Reminder, check and tighten contacts on cords

[Dland]

If you are using multi strand wire cords such as SOOW see any hint of discoloration of plugs or slowing of heat up time, it would be good to check contacts on your plugs.

My strike water seemed to be heating a little more slowly than usual, so I felt the cord going from brew controller to heat element, and sure enough one end was a little warm. This is sign of arching caused by loose electrical contact. I took plug apart and sure enough, the contacts needed to be re torqued. I made the cord up 4 or 5 years ago, and know it was correctly torqued originally. I've wired a couple of buildings and made up a lot of generator cords, and know the importance of proper wire nut torque. Regular use and flexing can cause multi strand wires to work free on non molded cord plugs.

Anyway, it was a 5 minute fix that potentially could have ended up with plug melting if it had not been done, not to mention the slower brewing time.

By the way, if your cords get normally delectably warmer when in use, you are probably using too light a gauge of wire.

 

[Broken Crow]

If you are using multi strand wire cords such as SOOW see any hint of discoloration of plugs or slowing of heat up time, it would be good to check contacts on your plugs.

My strike water seemed to be heating a little more slowly than usual, so I felt the cord going from brew controller to heat element, and sure enough one end was a little warm. This is sign of arching caused by loose electrical contact. I took plug apart and sure enough, the contacts needed to be re torqued. I made the cord up 4 or 5 years ago, and know it was correctly torqued originally. I've wired a couple of buildings and made up a lot of generator cords, and know the importance of proper wire nut torque. Regular use and flexing can cause multi strand wires to work free on non molded cord plugs.

Anyway, it was a 5 minute fix that potentially could have ended up with plug melting if it had not been done, not to mention the slower brewing time.

By the way, if your cords get normally delectably warmer when in use, you are probably using too light a gauge of wire.

Just a longevity tip: Don't just tighten it back down..take it apart and clean the contact area which may have oxidized. A bit of sandpaper, emory board or contact cleaner will lessen resistance in the connection. My favourite cleaners are the Caig line;
https://caig.com/deoxit-d-series/