[alberg30] Winterizing A-4 and othe rthings.

> Gordon White said:
> 
> George - regarding chargers - I have had a West Marine isolated automatic
> charger on Brigadoon II for three years. She was last out of the water in
> the spring and I could detect no electrolysis, though of course that is a
> possibility. My understanding is that if the charger is isolated by a
> transformer, no problem exists. Am I wrong?  Is there a way to test for
> leakage currents? If the main switch is "off is the system not isolated from
> the water?

You probably don't have a problem with the West Marine charger.  I ate
a zinc in a hurry one time with an automotive-style charger.  The switch
does not isolate the battery.  The negative terminal is still connected
to the engine, which is in contact with the water.  An isolation transformer,
if properly wired, should solve the problem.

>     A couple of years ago a friend visited and when he plugged in to my pier
> power his polarity alarm went off. Since then I have reversed the leads from
> the pier to my panel in the house. I hope that corrects that problem, though
> I do not know whether it was simply that his boat and my pier "disagreed" or
> whether the pier was hooked up wrong in a generic sense.

You can test it with a neon test lamp.  The neutral and ground connections
should be in phase.  That is, there should be no light if connected between
these.  Nigel Calder's "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual"
covers this (page 86 in the first edition).


-- 
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  George Dinwiddie                                  gdinwiddie at min.net
  The gods do not deduct from man's allotted span those hours spent in
  sailing.          http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Alberg30/
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