Loose Wire in Breaker Panel - Fireplace Electric Failure (Beware)

[jbeletti]

Don,

Cheap Heat is an electrical heating system that can be added to your RV furnace - link. About 15 of them were sold here in Pueblo, CO this week at the Mountain Region rally.

 

[wdk450]

Not sure where this will go but wanted to report. I am really interested in the Cheap Heat and will look at in Pueblo. However I did check wires where the breakers are, all were OK.
I then ordered a "safer Plug" that cuts off if the plug gets too hot. I then pulled the fireplace out, took plug apart and out. The wire used is 14/2 and with a ground. The safer plug I
purchased needs a double plug and in my BigHorn it is a single. So I took apart and the installed plug in kinda on the cheap side, Wires do not screw on but punched. Not too good with a son in law that's a electrician.
I ended up with a 20amp commercial duplex plug, and had to use the shallow 1 gang box. After this it makes you feel somewhat better. The safer plugged in fine. The fireplace works.
However not sure I would leave on all night even though think that we should be able to. All this is , is a electric heater, 1500 watt max. Dave

In regard to the bolded, underlined, italicized sentences above: I wanted to re-emphasize my previous posts on the AC outlets used in most RV's are of the Insulation Displacement Connector (IDC) type. These use a narrow (4mm?) copper v-shaped fingers that the uninsulated AC solid wire is pressed into during wiring assembly. The action of pressing the insulated solid wire into the springy v cuts through the insulation on the wire and makes contact with the copper wire conductor. THIS SMALL V OF METAL IS ALL THAT IS MAKING CONTACT BETWEEN THE WIRING AND THE METAL OUTLET BLADES SURFACES A Scotchlok 3M brand connector is a widely used example of IDC electrical connectors. They are OK for very low current applications, and somehow the AC outlets used in RV's have UL approval, but these tiny contacts are (in my experienced professional electronic opinion) not up to the possible rated high current loads (15 amps) that these AC receptacles may be expected to bear, especially when electrical heaters are being used.

I replaced ALL of the receptacles in my trailer many years ago with standard residential/commercial NEMA 5-15R screw termination outlets. This does require the additional installation of a mounting box for each receptacle, but that is no big chore. This after I noticed a normal operating electrical heater having a flashing pilot light when connected to a certain receptacle.

Here is a link to my previous thread on the subject of IDC outlets:https://heartlandowners.org/showthr...splacement-Connector-(IDC)-Electrical-Outlets

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[dave10a]

The electrical systems in most RV's is marginal at best. The wire sizeing, connections, hardware and routing barely meet RV electrical codes and are NOT well suited for mobile and efficency standards. To meet those standards in more meaningful way would cost more money and most RV's are manufacture with cost, weight and looks as the main priority. Therefore it is necessary to be handy in electrical, plumbing and general repair to have the most benefit of the RV life style. Or just be plain rich to have other people perform the maintenance.