Help me wire this, please

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

Always ask to see their certification card. Anybody can say they are a professional if they do work for hire. They may not know excrement from Shinola. If they are truly qaualified they will have a card in their wallet at all times. If they don't, they're not, don't let them in your boat.

My friends electrician was just lazy. The wiring was a mess and he charged my friend $300 and didn't do much. The wiring was as purchased with the boat.

I pulled the the birds nest of old wiring out and re wired the whole boat for just the cost of cable.

Sometimes it's easier to start again rather than fix something that wasn't done correctly.

[Capt Gill]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

Always ask to see their certification card. Anybody can say they are a professional if they do work for hire. They may not know excrement from Shinola. If they are truly qaualified they will have a card in their wallet at all times. If they don't, they're not, don't let them in your boat.

A little off subject, but it would help me if you could clarify:"Always ask to see their certification card", what agency issues these cards, are they national or international and what are their requirements ?

[hellosailor]

Here in the States, an electrician is normally required to be professionally licensed by the State, and will be listed on that State's web site or "division of professional licenses" if the license is current.


You ask me to show you a piece of paper stating that I'm the Queen of England and I'll be right back with it, in your choice of colors. And signed by the Romanoff Czar of the Russias, in exile.


Wallet card. Pffaff. Make 'em at Kinko's if you can't afford the $150 for a laser printer of your own.

[tinkrman69]

Originally Posted by Capt Gill

A little off subject, but it would help me if you could clarify:"Always ask to see their certification card", what agency issues these cards, are they national or international and what are their requirements ?

most of the electrical repairs I do, are fixing what the "certified" electricians been paid for.

one such job had 4 pairs of 6 volt batts wired up in one bank and being charged with 300 watts of solar and wind generator. two of the bats were wired series for 12 volts the other six were parallel. he was told that he need to rewire his boat and that was the reason he had low voltage in the house system. needles to say all brand new Trojans had to be replaced, along with a few other components. luckily he kept his starting batt out of the picture. before I was recommended to him he was getting ready to start using his alternator to keep things up. He would have been replacing that too if he had for any length of time.

certifications aren't worth the paper they are written on. go with references. if you find several people giving good reference to someone, your chances of getting a good job are high.

I've also found that usually the one that charges the highest is usually the highest risk for a bad job.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

Skip Macyou are stating disagreement but also stating exactly what I said. Connect due starter battery positive lead, alternator positive lead, and stater positive lead to battery switch 1 post.

This way, the alternator (and starter) is always connected to she starter batttery so there is no risk of taking out the alternator if the battery switch is switched to the 2 or off position while engine is running (as long as battery 1 is connected of course).

OK, now I understand better what you were saying but not totally clear. When you refer to connecting the common to the DC panel do you mean the Both position on the switch or the output connection? Regardless, still not my preferred way to wire a system.

1. The starter and start battery are connected without a way to disconnect the battery from the starter. There should be at least an on/off switch between the battery and the starter.

2. The alternator output is better connected to the house battery with a duocharge or combiner to send output to the start battery when charging is active.

[svlamorocha]

Originally Posted by Capt Gill

A little off subject, but it would help me if you could clarify:"Always ask to see their certification card", what agency issues these cards, are they national or international and what are their requirements ?

I believe it is better to look up the electrician in the ABYC certified technician directory:

https://www.abycinc.org/educationpro...nDirSearch.cfm


I am yet to come across a US state that will require knowledge of ***marine*** electrical problems and solutions before they grant a license.

[DeepFrz]

tinkrman69, be careful what you rip up and replace. Your idea of the DC negative being and "earth" is completely wrong. DC negative is return to the batteries and does not need an "earth" connection. A DC negative bus, "ground bus" should be the return path with one cable going from there to the negative post on the battery. A DC negative cable from the engine to the negative bus is required but it should only be one cable.

[GrahamHO]

Originally Posted by DeepFrz

tinkrman69, be careful what you rip up and replace. Your idea of the DC negative being and "earth" is completely wrong. DC negative is return to the batteries and does not need an "earth" connection. A DC negative bus, "ground bus" should be the return path with one cable going from there to the negative post on the battery. A DC negative cable from the engine to the negative bus is required but it should only be one cable.

Quite correct. If you have more than one "earth" connection to the motor, to the sea, there will likely be a small potential difference between them. That will result in a small current flow between them and potentially electrolysis.

If you have a motor you need that single connection as a return for the starter motor and other engine accessories such as temperature sensing switch.

If you don't have a motor you don't want an earth to the sea, just a bus bar with the black neg cables connected to the terminals. Then the system is "above earth"