WARNING: Shore Power Circuit Plugs

[Mirror45184]

Hi All,
Recently had an issue with the shore power and main ELCB tripping when anything was connected to the Port side shore power outlets. There is a plug behind the microwave which has been the source of the issue in recent times. When this was inspected there was not any problems found. This started a day and half investigation of the shore power distribution system. What I found was this. Each power outlet is wired from a plug that forms the normal daisy chain loop for AC distribution. One of these on our Bavaria 40 Cruiser (2009) is located behind the black water holding tank in the saloon head. When this was inspected I found that the neutral and earth had shorted and were burnt. The attached photo is as it was found. Note that there is no tape or insulation over the plug.

It would appear that water or salt has caused the short and resulting arc and potential fire!
The plug joint has been replaced by a proper junction box and suitably waterproofed.
I thought this serious enough to post a note for owners of similar installations to check the plugs on the shore power circuits.
Happy sailing

[SYJetzt]

Thank you for that hint!
The most common cause for such faults are bad/corroded joints, which get hot (and burn), if there is load on the line. Then the plastic isolation melts down and causes the short, which trips your MCB. These faults are more common, if you are using high power appliances like heaters, stoves, etc. . Its always worth a look on all involved cable joints.