Why does the converter/refrigerator have a plug?

[pindraak]

I am trying to figure out why the refrigerator in my Bigfoot 17 has a receptacle behind it for a plug, instead of just being wired directly. Since I fried the wire to the receptacle, I was thinking of just cutting the plug off and running the fridge cord directly to its breaker. I did this with my converter. Each device has its own dedicated breaker on the AC panel.

The electrical guy at Home Depot I just talked to insisted this was wrong, and that I needed to install a receptacle and plug it in there. I can't see why. The only thing I can see that is safer for a receptacle is that you can unplug it. But, if the receptacle is outside, behind an access panel, or screwed in somewhere in an inside compartment, you can't unplug it. It's much easier just to flip the breaker. If anything, it seems to me like the added connections and complications of the plug would increase fire hazard. If the appliance wire is inadequate and likely to melt or catch fire, why would a couple feet of 12/2 an outlet and a plug in between make any difference?

If anyone believes Home Depot electrical guy is right, can they explain why?

[sparky1]

The 3 Prong male Plug on the (Portable appliance) is Polarity sensitive & has a Ground for your safety, wiring it directly Bypasses Safety Regulations In National Electrical Code-Jury rigging something is NOT safe for you or in a fire, it would also NOT be covered by a Insurance Claim.
sparky1 in S.va.

[Raz]

A big advantage to using a standard receptacle is ease of fridge removal for servicing. Also trying to connect stranded line cord to connections looking for solid wire is not a good idea. Raz

[Thomas G.]

I'd put in a receptacle and plug it in there, but if you wire it correctly I don't see anything wrong with direct wiring it.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by pindraak

I am trying to figure out why the refrigerator in my Bigfoot 17 has a receptacle behind it for a plug, instead of just being wired directly. Since I fried the wire to the receptacle, I was thinking of just cutting the plug off and running the fridge cord directly to its breaker. I did this with my converter. Each device has its own dedicated breaker on the AC panel.

The electrical guy at Home Depot I just talked to insisted this was wrong, and that I needed to install a receptacle and plug it in there. I can't see why. The only thing I can see that is safer for a receptacle is that you can unplug it. But, if the receptacle is outside, behind an access panel, or screwed in somewhere in an inside compartment, you can't unplug it. It's much easier just to flip the breaker. If anything, it seems to me like the added connections and complications of the plug would increase fire hazard. If the appliance wire is inadequate and likely to melt or catch fire, why would a couple feet of 12/2 an outlet and a plug in between make any difference?

If anyone believes Home Depot electrical guy is right, can they explain why?

You have to always, always make sure the "safety ground" is connected to the fridge and the 120 Volt shore power system. 12/2 needs to be 12/2 plus ground, making it 3 wires.

You also need to understand that neutral and hot wires are connected to the respective wires of the shore power.

[Dan Meyer]

I don't know, but a wild guess is that an appliance designed to be wired in must meet different specifications than an appliance designed to be plugged in.

If it were me, I'd probably install a new cord end and be done with it. If I was out camping and didn't have a replacement cord end handy, I'd have no qualms about temporarily wiring it directly.

-- Dan Meyer

[pindraak]

Thanks for the replies.

I understand that it might be technically against codes, but aren't those codes for houses? What would a code say about wiring up a receptacle, plugging a plug into it, then sealing that up in a wall where it couldn't be accessed? This is what we are talking about. My understanding is that this would violate the same home wiring principle that requires all wire connections to be in accessible junction boxes.
Also, I'm still not hearing anything to indicate why it would be unsafe, except for possibly the stranded wire connection. I am not talking about hooking it up wrong, I am talking about running the cut cord into the breaker box, hooking the black up to its own breaker, the white to the neutral bar, and the ground to the ground bar. The stranded wire issue could be a safety issue, but if I followed that, it would be impossible to hook up the shore power to the main breaker, and impossible to hook up any of the ground wires to the ground bar... unless I am supposed to attach plugs to all these too, and install yet more receptacles, soon filling up my whole trailer with junction boxes. Bigfoot didn't seem to think there was any problem hooking the shore line to the main breaker...

Also, in my recent miswiring experience, the 14/2 ground wire from the junction box to the receptacle that the refrigerator was plugged into melted and caught fire. Whatever juice was fed through that wire presumable also went through the fridge's flexible plug wire... which was completely unharmed. This seems to indicate to me that the plug wire is far stronger and safer than the 14/2.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by pindraak

Also, in my recent miswiring experience, the 14/2 ground wire from the junction box to the receptacle that the refrigerator was plugged into melted and caught fire. Whatever juice was fed through that wire presumable also went through the fridge's flexible plug wire... which was completely unharmed. This seems to indicate to me that the plug wire is far stronger and safer than the 14/2.

It sounds to me like the fault was in the receptacle box thus bypassing the appliance cord. In any event the circuit breaker should have tripped long before the wire got hot enough to catch fire. Might be time to consult a pro. Raz

[Thomas G.]

