Check Your 50 Amp Inlet Wiring!

[Rudy]

Was installing a hard-wired EMS-HW50C yesterday. I needed to add a few feet of wire so I took the 50 amp inlet apart. This is what we found! These are more than just nicks, when they cut the sheathing off at the factory, they cut through the wires as well. This could have shorted out and caused a fire. Good thing I took on this project, it just might have saved us from a disaster down the road.

Note that howson Howard found the same thing on the other end of the power cord when it goes into the breaker panel. Will have to check that next.

[howson]

Was installing a hard-wired EMS-HW50C yesterday. I needed to add a few feet of wire so I took the 50 amp inlet apart. This is what we found! These are more than just nicks, when they cut the sheathing off at the factory, they cut through the wires as well. This could have shorted out and caused a fire. Good thing I took on this project, it just might have saved us from a disaster down the road.

Note that howson Howard found the same thing on the other end of the power cord when it goes into the breaker panel. Will have to check that next.

Yep...it is shocking to find stuff like this when working on an RV.

[TucsonJim]

That is scary Rudy. But not surprising.

Jim

[TNFSolitude]

Well maybe that's what caused my problems last year. https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...ircuit-breaker

[Country Campers]

I found the same issue on the other end , power distribution panel , when I installed my EMS. I guess now I need to pull the outside connection and check it, thanks Rudy for another project .

Brian

[tgodrich]

I would hope that GD periodically looks at this forum for quality problems as described above. This kind of sloppiness can lead to an RV fire, and we've seen how well RV's do in a fire - not too good. It can truly be a life or death situation. Hope they take note. I have had my 50 amp inlet apart, and they scrimp on the length of wire they use too, to the point of it being under tension in my rig. Moved one of the wire secure points and this relieved some of the tension on the wire.

[Canyonlight]

Was installing a hard-wired EMS-HW50C yesterday. I needed to add a few feet of wire so I took the 50 amp inlet apart. This is what we found! These are more than just nicks, when they cut the sheathing off at the factory, they cut through the wires as well. This could have shorted out and caused a fire. Good thing I took on this project, it just might have saved us from a disaster down the road.

Note that howson Howard found the same thing on the other end of the power cord when it goes into the breaker panel. Will have to check that next.

Mike - good that you found this. If you and Andy go to the rally, I would think that this would be something to share with Gerry and his team.......maybe even Don it he stops by for some vino ! One would think that Andy as one of this forum Moderators, sharing this type of work (which other owners have shared over the years too) hopefully (yes it should not.....all owner credible feedback should) will carry some elevated credence.

Yes, mistakes, errors, damage, etc. can and do happen with any human involvement but this type of key and vital electrical point should raise some eyebrows and get some corrective action as may be necessary. GDRV has been outstanding to learn from and listen to owner feedback over nearly a decade and make changes. This is just another one of those things to further elevate the game.

Dan

[Country Campers]

This has been discussed in length with GD over the past couple of years. They have stated that there were to be changes made on the lines but as production goes I would guess that there is quite a few of these types of problems that go out the door.

Brian

[TedS]

[QUOTE= Not right , not wrong , just the way it is.

Brian[/QUOTE]

Disagree. Absolutely wrong. Especially when customer safety is involved.
The process is out of control.

[Lonestar]

Disagree. Absolutely wrong. Especially when customer safety is involved.
The process is out of control.

Brian,

Respectfully, I'm with Ted on this. How can this continued poor quality control be reconciled? It's nothing but absolutely wrong!

Not putting interior trim on correctly or not getting the roof correctly installed is one thing, but the safety of poor electrical installations or sub-standard suspension systems can affect lives.

Covid has been the unwarranted excuse, but this was going on long before Covid.

Jerry

[Country Campers]

Brian,

Respectfully, I'm with Ted on this. How can this continued poor quality control be reconciled? It's nothing but absolutely wrong!

Not putting interior trim on correctly or not getting the roof correctly installed is one thing, but the safety of poor electrical installations or sub-standard suspension systems can affect lives.

Covid has been the unwarranted excuse, but this was going on long before Covid.

Jerry

I totally agree with both of you. I will edit my wording as it is unclear of my intention to describe. It is wrong and it is a safety hazard that I will be forwarding on to Grand Design for a reminder. My intentions were not to be that it is not wrong.

Brian

[tgodrich]

I guess I would question whether an electrician does the electrical installs, or just an assembly technician. The image I looked at does not look like something any respectable electrician would do. You can even see that the copper is nicked too. This is not good when you are dealing with 50 amp circuits. It is actually not good with any AC circuits. That image makes me nervous for my own wires. If the black or red conductors touch that bare ground wire, or touch each other or the white neutral, you could have some fireworks until you get to the amperage of the breaker and trip that (hopefully).
Does GD have their electrical work done by electricians? Are they certified?

[TedS]

I would expect all assembly work is done by factory labor. No electricians do the electrical just as no plumbers do the plumbing.

[tgodrich]

That would explain the problem completely. People live in these trailers. Not sure why it would be exempt from electrician oversight. Houses are built with electrician work. Perhaps we are on to something that needs an intelligent solution for safety reasons. A plumbing problem is not likely life threatening, an electrical problem can be.

[Guest]

This is what a pig roast in trade to ramp up production will do. Its time to slow down and focus on quality and not quantity. My wiring under the coroplast has been bundled reasonably well and overall the rig looks to be built well with the exception of a few issues such as improper vinyl hose connections, delamination and tire contact with the floor due to miscalculated spring rates. I actually feel lucky when compared to what I see being produced today.

Jim