Boat Rewiring Experiences

[CharlieJ]

As long as the "Primary Ground Bus", the "Secondary Ground Bus" and the B- bus bar on the power panel are connected by conductors that will not cause any appreciable voltage drop, your diagram is fine.

[TritonSailor]

Clearsea,

What program are you using to illustrate the schematic. I need that !


Thanks,

Jeff

[GordMay]

As Charlie indicates, your Auxiliary Negative* Bus’ are OK. In fact, it’s normal good practice to provide a Neutral Bus Bar at the Distribution panel (such as your Secondary Bus appears), and cable it back to a Main Ground Bus.

The objection is to utilizing a single (shared or common) Negative Conductor to serve more than one Positive branch circuit conductor.

* Like the Neutral Conductor on shore-side AC systems, DC Negative Conductors are not Ground wires, even though they are grounded. Hence they most properly called Negative (return) conductors.

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by TritonSailor

What program are you using to illustrate the schematic. I need that !

Looks like Visio, that's what I use.

[clearsea]

Originally Posted by TritonSailor

Clearsea, What program are you using to illustrate the schematic.

Corel Draw.

[clearsea]

Originally Posted by GordMay

it’s normal good practice to provide a Neutral Bus Bar at the Distribution panel (such as your Secondary Bus appears), and cable it back to a Main Ground Bus.

Just to be clear, the House Panel is intended to be a panel that contains both positive and negative busses. The Secondary Bus is an example of a bus bar a few feet away from the panel, in another compartment. Still OK?

[CharlieJ]

Clearsea-As long as the voltage drop between the B- busses is negligible, there is no problem. I typically install a bus bar to collect the B- from each battery then connect that bus bar to the engine (ABYC E-11 requirement) and to another bus bar behind the power panel with heavy conductors. The bus bar behind the panel is a BS 150 A with 20 #8 screws. That is where all of the returns are attached. More than 20 returns? Daisy chain another bus bar with heavy conductor. The supplied bus bar on the power panel is connected to the auxiliary bus bar with...you guessed it...heavy conductor although I generally do not attach any of the returns to the power panel bus bar and use the panel installed bus bar for indicating lights, etc. I do this because I can get a cleaner install by going to the auxiliary bus bar.