220volt service 51' project boat

Discussion in 'Powerboats' started by EMBIBB, Oct 4, 2007.

  1. Frosty

    Frosty Previous Member

    If the marina had a fault on there earth( very common round here) and the boat next to you had a fault that went to earth ,--your boat and every other boat would have a live earth. which means you would get a shock from your metal bodied aplliances. Even though you had no fault on your boat.

    An Individual house driving copper rods ( 2 copper rods) into the ground is a secure way of knowing you are earthed.------- On a boat?????

    Unfortunately American procedures are by law and are enforced, you have to do it their way. I however do not 2 wires live+ nuetral ONLY.

    I am aware that if I had a fault on a metal bodied appliance I would get a tingle but not a full belt as I am a fibre glass boat,--if I was steel I would re consider.
     
  2. FAST FRED
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    FAST FRED Senior Member

    AM contemplating a "pure DC " boat , and would need to get shore power aboard,at times, by converting the various power from dockside.

    The unit would operate as an isolation transformer also.

    IS there any units out there that will make 100A of 24V DC from whatever the dock source?

    The high amperage is for OTS (Off The Shelf) DC air cond units,hopefully seldom required.

    FF
     
  3. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    Thanks to both Terry and Man Overboard for the very good explanations. I am glad you did it. I have been kicking it around trying to find a simple way to explain how it works, and the differences, and you both did it very well.

    The confusion beween the neutral ground and green ground is why in the boating world the neutral (which is not really neutral) is called the GROUNDED wire and the green is called the GROUNDING wire. It makes it easier to separate the two.

    I would like to use your explanations on my web site. Is it ok if I quote you?
     
  4. TerryKing
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    TerryKing On The Water SOON

    Quote, Unquote

    Sure, Ike.. I quote YOU all the time!
     
  5. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    You quote me? I hope that's a good thing? LOL. I got a nice surprise today. I was editing my electrical pages and I googled "wikipedia electrical wiring boats" and one of my pages was the third hit on the search. WOW! That's a treat. And I didn't even have to pay them.
     
  6. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    BY the way, I discovered a web site that has schematics for 10 different yachts on it. Alden Trull Yacht Electrical Design http://www.midcoast.com/~aft/index2.html. These are good examples.

    The Little Cloud schematic is for 240V 50 amp and has an isolation transformer, solar panels, a wind charger, inverter in other words a really complete system. It speficies the system to be isolated from the hull. It is an aluminum hull.

    Anyway these are excellent learning tools.
     
  7. StianM
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    StianM Senior Member

    Devices coupled betwen two Live wires are two phase.

    If all 3 phases is conected it's 3p system.

    1p system is when it's conected to one live wire + N(nautral)

    A 3phase system with 400V will also give you 400V in 2phase, but 230V 1phase so running 400V 3phase will eliminate the nead for a transformer if you wish to use 230V trough 1P system.

    AC and DC same ****, AC won't kill you if it's only 24V and DC can kill you if it is high voltage. Lightning is DC and kills enough people.

    I got 230V AC in my fingertips just two days ago and I'm still standing.

    If you get a earth faliure with your DC system your metal components that is in contact with sea water will be eaten up faster then if it's AC.
     
  8. Frosty

    Frosty Previous Member

     
  9. TerryKing
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    TerryKing On The Water SOON

    Phase??

    Sorry, that's not right. It is a terminology question, but the US system has L1 and L2 180 degrees out of phase, and that's correctly called "Single Phase".

    See Man Overboards quote of WikiPedia a few posts ago...
     
  10. EMBIBB
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    EMBIBB Junior Member

    thanks for all the input. As a Home Inspector, I am familiar with 220/110 volt systems.. My question was wiring the main a/c panel, which I have now split into two legs, thus am able to provide 220volts to air and range and still provide some load balancing for the 110 volt systems. This is a single phase situation, since typically you will not see three phase until you are into a commercial application with larger loads.

    eddie
     
  11. Man Overboard
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    Man Overboard Tom Fugate

    Peter, you can quote me, but don't quote the section where I made an err.

    Eddie, AN INSPECTOR! then you already know about this, no? You'll find this amusing...When I was a teen, my father built a home, and him and I wired it. (thanks to him, I have learned much) when the inspector came, it was a tense moment as he checked every thing out. when he got to the electrical box, he took his thumb and fore finger and bridged right across one of the legs coming in, and the neutral to check for power. He proceeded to check other circuits in the same manner; neutral to hot, ground to hot. He had calluses on his fingers from doing it so much. Tuff old bird
     
  12. Ike
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    Ike Senior Member

    Tuff old bird, or dummer than dirt! I accidentally did that once and it knocked me across the room, burned a hole through my finger and another through the leather sole of my shoe. I was on a ship with metal decks and we had rubber insulated mats on the deck but it went right through it. My legs twitched for hours afterward and my ears rang. Not a very smart way to check for power. A meter is much safer. Actually the only reason the doc could figure that I am still here to talk about it, is because it was my right hand, so the flash didn't go through my heart.
     
  13. Frosty

    Frosty Previous Member

    Many years ago in the middle east I saw an Indian car electrician search for live with the end of the wire in his mouth. He would twitch slightly when he found one.
     
  14. TerryKing
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    TerryKing On The Water SOON

    Hey...

    You know, that's not a bad one to remember.. for 12VDC ! Kids always put 9V batteries across their tongue. I used to use that as a 'conductivity' demonstration. "See, nothing with dry fingers. Now try a wet salty tongue."

    Frosty's had a Salty Tongue once in a while :p
     

  15. Man Overboard
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    Man Overboard Tom Fugate

    Quote:
    Tuff old bird, or dummer than dirt!

    Ya, I agree. He used his right hand. He would hit ground first then hot... neutral first then hot. Afterwards, my father turned to me and said "don't even think of trying that."
     
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