No Breakers For AC

[nolandinsight]

40 year old Morgan, I can't find an AC breaker panel. Is this common for older boats?

[Dsanduril]

Not uncommon. Many boats, even current, have no AC panel as their owners would rather not deal with the hassle.

Are there any AC appliances or outlets anywhere? Would be odd not to have a panel if there are, but otherwise would be quite normal.

[nolandinsight]

There are eight outlets, and one round tube fluorescent light in the cabin that I assume is an AC light, as well as the shore power connection outside the cockpit. Also a phone jack. It was obviously set up as a live aboard at one time.

I'm a bit concerned about plugging in a shore power cord to see if it works, but I don't know much else to do.

[nolandinsight]

Love the name of your boat, BTW. Tolkien fan?

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by nolandinsight

There are eight outlets, and one round tube fluorescent light in the cabin that I assume is an AC light, as well as the shore power connection outside the cockpit. Also a phone jack. It was obviously set up as a live aboard at one time.

I'm a bit concerned about plugging in a shore power cord to see if it works, but I don't know much else to do.

I would trace those wires for sure before plugging anything into it. No breakers is a very bad idea. Hopefully there is a panel hidden away somewhere. If not, certainly need to install one before plugging in shore power.

Fluorescent may be 12V. They are pretty common.

[nolandinsight]

Yep. I think I'll tear it all out and start fresh. Wonder if there's any benefits/drawback to separating port and starboard receptacles into different circuits?

[smac999]

I would defiantly split up the plugs. by room or however or how ever you want.

[hellosailor]

No breakers means it is probably homebrew. These days, you would install a GFI device as close to the electrical inlet (the shore power connector) as possible, as the first defense against accidental electrocution. If you really wanted to keep it cheap and simple, that could be a GFI with a 15A (etc) breaker in the same box. Not always easy to reach, but minimal work.

Tracing the wires is always a good idea when you're dealing with anonymous work. You never know who did a "twist and tape" or left wires to chafe. Easy enough to check it out, and replace if need be. And add the proper breaker panel inside for safety.

[nolandinsight]

Update: found the "breaker panel". Anyone remember these?

[hellosailor]

YES!
Edison-base fuse replacements. I had once bought a pack figuring to replace the Fustat houses at home, which I thought were Edison base. But no, Fustat was a "medium Edison" smaller size base. Like the odd decorative light bulbs that are not candelabra, not full size.

They should work but I'd still replace the box with a whole new one that had a GFI built in, along with newer breakers.

[zeehag]

when i converted my ericson, i made sure the panel dealt with the dc electrical needs. i made only one gfi outlet usable, and the rest of boat, except for charging with generator or shore power is dc.
my boat also has a nice electrical wiring diagram -- i dont use perko switches in that boat, but 3 toggles under my charger invertor. very easy and well designed--my electrician did that for me when oi bought that boat.

[btrayfors]

You need a breaker on both the hot and the neutral wires (black and white). These should be ganged together, and located not more than 40" from the deck inlet.

Wiring from the inlet to the breakers and panel should be AWG10 for a 30A circuit.

The green grounding wire should be carried to all inlets and to the boat's common ground point, preferably with a galvanic isolator installed in series.

Before you start anything, it would be good to read up a bit on boat wiring and, if possible, consult a knowledgeable marine electrician. Note than many shore-based electricians are not knowledgeable about marine installations; there is a difference.

AC wiring on a boat is nothing to fool with. You can easily kill yourself or someone else if you don't do it correctly.

Based on your picture and description, I believe it would be best to replace the whole shebang, starting at the boat inlet.

Bill

[nolandinsight]

Galvanic isolator? Is that to keep the metal bits from deteriorating? That's what happens when the green wire is doing its job, no?

[btrayfors]

Originally Posted by nolandinsight

Galvanic isolator? Is that to keep the metal bits from deteriorating? That's what happens when the green wire is doing its job, no?

No. The green wire is a grounding wire to help keep you from killing yourself.

Here's the scoop on galvanic isolators: BoatUS: Seaworthy

Bill

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by btrayfors

No. The green wire is a grounding wire to help keep you from killing yourself.

Here's the scoop on galvanic isolators: BoatUS: Seaworthy

Bill

Its debate able what a " groundwire" on a boat is doing at times , I'd stay fit an all boat RCD and rely less on so called ground wires !

Dave