Shore power 110V/60 Hz for 220V/50 Hz Boats ?

[yeloya]

This must be a common problem but I couldn't find enough info on CF. (If there is and I missed, apologizes)

Like all european boats my system and all AC equipment is 220 V 50 Hz. Waht would happen if I am connected to any shore power which is 110 V/60 Hz which are common in some countries in the Caribbean ?

My limited knowledge says that
-I could probably charge my batteries (with or without converter/transformer, but at a slower rate without converter),
-Changing frequence is almost impossible and even with converter, I could run some small appliance for a while (hair drier, etc) but could harm them in a long run..

Any thoughts/suggesion is welcome as I plan to be in Caribbean soon..

Cheers

Yeloya

[Dockhead]

Most battery chargers these days run on any voltage or frequency. Check your manuals.

Most isolation transformers can transform voltage. That will be fine for items without electric motors.

For running equipment with electric motors, just run them off an inverter. Keep the current flowing into your batteries with your multi-frequency charger, and invert the DC power to 220v/ 50 herz. No problem other than some loss of efficiency.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by yeloya

This must be a common problem but I couldn't find enough info on CF. (If there is and I missed, apologizes)

Like all european boats my system and all AC equipment is 220 V 50 Hz. Waht would happen if I am connected to any shore power which is 110 V/60 Hz which are common in some countries in the Caribbean ?

My limited knowledge says that
-I could probably charge my batteries (with or without converter/transformer, but at a slower rate without converter),
-Changing frequence is almost impossible and even with converter, I could run some small appliance for a while (hair drier, etc) but could harm them in a long run..

Any thoughts/suggesion is welcome as I plan to be in Caribbean soon..

Cheers

Yeloya

Most 220-230 VAC small appliances cannot be run on 110. The best is to use the invertor idea.

Dave

[ms100]

Unless the equipment says "110-240 VAC", if it is for 220/240, do not plug it to 110V. It won't work.
If it is for 110V and you plug it on 220/240V, you will burn it (if you are lucky, only a fuse).
Usually there is not a problem with the frequency (50/60 Hz).

[osirissail]

The simplest way is what I did with my boat. I rigged the shore power system so that it only goes to the battery charger set for the local power and then I use a large inverter to power my AC loads.

[jstevens]

Yeola,
The recommendation from osirisail to basically move all of your onboard electrical devices to 12VDC and power them from your batteries and a chargers is the best solution if you are starting from scratch. However you appear to have a fully equipped European yacht and swapping everything out at this point may not be a viable option. If much of your onboard electrical equipment (frig, battery charger, water heater, AC, etc., is 240VAC50HZ then your most viable option is to add a voltage transformer to boost the dock voltage from 120 to 240.
You will find that many marinas provide 240AC60HZ power at the dock, but that is normally dual phase power (4 wire). You will need an adapter to turn that into 240AC single phase power.
So I think your best option may be a transformer.
Then you still have the problem of the 50hz motors and other electrical devices on board. Before running any of these devices I recommend you consult with the manufacturers. There, I hope you don't run into the usual CYA response (No). I ran my 120VAC60Hz refrigeration on 120VAC/60Hz power from my Mastervolt transformer for 2 years in Europe. It is still running fine on 120VAC60Hz power since I returned to the USA in 2007. I did run my AC for one night on 60Hz power. It sounded like a cement mixer and I shut it down after one night. It is still working tonight so there did not appear to be any lasting damage from the 50HZ power.
So, if you have a number of installed 240VAC devices, a transformer will likely be required. You may also luck out on the 50-60 Hz issue, but your equipment manufactures should be able to provide advice in this area.

John

[ms100]

If you use a transformer be careful with the power rating.