Preventing Ground Faults on Boats

[GordMay]

Blue Sea Systems Technical Brief - GROUND FAULT:

Ground faults occur when current leaks from the AC hot wire to ground through faulty insulation, improper wiring, or failing appliances and devices. Standard circuit protection may not guard against:
RCBOs to Provide Ground Fault Protection:
Residual Current Circuit Breakers (RCBO) combine the overcurrent tripping characteristics of a normal circuit breaker with ground fault protection. RCBOs immediately switch electricity off when a ground fault is detected. Although they are new to the US market, they are commonly used in Europe. A ground fault occurs when current leaks from circuitry to the boat’s ground and possibly to the surrounding water through faulty insulation, improper wiring, or failing appliance and devices.
RCBOs provide protection against hazards that ordinary circuit breakers do not:
• Electrically induced drownings caused by AC ground faults that cause
current leakage from a boat into the surrounding waters.
• Lower level ground faults that do not trip ordinary circuit breakers, but can lead to fires and shock hazards for boat occupants.

Goto:
Preventing Hazardous Ground Faults on Boats:
Preventing Hazardous Ground Faults on Boats - Resources - Blue Sea Systems

[Maddog]

Gord - I have one of those nifty diodes (I forget the name) hooked up to my AC ground to prevent stray leakage and I have GFI receptacles protecting the branches were an appliance is plugged in. Do I need more protection? Maybe from my wife?

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Maddog

I have one of those nifty diodes (I forget the name) hooked up to my AC ground to prevent stray leakage and I have GFI receptacles protecting the branches were an appliance is plugged in. Do I need more protection? Maybe from my wife?

Those “nifty diodes”, in series with the AC safety ground (Green) and DC bonding system, are called “Galvanic Isolators” - and do indeed prevent low-voltage (up to about 1.2V) Stray Currents, and mitigate against stray-current galvanic corrosion. Many galvanic isolators also have a capacitor, which allows the isolator continue to block galvanic DC current flow, even if there is a small AC current leakage on the ground wire.

A residual current device (RCD) provides much the same functionality as the ground fault circuit interruptor (GFCI). They both detect leakage currents (from the hot wire to ground) and break the circuit in such an event. Standard domestic GFCI Receptacles trip at the recommended 5mA current level.

I have no particular knowledge of anti-spousal protection systems, beyond remembering & adhering to following six principles:

Stay in the quiet “zone”:

1. Never ask a question. Ever.
What you do is give them the answers.
For example, do not say, “Do “we” have to “do” something Saturday night?
Instead you say, “So “I” guess “you’re” going to your moms on Saturday.”
This throws them off. You are telling her that she’s going without you, but phrasing it so she thinks it’s her choice.
It has a 7% success rate if done quickly. You have to be quick. In an instant she will have processed this. Her mind is already saying, “You’re not getting out of this you fat bastard.”

2. Never argue.
When challenged by a woman, immediately agree with her, compliment her on her appearance, and then go silent. The worse thing that will happen at this point is that you will be accused of not communicating when in fact, that’s the point.
For example, “Yes Dear, you’re right, I’m an idiot. You have nice hair.”
Now nod a lot.

3. Once a month ask her the following. “Hey babe, how was your day?”
I know, I know, you’re worried that this will open the flood gates for a conversation about things you can't possibly understand, and yes, yes it will.
That’s why you have to be in the “zone” BEFORE you ask the question. This takes lots of practice. Trying to speak in intelligible sentences is very difficult while in the “zone”. Start out simple with phrases like, “Uh huh”, then work your way up one word at a time, until you get to six words. NOTE: NEVER GO OVER SIX WORDS!!!!
A question over six words may require reciprocal conversation. Remember, the key is to stay in the “zone”. The whole point is to appear like you’re listening and are actually part of the conversation without talking.
If you talk too much inevitably you will say something stupid that will piss her off.
That’s what we call a “given.”
If a woman is telling you about her day and how so and so did this, and so and so did that, she is “NOT LOOKING FOR YOUR ADVICE OR OPINION.” So keep your trap shut and just keep nodding.
Some people have asked me, “ how can you not respond when a woman is saying something that is so obviously wrong that it needs comment?”
He has just made my point. He was not in the “zone”. If you’re in the “zone” you don’t know what she said because you’re not listening. If he heard it, he isn’t in the “zone”.

4. Always assume that there is something that you have to do on the weekends.
It doesn’t matter if she told you about it three weeks ago while you were watching Cambodian midget porn.
(Trust me; the only time they will tell us that we have to do something is when we’re already focused on doing something else important, like watching TV or eating Cheetohs.)

6. Never teach your grandson fun stuff when grandma, his mom. or any other women is around.
If you do then make sure you remove all of the coasters from your house. They fit perfectly into a woman’s hand and can be thrown as an effective and painful tool for getting your attention.

6. Any woman you have been married to, for more than one week, already knows about the previous five principles and just lets you think you have the protection of the “zone” when in fact, she is in complete control.
Wives have proven their control over husbands for generations by hiding stuff from us. Usually our keys or wallet in some place we would never think to look, like the shelf that we put up specifically to hold our keys and our wallet.
A big part of that is that as married men we don’t really mind getting yelled at as long as we get the remote, an occasional five minutes of silence and someone to care for us when we think we’re dying from a common cold.

So I guess when you sum it all up, I live my 39 years of married life on just one principle. I’m always wrong.

And you know what? I’m okay with that. It gives me a deep sense of peace and serenity. There’s no stress. It’s a Zen like feeling of acceptance.

[Maddog]

Gord - Thanks for the advice - about the wife I mean.

[Ex-Calif]

"the only time they will tell us that we have to do something is when we’re already focused on doing something else important, like watching TV or eating Cheetohs.)"

My wife's favorite line to both me and my son is, "While you are not doing anything do (fill in the blank)"

I have tried, "Laying on the couch picking lint from my belly button "is" doing something, honey. BTW - You have nice hair."

Wanna guess how well that works?