I have a 2005 Beneteau 343 that was built in France it is setup for 220 v. Instead of changing it to 120v can I just put in a 120 battery charger with a breaker and run it off of the charger. I was thinking of getting the sterling ProCharger?
Shore power
- Thread starter Southpaw
- Start date
Run what - the whole boat?
Do I understand correctly that you want to use a charger as a 12V power supply?
That is what I understood also. My recommendation is to find out what kind of adapter you would need to be able to connect a 50' 15A extension cord into the boat so you may plug in the lamps and appliances you may want to use. Make sure that any combination of appliances does not exceed the total capacity of 15A at 120V. A heavy gauge construction type extension cord is recommended. Then you can plug in a battery charger to charge the batteries.
We had an EU made Beneteau also. The cost to convert to 110 volts USA type wiring is expensive. the EU wiring is for 220 volts so the wire thickness was to small to cross convert to 110 volts. The electrician changed the AC panel plus inlet wire & shore plug inlet and all wires to all the appliances plus outlets. This was a 4 day job for our electrician. He let me help run wire so I got to learn some things I did not know and he made our boat AC comply to American Yacht Council safety protocol.
On our Sabre we did also go with the Sterling Charger. It is 60 amp with a remote controler. We got it through Main Sailor at his www.marinehowto.com helpful boaters fix it site. We also got a Victrons solar charger from him. He helped us to stop ruining the batteries in two years. He also told me how to do a battery health test.
On our Sabre we did also go with the Sterling Charger. It is 60 amp with a remote controler. We got it through Main Sailor at his www.marinehowto.com helpful boaters fix it site. We also got a Victrons solar charger from him. He helped us to stop ruining the batteries in two years. He also told me how to do a battery health test.
It depends. In US your house incoming wiring is 220(240)VAC with a grounded neutral. That gives you ability to connect 120 VAC equipment from one hot leg to neutral. So if you have a fully rated neutral then yes you can connect a charger from one hot leg to neutral for 120 VAC service just like a house.
Or if not get a 220 V AC rated charger it shouldn't cost any more.
The only issue you might have to deal with is not overloading incoming wire so balance the loads on each leg if you are using 120 V rated equipment on board
Or if not get a 220 V AC rated charger it shouldn't cost any more.
The only issue you might have to deal with is not overloading incoming wire so balance the loads on each leg if you are using 120 V rated equipment on board
Yes it was to run the whole boat. The only high draw would be the refrigerator everything else is just lighting and fans. I figured I would make a fifty foot cord to a breaker then run it to the charger and from the charger to the batteries. As long as the charger can handle the load it should work or am I missing something?
The only reason I'm looking to do this is most places in the U.S. don't have 220v(240)v at the dock.
There seems to be 2 separate questions.
First the battery charger output. The rule of thumb is get a charger that puts out 10% of the house bank capacity plus some extra for what ever loads there might be while connected to shore power. So, for a 460 Ah bank (4 GC batteries) a 50 or 60 amp charger would be sufficient. If the load goes above the charger capacity then the additional energy will come from the battery. Regardless of the input voltage, the charger will put out ~12.5v or more depending on the demand and the battery's SOC.
The second question is the battery input voltage. Your choice is to either use a charger set up for 240v and leave your AC system alone or rewire your system for 120v and get a charger that takes 120v. Either way the output of the charger will always be nominally 12v.
A third question is access to 240v power. I'm not sure how you get that from the standard power pedestals in most marinas. At least in the places I travel to it is all 30 or 50 amp 120v service.
First the battery charger output. The rule of thumb is get a charger that puts out 10% of the house bank capacity plus some extra for what ever loads there might be while connected to shore power. So, for a 460 Ah bank (4 GC batteries) a 50 or 60 amp charger would be sufficient. If the load goes above the charger capacity then the additional energy will come from the battery. Regardless of the input voltage, the charger will put out ~12.5v or more depending on the demand and the battery's SOC.
The second question is the battery input voltage. Your choice is to either use a charger set up for 240v and leave your AC system alone or rewire your system for 120v and get a charger that takes 120v. Either way the output of the charger will always be nominally 12v.
