[Public-list] Shore Power on the cheap.

[Don Campbell]

Mike;
    Shore power on the cheap is only as good and as safe as the weakest link. Good shore power is not that expensive for the safety it provides. First read the fine print of your mooring agreement to know what your liability is for both you and your marina or  yacht club in
the case of damage to facilities. Second check with your insurer to make sure you have insurance coverage for your boat and any liability for  loss to mooring facililties and other hulls if there is a fire that can be traced to your electrical  system. (If you have a 15 amp
cord from a 30 amp connection, without a 15 amp fuse at the start of the cord, then 30 amps may be driven down it to the fuse. If the cord shorts due to heat, then you will have a fire.) If you need ABYC standards for insurance, then be sure your cheap system has those
standards, particularly in the US where you have such a litigeous society. (And there are some out there who wonder why insurance has gone up so much recently!)
    The operative thought here should be that you want at least the same safety and care on the boat that you would have at home and probably in the bathroom or kitchen since that is where water and electicity meet in the home.  At home you have a main breaker and circuits
downstream from there. Any wire  to the main breaker  is capable of conducting that load as fed from your power supplier. Any total usage above the main breaker will trip the system. Any wire from the main breaker fed to the panel will be capable of handling the load from
the main breaker to the individual circuit breakers. Wireaway from  the panel circuit breakers will be sized according to load, in most cases 14 guage, but certainly much bigger than that for electric furnaces, dryers, and ovens. There may also be restrictions for kitchen
appliances so that one plug outlet is on its own circuit in what is known as a split receptical,so top and bottom plugs in one box have 2 circuits.  In Canada, we cannot have a duplex in a bathroom that is not a GFI unit.
    For the  shore power that you are talking about, you need a proper connector on the hull  with threaded ring so that a proper, waterproof electrical cord may be securely attached to the boat. Non-metalic boat inlet plugs with covers  for 30 amp power are less than $50.
You then need to have a 30 amp fuse or breaker on the incoming line,  so at least a 3 circuit panel is needed. On two circuits you can put the main incoming line with a 30 amp breaker. and take the power off this to the other circuit with a 15 amp breaker or fuse. Then you
need a junction box capable of holding a GFI duplex. You are then able to use the 15 amp circuit for this duplex. From here you may then use your 15 amp cord. The only other thing you need is the shore  power cord. For a safe acceptable fix for everything, you will be in the
neighbourhood of  $200 and within standards. See Nigel Calder's book on maintenance and electrical information for more on how to do it if you still have questions.
    I really have a concern with farmer's fixes with electricity near water, when you can do it safely for so little extra effort and $. Stray voltage in the water, is capable of killing any swimmers too.One problem is lack of availability of waterproof cords and connectors
as 15 amp units. The other thing to note is that you should make sure you have at least 14 guage wire in your  15 amp cord. There are so many out there that are 16 guage and they are not good for high load ( tools and kettles) or continuous usage (battery chargers).
    If you really feel you can take the risk for the worst loss imaginiable, and  go with a cheap system, install a ground fault interrupter at the 30 amp plug at the box if it is not already there and a waterproof fuseholder with a 15 amp fuse in line at the box with that.
Then all that will happen if things do draw too much current is your battery won't charge.
Don #528

dan walker wrote:

> mike,
> ignorance is bliss. i did that for three years in charleston. marina folks had no problem with it. of course they could have been ignorant as well. the boat sat unattended for up to three months with no problems. of course during the three years there were no hurricanes.
> dan
>
> "Meinhold, Michael J" <MICHAEL.J.MEINHOLD at saic.com> wrote:
> I don't really want (and can't afford) a complete, safe shore power system
> for Rinn Duin. I would, however, like to occasionally use power tools at the
> dock, and occasionlly run a battery charger or a fan. I do not intend to
> ever run an airconditioner or microwave or an oven.
>
> Is there anything wrong or unsafe if I get a 30 amp to 15 amp converter
> attached to the dock connector, plug in a 15 amp-rated extension cord, and
> plug into that a 4 or 6 outlet power strip with a 15 amp circuit breaker. If
> I also can find an in-line Ground Fault Interrupter, wouldn't this be as
> safe as an installed shore power circuit? Should I have any concerns about
> leaving this unattended if properly secure the line?
>
> Mike
> Rinn Duin #272
>
> Michael J. Meinhold / Senior Engineer / SAIC
> 2111 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 303 / Alexandria, VA 22314-4679
> PHONE : (703) 842-2606 FAX: (703) 842-2617 EMAIL :
> michael.j.meinhold at saic.com
>
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