DIYbanter - View Single Post

Don Klipstein

In ,
wrote in part:

What you said is mostly just that there is always a little liquid
going to get between any plug that is not covered or sealed. I swear
that cords tend to separate themselves too. I make them tight, but
there seems to always be a 1/32 inch gap later on. I tend to think
condensation expands them apart.

I would blame unequal thermal expansion (or contraction by cold) of
different materials when temperature changes. Plastics and rubbers tend
to change size more than metals or ground does when temperature changes.
Freezing and thawing of ground will also cause some little movement. Snow
shifts and sinks, and that will cause movement.
I see cords unplugging themselves partially (small fraction of an inch)
even when they stay dry indoors and nobody touches or moves them.

- Don Klipstein )