NEMA 14-50 meltdown

[bwilson4web]

Parts, yes, but the root cause is probably the wire connector. Some will naturally 'back off' enough to become a resistance capable of generating a lot of heat. The soft metal of the wire gradually relaxes its shape leading to heat.

The easy fix is to retorque the wires after a year or two.

Bob Wilson

 

[electriceddy]

Parts, yes, but the root cause is probably the wire connector. Some will naturally 'back off' enough to become a resistance capable of generating a lot of heat. The soft metal of the wire gradually relaxes its shape leading to heat.

The easy fix is to retorque the wires after a year or two.

Bob Wilson

Typically, I terminate the wire twice.
The first time crushes the strands into the shape of the connector, then I wiggle the wire to loosen it up and then apply the factory spec'd torque a final time to establish a solid proper connection.
This can be difficult to do using a straight blade, which is another reason I like the new Leviton EV charging receptacle mentioned earlier post, as it uses Allen (hex key):

Nothing wrong with checking and re-torquing at a later date just to be sure.