Shore power question

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sonofasailorsailing

sonofasailorsailing

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Dec 5, 2004
77
Glander Tavana Mexico Beach, Florida
Ok, so I am dumb, but I have never had shore power on my boat before. The PO had a shoe power hook-up, but it was, I think, a bit dangerous. He had an extension cord (household type) attached to the shore power inlet of the boat. I am rewireing the boat and have put in a new shre power inlet. Now, the question is, which way do the wires hook up? Green white and black, My power plug is a 30 amp shore power plug. which prong is which color? Ok, I know I am going to get flamed a bit, but so be it. Thanks in advance for anyones help.
 
D

Doug_Meyer

Color code

Color coding on the shore power cord is Geen for Ground, Black for hot and, white for neutral. Page 546 in the West Marine Catalog shows which is which on the plug Green goes to the "L" shaped prong, White to the prong closest to the base of the "L", And black to the remaining prong. If you don't have a west marine catalog perhaps you can find an electrical wiring text that will show the appropriate connections for a Hubbell pLug for reference purposes.
 
R

Rick A

Oh-Oh

Green is ground, White is neutral and goes onto the silver colored screw,Black is hot, goes onto the darker colored screw. You are playing with AC power which is very dangerous and can kill. I strongly recommend that you get someone who is qualified to help you, preferably a tradesman, stand behind him, watch him work, ask lots of questions, and learn. Get a good book on boats and electrical and read it throughly. The problem with AC is that your errors will not necessarily kill you. I recently read of a young boy who died while swimming up to his boat in a marina. One of the nearby boats was improperly wired and grounded poorly. The result was that there was AC current discharging into the water, caused his heart to stop and he perished.
 
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Rob Morton

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May 7, 2004
51
- - Fern Ridge Eugene OR
Shore Power

On the shore power plugs, the green one is ground. One of the other screws should be brass colored and the other one should be silver colored. Sometimes its hard to tell them apart but look closely. Black wire goes to brass. White ot the other one. They also make an inexpensive tester to plug into the outlet when you are done and it will light up in a sequence if its correct, or if its not lights up differently and this will tell you if its ok. Are you putting GFCI outlets in? If not you should give serious thouoght to that. This same tester has a button that will trip the GFCI, this too will tell you if its hooked up properly. Rob Morton S/V Euphoria
 
G

George

Shore Power

Nobody will flame you we're all gentlemen and ladies and treat each other with respect and consideration. There is a good discussion and excellent diagram on AC grounding at this link: http://www.sailmail.com/grounds.htm Also, if you have not read the recent discussion in this forum on this subject you should do so. Go to: http://www.sailboatowners.com/forums/pviewall.tpl?fno=5&uid=73199320964&SKU=2007032144851.36 Also check out Don Casey's book on Sailboat Electrics - this is the boater's "Electrics for Dummies". To insure you are wired correctly spend $5.00 on a polarity tester - you'll sleep better. Good Luck
 
NautiDuck

NautiDuck

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Jun 3, 2004
730
Catalina 250 Wing Keel Eugene, OR
OK, I'll flame you

You are adding shore power and you don't know which color wire is which? Step back away from the boat. Put your tools down. Get help before you kill yourself.
 
A

Alex

Shore power connection

There is usually an instruction paper in the packaging of the connector. Make sure you check and don't go by "experience". It is fair that you don't know. Even pro can make mistake. Also depends on where you buy the parts, color code may differ. Europe uses different standard. Sorry I am an industrial / electrical engineer for >30 years. I still check the instruction. May be that's why I'm still around. Assuming you are using marine grade shore power cord, in general the prong with the hook is the ground, the white is neutral, and the black is line. But make sure you check the instruction and buy the proper 120v 30A parts. The 120v 20A socket looks almost the same. Don't use house hold extension code for the job. You insurance company may not look after you.
 
