleaner. If that doesn't work, send it to Ted.

 

[bayview]

Dont know what you meant by rinsing. IMO, at the least, the cover should be pulled back and the whole assembly soaked repeatedly in fresh water to remove salt. After that soak or spray well with WD 40 and let dry in the sun for days.

The problem with salt water is that the water evaporates and leaves salt that continues to absorb water from the air. The proximity of high voltage on terminals then causes stray currents that eventually cause corrosion.

 

[Marlinmike]

This:

I'd rinse it in fresh water and let it dry for a few days then spray with lots of contact cleaner. If that doesn't work, send it to Ted.

 

[O C Diver]

If you have more cord than you need, you can always cut off a few feet and install a new end. Not a difficult job or costly if you would like some peace of mind.

Ted

 

[dhays]

Keep in mind that when folks say "rinse with fresh water", they aren't just suggesting a quick spray, but really rinse it well with copious amounts of fresh water. The idea is to get all the salt out. Then use Boeshield, Corrosion X, WD40 etc and liberally spray it into the contacts.

 

[MYTraveler]

That happened to me years ago. I sprayed WD40 on it, let it dry out, and it worked fine afterward. For about 6 months. But the corrosion continued like a cancer, unseen, to the point that the increased resistance caused the plug/cable to burn. In retrospect, I should have cut 6 inches off the end of the cable and put on a new plug end.

 

[ragin cajun]

That happened to me years ago. I sprayed WD40 on it, let it dry out, and it worked fine afterward. For about 6 months. But the corrosion continued like a cancer, unseen, to the point that the increased resistance caused the plug/cable to burn. In retrospect, I should have cut 6 inches off the end of the cable and put on a new plug end.

Same thing happened to me. The cord went for another 3 months after soaking then started shorting at the plug...burnt up that end quickly. Thank God I was on board at the time. My advice would be to get rid of that cord and go buy a new one; worth the peace of mind.

 

[cool beans]

Not to be contrarian, but I accidentally (stupidly) let the female end of my sailboats 30 amp plug fall into the water while it was hot. I pulled it out and gave it a hosing and let it dry. That was 5 years ago and it's still fine and with the new owner.

Though, I checked the plug ends regularly for any carbon or heat and kept fresh dielectric grease on everything. Never had any issues or hot plugs. Your mileage may vary.

 

[Edelweiss]

I really didn't know what to do, and it was already submerged, so I rinsed it with fresh water and left it hanging to dry.

I'm assuming if I give it 3 or 4 days it will be completely dry and will be fine.

Should I be concerned?

If the plug was molded onto the cord, then you stand a chance of getting away with a wash out and monitoring.

If the plug was a replacement added to the end of an existing cable, you're going to have some amount of saltwater incursion into the cord itself.

Last summer I had one fail, that had gotten dunked 3 or 4 years before. The fail point was 6 or 7 feet up the cord and we cut if back another 3 or 4 feet before we got to clean copper again. Now I have that 35' extension cable that I have always wanted.

 

[johnrupp]

If you want peace of mind cut off plug and install new one.

 

[FF]

"If you want peace of mind cut off plug and install new one."

If the old one fails purchase a Hubbel , they seem to last far longer.

think SAFETY... think HUBBELLSAFE HUBBELL® Safety Product Guide

www.hubbell-wiring.com/press/pdfs/WLBVM002.pdf


Hubbell Twist-Lock® plugs and receptacles ensure mating only with the correct .... 30A. 3ШY 277/480V. 4P 5W. HBL530x7W. 60A. 250V. 3P 4W. HBL460x9W .... 120V AC. 240V AC. 240V AC. 120/240V AC. 3Ш 250V AC. 3Ш 120/208V AC.

 

[Roamer Blue]

The salt water can wick up the strands in the cables.

Those who use a penetrating spray as preventive maintenance stand a better chance, as the oils are already in place up the strands.

Proudly spend the ca$h on the better cans for this purpose, WD40 has its place, but is too heavy on solvent, too little residual lubrication for my taste.

Termin-8r is my current favorite: Termin-8R — Spectra Products - Home of Brake Safe®

Just a happy customer.

RB

 

[rwidman]

As usual, lots of conflicting advice so you're going to have to spin the wheel and take your pick.


Obviously, rinsing it well in fresh water is a good first move. After that, I would suggest using a spray product designed for electrical connections and removing/dispersing water. Use plenty.


When considering the choice of replacing a cable end or buying an entire new cord, remember that an original molded end is pretty much waterproof while a replacement is not. Also, least for 30 amp cords, the price of a replacement end is a considerable and for a few dollars more, you can have a brand new cord.


The best plan of course is to never leave the cord lying on the dock. Coil it up and put it away.