Valuable lesson with the Spike Trio System...

[Rob2010SS]

I had read SOMEWHERE online, not sure where, that when you plug in your elements and they have that "twist-lock" to them, that you need to make sure that you perform that twist to keep them in place. I ALWAYS do this at the start of a brew day - always, no exception. However, I never check in the middle of a brew day. Lesson learned....

Noticed an electrical smell coming from somewhere. Thought that if it was the system, that the panel would have sensed the issue and killed it and not allowed it to do anything. However, the panel was still running and still operating as if nothing was wrong, so I didn't think it was that. Kept walking around and looking for the issue and made my way back to the system. Saw that the plug for the HLT element was glowing red... Must have came loose at some point. End result below... FML.

Now I need a new plug and a new element apparently. Element itself is fine, just the plug is all messed up.

Anyone know of a good way to keep these is place? Spike mentioned some way of supporting the cord to keep the weight from pulling on it. Anyone have any ideas/solutions for this? I have a table that I could put some clips on, just not really sure what to look for...

I will say that for something called twist lock, these don't twist much. You barely know you're doing anything when you twist it. I would think it would be like a good 1/4 turn to ensure it's actually locked!

Thanks.

 

[Tom R]

Bummer.
It can help if you twist the cable a bit against the direction that it locks, so that it tends to make the connection tighter. We see this all the time at the marinas, 30A and 50A shore power cords coming loose. Pre-twisting helps.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Bummer.
It can help if you twist the cable a bit against the direction that it locks, so that it tends to make the connection tighter. We see this all the time at the marinas, 30A and 50A shore power cords coming loose. Pre-twisting helps.

Thanks for the info. I appreciate it. I'll give it a shot.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I had this exact thing happen about a year ago. Luckily I caught it before it destroyed the element and I was able to pick up a new plug from my local hardware. Also was on my hlt so I was able to finish brewday. One thing I will say is that the replacement plug I purchased was of better quality and seems to "lock in" much better and tighter then the original, this plug is more like what I replaced it with and I am considering putting it on my other cord as well and keeping the original as a spare.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I had this exact thing happen about a year ago. Luckily I caught it before it destroyed the element and I was able to pick up a new plug from my local hardware. Also was on my hlt so I was able to finish brewday. One thing I will say is that the replacement plug I purchased was of better quality and seems to "lock in" much better and tighter then the original, this plug is more like what I replaced it with and I am considering putting it on my other cord as well and keeping the original as a spare.

How hard is that to install on a cord? For someone with hardly any knowledge when it comes to electrical, would that be easy to do?

When I say hardly any knowledge, I can do BASIC electrical stuff, like replacing outlets and what not. But when it comes to knowing what each wire is doing and what not, not really anything there.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Fairly easy, just a couple screws basically and a little cutting. You want to make sure the wires go to the correct terminal so you can take a picture of it or use your other plug as a model to follow. Also some of the wire itself may have burned so you will want to cut some off, maybe 2 inches or so and make sure the copper looks like copper, not black or show signs of being burnt. Then just bolt it back together. If you can do an outlet you can certainly do one of these plugs.

 

[k-daddy]

Had a similar issue. The likely culprit for me was moisture. After a little searching, I see that placing an o-ring around the element prongs fills the gap and creates a more moisture proof seal once the plug is in the locked position. Brewhardware suggests this one. Heating Element ORING THIN Silicone gasket Replacing the plug is easy as 1,2,3 wires... simple as long as the power is off and you note which wire goes where.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Yep, going to give it a try and replace the plug myself. The actual new cord is $50 from spike! No thanks.

 

[Bohern]

I had the same problem and think it was moisture too. I did however replace the ends with the ones that Bobby sells at Brewhardware, no issues since.

 

[Bobby_M]

It's a constant fight to keep the connection sound on these. What I've been doing on my own setup is scuffing up the prongs with aggressive sandpaper every 5 batches or so. While I think that's keeping the oxides at bay by itself, it also probably cleans the brass contacts inside the receptacle when you reengage the connection. I'm experimenting with some carbon conductive grease on my rig as well. If your connector is not molded but the screw lug type, take the connector apart once in a while and double check the snug on the screws.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

I also scuff the prongs on mine occasionally, have not used any type of conductive grease yet, we use silicon dielectric grease in the automotive world and was debating trying that. I also check my plugs constantly during brew day now (paranoid), just a simple grab and slight turn to make sure its good and also to make sure the plug itself is not getting hot, that has become second nature now and I have not had any issue since.

 

[Brooothru]

Bummer.
It can help if you twist the cable a bit against the direction that it locks, so that it tends to make the connection tighter. We see this all the time at the marinas, 30A and 50A shore power cords coming loose. Pre-twisting helps.

Been RVing for quite a few years and never seen or heard of 30A or 50A twist lock cables coming loose. Just the opposite does sometimes happen when a camper fails to disconnect prior to releasing the parking brake. At those times a breakaway connection might be helpful. Failing to disconnect electric is a costly repair to a rig since they don't easily fall out or disconnect on their own. Can't speak to boats and marinas (identical power connectors), but maybe constant wave action plays a role in connections self-releasing.

 

[Tom R]

Been RVing for quite a few years and never seen or heard of 30A or 50A twist lock cables coming loose. Just the opposite does sometimes happen when a camper fails to disconnect prior to releasing the parking brake. At those times a breakaway connection might be helpful. Failing to disconnect electric is a costly repair to a rig since they don't easily fall out or disconnect on their own. Can't speak to boats and marinas (identical power connectors), but maybe constant wave action plays a role in connections self-releasing.

The boat end of the cable always has a locking ring to ensure it doesn't work loose in rough conditions, but the shore end typically doesn't, so it can work loose there.

And like RVers, sometimes boaters forget to detach the shore-power cable when getting underway. At least with an RV the cable doesn't get dunked in saltwater!