A third question is access to 240v power. I'm not sure how you get that from the standard power pedestals in most marinas. At least in the places I travel to it is all 30 or 50 amp 120v service.
Where I have seen this done the conversion for shore power was 120VAC boat side receptacles and cords to work in the US run to a disconnect and 120VAC breaker box suitable for the loads. With a 2005 era boat you are due for a new and improved smart charger wired for 120VAC. Beyond you will need to evaluate the wire gauge to any receptacles you want to convert to 120VAC. I would not rewire an entire boat just to make all the receptacles 120VAC since I don't use most of them anyway, and the few electronic items I have smart-adapt to 240VAC...I am pretty much all 12 VDC. If you plan to add A/C heat pump you should incorporate a second 120VAC leg for that 30Amp load.
I also misunderstood that you may have wanted to use a battery charger as a stand alone power supply. By all means if you have a house battery bank of at least 220Ah you should be able to comfortably use your 12V refrigerator plus lights and other small appliances with a battery charger. We run our refrigerator, lights and TV /Radios and manage to keep the batteries fully charged with a modest 3 stages 30A battery charger as long as we have access to shorepower. The battery charger needs to be hardwired for efficiency and safety and to get 110V power into the boat you can add a shorepower connector and a breaker leading the wiring to the charger.
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This may be a lot easier than you initially thought. The ProMariner ProNauticP series runs on 120 or 230 v and is self selecting. These are the same as the Sterling chargers.
All you have to do now is figure out how to get 230v out of a 120v power pedestal.
All you have to do now is figure out how to get 230v out of a 120v power pedestal.
Yea, what dlochner said, if you have a 220 AC system then you either need to find 220 volts at the dock or change out (flip the 110/220 volt switch) the appliances. The water heater, shore power AC, and anything else that plugs into an outlet or is hard wired to the fuse panel will need to be modified. Many 220 appliances have 110/220 selector switches as the US is a big market so check that first. your shore power WILL NOT provide 220 current as it only has 3 prongs on the cable end. 220 requires 4 prongs (hot at 0 phase, hot at 180 phase, neutral, and safety ground)
What I think I know:
US 220 and European 220 are completely different animals. US 110 is half of the 220 not so with our cousins on the other side of the pond. We are also on 60 cycles they (Germany anyway) are on 50.
Either the boat would have to be rewired or a converter installed. Even with the converter not everything will work correctly. Lights no problem, fans work but at different speeds, heating elements work but not quite the same temperature. Anything electronic forget about unless it is dual voltage.
Talk to anyone who has lived in Europe with American electrical items or who have brought back European appliances and tried to make them work. Glad I am not moving every couple of years any longer.
I think what is needed is a converter for the whole boat that adjusts the cycles as well as the voltage a rewire or maybe a converter and adding a couple of 110 circuits would work.
Don't many pedestals have 220? Any that I have seen inside of were a 220 circuit with a 30 amp plug off of each leg or a 50 amp plug using both legs.
US 220 and European 220 are completely different animals. US 110 is half of the 220 not so with our cousins on the other side of the pond. We are also on 60 cycles they (Germany anyway) are on 50.
Either the boat would have to be rewired or a converter installed. Even with the converter not everything will work correctly. Lights no problem, fans work but at different speeds, heating elements work but not quite the same temperature. Anything electronic forget about unless it is dual voltage.
Talk to anyone who has lived in Europe with American electrical items or who have brought back European appliances and tried to make them work. Glad I am not moving every couple of years any longer.
I think what is needed is a converter for the whole boat that adjusts the cycles as well as the voltage a rewire or maybe a converter and adding a couple of 110 circuits would work.
Don't many pedestals have 220? Any that I have seen inside of were a 220 circuit with a 30 amp plug off of each leg or a 50 amp plug using both legs.
