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shore power ?
- Thread starter Jake B
- Start date
I doubt the factory or any good dealer would install without breakers. A previous owner however is a different story.Jake B":rk9fpeu2 said:thanks I will report back once I check them out tonight should be home around 4:30. Thanks again
on a side note theres no way the factory would install without breakers would they? I mean this isn't new news....
That's a bad plan and then any short at the outlet can burn up the wire between the shore power plug and the outlet. Let me guess - I'm betting that neither outlet is a GFI outlet either. :roll: Am I correct?
I'm also curious as to what gauge wire was run from the shore power connector to the outlets. Given that the shore power can supply up to 30A but the outlets are only rated for 15A, I'm betting that the wiring to the outlets is lighter gauge than 10. This creates a dangerous situation without a breaker as a short can then attempt to draw 30A through wire sized for 15A. What you should have is 10g wire from the shore power to a 30A breaker. This should then feed one or more 15A breakers that power the outlets. Wire from the 15A breakers to the outlets can be 14g. At least one outlet on every 15A circuit should be a GFI and it should be wired to protect the other outlets on the circuit.
I'm also curious as to what gauge wire was run from the shore power connector to the outlets. Given that the shore power can supply up to 30A but the outlets are only rated for 15A, I'm betting that the wiring to the outlets is lighter gauge than 10. This creates a dangerous situation without a breaker as a short can then attempt to draw 30A through wire sized for 15A. What you should have is 10g wire from the shore power to a 30A breaker. This should then feed one or more 15A breakers that power the outlets. Wire from the 15A breakers to the outlets can be 14g. At least one outlet on every 15A circuit should be a GFI and it should be wired to protect the other outlets on the circuit.
sorry just getting back online this am, and am now at work.but you are correct no gfi outlets, I will have to check gage wire when I get home again tonight. so obviously I will be redoing this set up. what decent cost effective breaker/breakers should I instal? we will only be using shore power 3-4 times a year so maybe 8-10 days a year. so will be trying to do this one on a budget.
I'm not the greatest at wiring but I am assuming just putting gfi plugs in would kill power if there was a short in appliance?
I'm not the greatest at wiring but I am assuming just putting gfi plugs in would kill power if there was a short in appliance?
Roger gives you excellent information. I would add to your post, that the wires are hot, black, neutral, white and ground is green.
I prefer a double pole breaker on the boat, but with your setup, you can use a fuse and a single pole breaker. What is did is go to Home Depot and for about $10, there is a metal box, with a 30 amp switch, which has a screw in fuse up to 30 amps inside the box. This is made as an "on off" switch for heavy duty motor. But it is a safe and effective single pole switch and fuse for a boat. In my case, since I run only a single 15 amp circuit (GFI protected) and battery charger, I have this one breaker. The inlet is placed on the aft bulkhead, of the cabin, where the controls and wires go thru on the starboard side under the gunnel. I cut a hole sized for the battery charger inlet (this is a plug rated for 15 amps, and not to be left attached when the boat is not attended, as the marine plug is. This plug does have a "stopper" in it to avoid corrosion, and I spray with corrosion block when not using. The plug is male, and you plug the female end of a # 12 extension cord into it. Most of the time (95%) we are running power to the boat from the 1000 watt Honda generator. Most of the rest of the time is at home where we use a 15 amp circuit.
Theoretically there could be an objection to running this off a 30 amp breaker in a marina. Some marinas do have 15 amp circuits, as do must RV parks. However, the only risk would be a dead sort in the cord, and we test the cord before use (there is a neon light at the end of the cord built into the plug).
In your setup, I would just run the green wire to the ground of the plug, and not ground the boat--that is leave the ground "floating". Again, this could be controversial--but in our small boats we don't leave in the water this is acceptable.
If you are gong to leave the boat in the water, hooked up to a 30 amp plug--then definitely put in a true marine panel, with double breaker on the inlet, breaker for each circuit, and consider a galvanic isolator as is installed by the factory currently. The new "smart plug" would be advisable in this case.