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jeff s

1985 ofday anniversary 26 ftr

As a licensed electrician I agree with all the prior responses, BLACK IS ALWAYS THE HOT AND GOES TO THE BRASS SCREW WHITE IS ALWAYS THE NEUTRAL AND GOES TO THE SILVER COLORED SCREW GREEN OR GREEN WITH A STRIPE IS ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS GROUND AND GOES TO THE GREEN SCREW IN YOUR DISTRBUTION PANEL GREEN AND WHITE DO NOT BELONG ON THE SAME BUSS BAR WHITE IS A CURRENT CARRYING CONDUCTOR GOE ON THE BUSS BAR WITH ALL THE OTHER WHITES GREEN IS NOT A CURRENT CARRYING CONDUCTOR AND SHOULD BE ON THE BUSS BAR WITH ALL THE OTHER GREEN CONDUCTORS OR THE BARE WIRES FROM YOUR CABLE ASSEMBLY THIS BUSS SHOULD BE BONDED TO THE FRAME OF THE PANEL ENCLOSURE MECHANICALLY!!! GREEN IS THERE TO AID IN THE TRIPPING OF YOUR OVERCURRENT DEVICE AND FOR YOUR PHYSICAL PROTECTION. i PERSONALLY DO NOT KNOW HOW OR WHERE TO BOND YOUR BOAT BUT IF I WERE YOU I WOULD READ UP ON IT !!!!!! WIRING IS NOT A HOBBY IT CAN AND DOES KILL ------------------------------------------ I CANNOT STRESS THE IMPORTANCE OF CORRECT WIRING ENOUGH ESPECIALLY ON A BOAT LET ALONE ON LAND. GFI IS A DEVICE OR SEVERRAL DEVICES WHICH WILL PROTECT YOU THE CONSUMER FROM A FAULT CURRENT LIKELY TO BE BROUGHT ABOUT BY FAULTY WIRING OR FAULTY APPLIANCES.IN MY OPINION EVERYTHING ON BOARD SHOULD BE GFI PROTECTED. THINK ABOUT THE HAIR DRYER AND THE BATHROOM SINK, YOUR BOAT IS THE RUBBER DUCK FLOATING IN THAT SINK SAFETY FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
r.w.landau

r.w.landau

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Jun 2, 2004
1,438
Oday 25 pittsburgh
Jeff a small caution, Black is always hot in AC

not in DC wiring. Do not ground AC to DC. The two circuits should be seperate and isolated. If you would have a 120 grounding problem, it would enter your 12, 24, or 36 volt DC system. This is one reason to check your shore power where ever you plug in to make sure there is proper polarity and that there is a good ground. r.w.landau
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
R.W. That is a MAJOR caution.

He will ignore that at his peril!
 
J

jeff s

1985 ofday anniversary 26 ftr

I want to thank George for including the links, I read thru the first one from Practical Sailor and it clears things up for all. Thanx again
 
J

jeff s

1985 ofday anniversary 26 ftr

RW thanks for clarifying that, i failed to differ between ac & dc. I was however responding to his post concerning ac power.I learn each time I read a post, I do not always respond but I do learn from all the responses.
 
wrenchs wench

wrenchs wench

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Dec 5, 2006
45
Oday 22 sunset bay new york
BEEP BEEP BEEP

i agree with the NAUGHTYDUCK back up put ur hands on top of ur head and head to the nearest marine electrician saying that meaning i know my limitations and thats one of em!!
 
F

Fred

Ditto what everybody said about GFI plugs

except you can use one GFI plug to protect several non GFI plugs downstream, so you only need one GFI for each electrical ciruit.
 
sonofasailorsailing

sonofasailorsailing

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Dec 5, 2004
77
Glander Tavana Mexico Beach, Florida
Thanks to all

Thank you all for your input and concerns. While I have not done any AC wiring in boats before, I have rewired houses. My main concern, and hence my hesitation in starting this project, was getting the polarity correct at the shore power connection to the boat. I have read "Sailboat Electrics" and found it to be very helpful. I appreciate everyones answers.
 
Fred Ficarra

Fred Ficarra

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Dec 2, 2003
4,245
- - Seabeck WA
Aw, lighten-up a little guys.

Sure AC can kill, but it's not THAT easy to do. ;) And haven't you guys heard of electricians that test a hot (120 volt) circuit with their finger? works great. Quicker than a meter too. Then if you hold-on too tight you get to do the 'dance'. It's called the '60 hertz shuffle'. Not to be used as a exercise regime though. Those muscle stimulator's work on lower voltages. And all bets are off in Europe of course. Now THAT'S deadly voltage!
 
Ross

Ross

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Jun 15, 2004
14,693
Islander/Wayfairer 30 sail number 25 Perryville,Md.
Fred, I like to be standing on a dry floor

and have dry hands when I do that. I have compared my skin resistance with some of my friends and I know how I can get by with that test.
 
NautiDuck

NautiDuck

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Jun 3, 2004
730
Catalina 250 Wing Keel Eugene, OR
I've done that hand test!

Not on purpose though. ;) I also once did the scissors test, cut through a lamp wire without unplugging it. Did the 120V hop, skip and jump. We kept the scissors - with a chunk burned off - as a reminder.
 
J

Jeff

Easy

Dude, hire a licensed marine electrician. You'll forget how much you paid but you will always remember how much you safely enjoy your cleanly installed, trouble-free shorepower. I use this analogy for every complex andor mission critical installation. Besides, he's probably got better insurance.
 
D

Dan Johnson

I'd go with Jeff's advice...

after an "old guy" who did industrial wiring (480 volts and above) showed me how to do the "hands on" type of testing of household wiring. He taught me to use the back of your hand or finger as when AC current hits you it causes the muscles to contract and you don't want your hand grabbing a "hot" wire. Having an aversion to pain and suffering, I bought one of those two buck neon testers instead...
 
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