If you know what you are looking for the early signs of high resistance can be pretty obvious. Look at the pin closest to you and you can easily see the melted plastic migrating up from the base. There are also signs of arcing and burning on the pin itself.


If your your cord looks like this it is TIME FOR A REPLACEMENT...


It is important to understand that I am not alone in my feelings about shore power safety. The quote below comes straight from ACE Insurance one of the nations largest underwriters of marine insurance. They understand these problems because they PAY THE CLAIMS...


Quote: Ace Insurance Group - SUGGESTED ELECTRICAL INSPECTION STANDARD FOR MARINAS AND YACHT CLUBS:


"Each vessel’s connection devices shall be inspected annually. Annual inspections shall be carried out between the end of the cruising season and the beginning of cold weather, when most boats have returned to their moorings, but before they have begun to present winter heating loads to the Marina. Any boat that enters the marina under a new Moorage Agreement during the winter heating season shall be inspected within 15 days of its entry into the Marina.


A major reason for this inspection routine is to document the condition of each boat’s Inlet Receptacle, the device on the boat’s exterior to which the shore power cord is connected, and the condition of the mating end of the cord itself. This cord-to-boat connection is subject to wear-and-tear damage from the activity of connecting and disconnecting the cord, and it is also subject to damage from wet winter weather, and it is a major source of fire in marinas. If the connection between the cord and the boat is even slightly damaged, it will create heat that can eventually result in fire."