All you have to do now is figure out how to get 230v out of a 120v power pedestal.[/QUOTE]
You would have to add a 110V to 220V step up transformer. I have seen some used by boaters and they are a self contained unit about the size of a small carry on bag, weather proofed to sit in the dock next to the pedestal and connectors to the pedestal and the boat. Don't know their cost and reliability but it seems a 110V straight connection with a breaker would be simpler. Theft issues and marina liability concerns may be an impediment to their use. There are cheaper industrial units that do not have the weather proofing or connectors but would have to be installed inboard and would be redundant as a 110V power install to the boat would be required anyways. Might as well just power the battery charger directly with 120V.
You would have to add a 110V to 220V step up transformer. I have seen some used by boaters and they are a self contained unit about the size of a small carry on bag, weather proofed to sit in the dock next to the pedestal and connectors to the pedestal and the boat. Don't know their cost and reliability but it seems a 110V straight connection with a breaker would be simpler. Theft issues and marina liability concerns may be an impediment to their use. There are cheaper industrial units that do not have the weather proofing or connectors but would have to be installed inboard and would be redundant as a 110V power install to the boat would be required anyways. Might as well just power the battery charger directly with 120V.
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The boat was a charter boat down in the BVI's and I didn't even think about the shore power until I brought it to Florida and went to plug in to shore power. I do not want to kill the batteries. So I was think if I hooked up a 120v charger and leave the 240v alone so I will be able to plug in any where.
I see, you just want to ADD 12 volt DC charging to keep the batteries up and run the boat on batteries and not run ANY 120 VAC on the boat, correct ?
If so, it seems that you should be able to add a single 120 V. circuit with a separate shorepower inlet and circuit breaker just to power a single outlet for the charger.
If so, it seems that you should be able to add a single 120 V. circuit with a separate shorepower inlet and circuit breaker just to power a single outlet for the charger.
I think the inconvenience of not being able to use all of the AC accessories on board would warrant converting the entire system over to 120 VAC, especially if you plan to do some coastal cruising and visit other marinas. My 343 has four 120V AC ground fault outlets along the port side, one in the aft berth, one in the galley, one in the salon, and one in the forward berth. Shouldn't be too bad to pull new wiring as the existing wires will lead the way. I have a 120 VAC 40 amp xantrex true charge battery charger (factory installed) that is located in the battery compartment beneath the aft berth. The 120 VAC water heater is located to the stbd side of the diesel tank, under the aft berth. As Gunni mentioned, if you decide to add an air conditioning system, it should be connected to a separate/designated 30 amp leg with it's own AC power inlet, double pole breaker, and separate breaker panel. True, that it would take some personal time, effort and scraped knucles; however, even if you aren't comfortable with installing the complete system, you could pull all of the wires and then have an electrician complete the connections. I would think that a "salty" electrician should be able to make all of the connections in 8 hours if you already have all the wires pulled, breaker panel ready for installation, the AC power inlet and double pole inlet breaker pre-fit and ready for installation. Expect material costs for a new water heater, breaker panel (4 circuits), 40 amp charger, AC inlet, double pole breaker, wiring, & outlets to be about $1400 and labor approximately $800. The materials costs could be much lower if you can get the electrician to purchase them at a discounted cost & pass the savings on to you. If you plan to keep the boat for awhile, I think the convenience outweighs the expense. Also, when you get ready to sell, it should make the boat easier to sell. If you need a copy of the wiring diagrams, PM me and I will scan them and forward them to you.
The issue with 220VAC is the wires will be thinner so can carry less current so you have less power. If you have enough power for your uses then it should be OK. I assume you have an electric panel with breakers that are appropriate for the wiring you have. So no problem. Outlets need to be changed for mechanical reasons.
You don't plan to use an electric water heater?
You don't plan to use an electric water heater?
I was checking for voltage information on the BVI as I recalled not having any problems years back. It is reported that the prevailing power on the Islands is 110V compatible with that used in the US and Canada. They do mention there might be an issue with polarization and type of plug. Perhaps a call to the yacht charter company might reveal that your boat has already been wired for 110V use and then any qualified electrician may be able to replace the plugs and correct the polarity. If you are sure the boat is wired for 220V then at least you may be able to find out how they handled the conversion.