The issue with direct wiring is that extension cords are allowed to have a lower capacity than hard wires on the same fuse. For instance, a 15 amp circuit requires a 14 gauge hard wire, but you can plug a lamp cord into it with 16 gauge (or lighter) wire.

If your refrigerator cord is at least 14 gauge, I don't see an issue with hard wiring it to a 15 amp fuse.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

A big advantage to using a standard receptacle is ease of fridge removal for servicing. Also trying to connect stranded line cord to connections looking for solid wire is not a good idea. Raz

• Do you trust your Fridge to never need replacement by someone other than you?
• Do you expect to own this trailer "Until death do you part"?
• Are you confident that no one else will be responsible for it?

If you can answer to all 3 then go for it. I would replace the stranded cord with solid Romex all the way to the Fridge in this case.
I would also fully document what you do and keep it with the trailer's papers.

If any one answer is then it is a bad idea. We all know what we ourselves are capable of.
It's those "other people" in our lives (known, but especially unknown) that standards like receptacles and plugs are made for.

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Frederick L. Simson

........ I would replace the stranded cord with solid Romex all the way to the Fridge in this case...........

My understanding is that you should only use stranded wires in a mobile application like a trailer, as opposed to solid wire like Romex, due to breaking from vibration. Wrong?

[Dan Meyer]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

My understanding is that you should only use stranded wires in a mobile application like a trailer, as opposed to solid wire like Romex, due to breaking from vibration. Wrong?

Good theory, but maybe wrong. In my 2000 Scamp, almost all AC power cables are solid conductor romex wiring.

-- Dan Meyer

[841K9]

Originally Posted by P. Raz

Also trying to connect stranded line cord to connections looking for solid wire is not a good idea. Raz

That is how 99% of household light fixtures are connected.
The soft, stranded wire of the fixture is wound around the house's solid copper wire and then the wire nut...

But yes, you're correct about the fridge.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by Dan Meyer

In my 2000 Scamp, almost all AC power cables are solid conductor romex wiring./

All of the 110 volt AC lines in the Fiber Stream, from the circuit breaker panel to the 15 amp outlets are solid conductor romex.

[mszabo]

I think one could have installed a new Outlet quicker than it took to read this thread.
I haven't seen any refrigerators hard wired before. Either way it only matters to you.
Where I came from we call it southern engineering.

[David Tilston]

In Calgary, Cowboy Engineering.

[841K9]

Originally Posted by mszabo

I think one could have installed a new Outlet quicker that it took to read this thread.
I haven't seen any refrigerators hard wired before. Either way it only matters to you.
Where I came from we call it southern engineering.

Originally Posted by David Tilston

In Calgary, Cowboy Engineering.

Something like this?
This is from a side job on Saturday~






Notice the prolific use of cut up extension cords and random boxes thrown loose behind drywall.

The worst part, we found more crap like that along with gas lines under the back yard.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by pindraak

I am trying to figure out why the refrigerator in my Bigfoot 17 has a receptacle behind it for a plug, instead of just being wired directly. Since I fried the wire to the receptacle, I was thinking of just cutting the plug off and running the fridge cord directly to its breaker. I did this with my converter. Each device has its own dedicated breaker on the AC panel.

The electrical guy at Home Depot I just talked to insisted this was wrong, and that I needed to install a receptacle and plug it in there. I can't see why. The only thing I can see that is safer for a receptacle is that you can unplug it. But, if the receptacle is outside, behind an access panel, or screwed in somewhere in an inside compartment, you can't unplug it. It's much easier just to flip the breaker. If anything, it seems to me like the added connections and complications of the plug would increase fire hazard. If the appliance wire is inadequate and likely to melt or catch fire, why would a couple feet of 12/2 an outlet and a plug in between make any difference?

If anyone believes Home Depot electrical guy is right, can they explain why?

Hi: pindraak...Before we read the headlines...Family looses everything in RV fire. Take it to a RV Tech. that specializes in fridges. He'll know all the current codes for wiring in fridges. There is a reason the plugs there...and a reason you fried the wire too!!! Some things are better left to those in the know.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raz]

Originally Posted by 841K9

That is how 99% of household light fixtures are connected.
The soft, stranded wire of the fixture is wound around the house's solid copper wire and then the wire nut...

But yes, you're correct about the fridge.

I was thinking of the screw clamp on a breaker. I suppose you could tin it?

[pindraak]

I discovered the reason behind the melted wire. In my Bigfoot, pre-existing white wires are ground and black is positive! I wired all the existing wires backwards! So, the DC ground net got pumped full of juice, which could only escape through the fridge's AC ground wires, being the only ac/dc appliance. So, the 14/2 melted and the cord was fine. The cord is better. QED.

I agree with the idea about consideration for future owners... if only someone had thought of that when they made the trailer and color-coded it the opposite of what I thought was universal DC standard.