I prefer a double pole breaker on the boat, but with your setup, you can use a fuse and a single pole breaker. What is did is go to Home Depot and for about $10, there is a metal box, with a 30 amp switch, which has a screw in fuse up to 30 amps inside the box. This is made as an "on off" switch for heavy duty motor. But it is a safe and effective single pole switch and fuse for a boat. In my case, since I run only a single 15 amp circuit (GFI protected) and battery charger, I have this one breaker. The inlet is placed on the aft bulkhead, of the cabin, where the controls and wires go thru on the starboard side under the gunnel. I cut a hole sized for the battery charger inlet (this is a plug rated for 15 amps, and not to be left attached when the boat is not attended, as the marine plug is. This plug does have a "stopper" in it to avoid corrosion, and I spray with corrosion block when not using. The plug is male, and you plug the female end of a # 12 extension cord into it. Most of the time (95%) we are running power to the boat from the 1000 watt Honda generator. Most of the rest of the time is at home where we use a 15 amp circuit.
Theoretically there could be an objection to running this off a 30 amp breaker in a marina. Some marinas do have 15 amp circuits, as do must RV parks. However, the only risk would be a dead sort in the cord, and we test the cord before use (there is a neon light at the end of the cord built into the plug).
In your setup, I would just run the green wire to the ground of the plug, and not ground the boat--that is leave the ground "floating". Again, this could be controversial--but in our small boats we don't leave in the water this is acceptable.
If you are gong to leave the boat in the water, hooked up to a 30 amp plug--then definitely put in a true marine panel, with double breaker on the inlet, breaker for each circuit, and consider a galvanic isolator as is installed by the factory currently. The new "smart plug" would be advisable in this case.
thanks for the reply and info. If we are going to be using the shore power the boat will be in the water and at a marina. so I should probably do it to marine spec. I will have to do some research as to what is the best panel to put in. and will check the gage wire tonight when I get home.
I want to do this once and right. while doing it as on budget as I can.
I want to do this once and right. while doing it as on budget as I can.
The breaker I used in my thread was a Blue Sea 1214 360 Series:
http://www.reddenmarine.com/blue-sea-1214-ac-panel-main-2-position-120v.html
I think it cost $160 where I got mine. It is very compact, has breakers on both hot and neutral (in case of bad marina wiring), has a reversed polarity indicator, and 2 15A branch breakers. It was pretty easy to fit and wire under the front of the helm seat.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=18282
http://www.reddenmarine.com/blue-sea-1214-ac-panel-main-2-position-120v.html
I think it cost $160 where I got mine. It is very compact, has breakers on both hot and neutral (in case of bad marina wiring), has a reversed polarity indicator, and 2 15A branch breakers. It was pretty easy to fit and wire under the front of the helm seat.
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=18282
thataway":1rexxkzh said:If you are gong to leave the boat in the water, hooked up to a 30 amp plug--then definitely put in a true marine panel, with double breaker on the inlet, breaker for each circuit, and consider a galvanic isolator as is installed by the factory currently. The new "smart plug" would be advisable in this case.
Question for you on this (as I make my foray into the charger/etc. world): When you say "leave the boat in the water" what kind of time frame are you thinking of? I mean, I'm thinking of either over a night or two in a slip with me aboard most of the time as one concept, and then next like maybe up to two weeks, and the third step (which I doubt would be me) would be keeping the boat in a slip always and plugged in. Do the latter two scenarios fit with "not leaving the boat in the water"? Or do you mean never, except at a dock when aboard for a few hours?
Not that I have any objections to putting in a system like Ferret30, but I just like to know my options. I read in the archives about Sea Wolf Joe's set up with just a cord from the dock going to a power strip (if I understood it correctly), but I'm not sure if that's viable, and especially if adding a mounted charger (?).
Sunbeam
(whose boat has no charger or shorepower whatsoever, except the engine alternator)
Wallkerbay
New member
I have a 25 Cruiser. The boat before that was a 28 Bayliner. Both have shorepower. I always make sure the breaker on the pier and the boat are both off, make sure both cable ends are in the correct slots. Some shore power cords have a plastic ring, Either way make sure you make the tighten turn. That will hold the plug in the boat or on the pier. :thup