[Vwdiesel] Questions about block heater electrical plug.

[Sandy Cameron]

At 09:33 AM 1/6/06 -0800, you wrote:
>Although I have a cover on my electrical plug it is
>getting harder to plug into my extension cord.  Is it
>okay to put grease or some kind of  lubricant on the
>prongs of the electric plug to help keep it from
>getting corroded and easier to plug in the extension
>cord?   I was also wondering if there is a better way
>to plug the cords together when they are wet, every
>now and then I get zapped.

By all means, use silicone brake grease, it won't rot rubber.

Keeps salt spray from corroding the plug pins.

The grease does not affect the flow of current, as it "gets out of the way"
when the contacts rub together, and "heals" when you pull the plug out.

Your block heater plug should have a ground pin, which would ground the car
chassis if the integrity of the extension cord is maintained back to the
outlet. A further precaution against zaps would be a GFI at the outlet you
plug the extension cord in to. These will trip on very little leakage, and
can become a bit of a nuisance if you have wet plugs along the way, for
instance lying in a puddle.

They could trip and leave you with a cold engine in the morning. Safety
first, cleverness second.

Sandy
VE3AAC