Power Cord Reel Failure -- Again

[Techie]

Went to check on the rig (in storage, plugged in) and found no power.
Culprit is the TDI manual power cord reel. It is intermittent on one power leg. If you move the reel slightly you can see that leg phase in/out on the surge protector. Unfortunately, the loss of pwer for an extended eriod (possibly up to a week) has caused the batteries to run down :-(. FYI - I had (notice the past tense NOW) been leaving the inverter on but could not leave the auto gen start on as it is in enclosed storage.
2 years ago we had the exact same failure and TDI did a free swap out. When I called them about this I found out that they have been acquired by TRC and now I'm waiting to hear back from them.
Even if they offer another swap I'm concerned that the problem is due to an inherent design problem in the mechanism.
Anyone have a recommendation for a replacement reel source?
The details of my experience with this will be tracked on my blog if you're interested in getting details/updates -- An RV Life | Life & Living in our RV

[radams]

Might be worth checking this out:

USED GLENDINNING CM-7 RLC 50 AMP CABLEMASTER RV / BUS Used RV Parts Repair and Accessories | USED RV POWER CORD REAL | visonerv.com

[JimM68]

Have you considered just losing the reel?
It's really not too hard to hcoil and uncoil your own power cord.

[4Knights]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimM68 Have you considered just losing the reel? It's really not too hard to hcoil and uncoil your own power cord.

Gotta go with Jim on this one! Even if you had a 50 ft 50amp cord you could roll it up, don't waste any money and be thankful the bad leg didn't start a fire.
Ron

[Martind4]

Can't remember the name, but one of the cable takeup designs, coils the cord in a round tub like container. It didn't have any electrical contacts since the cord remained intact and was pulled through two rollers. I saw the display at one of the FMCA rallys. You had to manually pull out the cord and power was used to stow it. It took up a little more floor space since the coil was horizontal.

Hope this helps.

[frankdamp]

The slip rings on power cord reels are a major weak point, particularly on outdoor equipment. They have to be exposed to allow contact over the whole circle of travel and if not used frequently, they will oxidize and produce a high-resistance path next time you unroll the cord.

I'd concur with the recommendation to get rid of the reel altogether.