travel buddy oven

Are the plug and socket rated for the current demand?

If the rating is ok and the plug has worked ok before, then the most likely cause of melting would be arcing due to poor contact, ie plug not plugged in properly, the contacts have lost tension, a loose wire etc.

were you cooking hot chilli at the time, LOL

These ovens are DC voltage only aren't they? like 12v or 24v. About 6 amps draw.

My best guess is that you had a poor connection with the plug/socket, causing high resistance and a resulting build up of heat. Perhaps the plug quality is also questionable?
Although this oven is supposed to plug into a standard cigarette socket, the connection can be very dicey, especially while traveling?
The best option is to install a fused circuit from the battery, terminating in a Merit/Hella style plug/socket combination. This will give a much better contact area and less chance of poor contact, resulting in excess heat buildup.
Alternatively, you can replace the melted plug with a Merit/Hella style plug which includes a red collar to provide a better fit into the car's ciggy socket. This is what I would try first.

What most don't realise Andy is that many cig lighter plugs may have 2 or more spring arms that make mechanical contact but that in some only one of those contact surfaces makes electric contact.

The solution is to use a plug with 4 contact arms e.g. lion brand.



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