We will be spending some time on our boat next month. Before the boat was hauled out for a bottom job last fall, it was discovered that there was some stray current coming from the steering pedestal. The location of the boat has had major problems recently with power. When the boat was back in the water, it was checked again (before plugging in to shore power) and all seemed well. The boat was then put back in its regular slip. There were power problems there as well, and the boat was moved to another slip, but on a different dock. The zinc was checked a couple of weeks ago and it was gone (and the boat was plugged in to shore power). The boat is now at a different marina. Any thoughts from you about the potential problem here, and is it boat related and suggestions on where to start checking and/or what to do. Your help will be greatly appreciated, and I thank you in advance.
Stray Current
- Thread starter Jerry21751
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This is a very complicated and detailed
subject, and while many may reply with various input which is welcome, I strongly urge you to buy Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Manual for Mech & Elec Systems. The subject covers many, many pages and includes AC and DC, grounding, bonding, and other subjects too detailed to get into here. Your problem could be on your boat, and somewhere unrelated to the pedestal problem, or it could be in the marina wiring or a neighbor's or neighbors' boat(s). With the good sized investment you have in your boat, it would be wise to get acquainted with this complicated subject to better be able to troubleshoot at your end. FWIW, many of us never plug into shorepower when we're away from our boats, and either use low self-discharge batteries (gels or AGMs), or use small or larger solar panels to keep up with the self-discharge of wet cell batteries. Leaving your boat plugged in when you are not there is, for some of us, just an accident waiting to happen, plus it exacerbates the stray current and galvanic corrosion issues you have described. An archive search on galvanic corrosion would also be a good place to start.
subject, and while many may reply with various input which is welcome, I strongly urge you to buy Nigel Calder's Boatowner's Manual for Mech & Elec Systems. The subject covers many, many pages and includes AC and DC, grounding, bonding, and other subjects too detailed to get into here. Your problem could be on your boat, and somewhere unrelated to the pedestal problem, or it could be in the marina wiring or a neighbor's or neighbors' boat(s). With the good sized investment you have in your boat, it would be wise to get acquainted with this complicated subject to better be able to troubleshoot at your end. FWIW, many of us never plug into shorepower when we're away from our boats, and either use low self-discharge batteries (gels or AGMs), or use small or larger solar panels to keep up with the self-discharge of wet cell batteries. Leaving your boat plugged in when you are not there is, for some of us, just an accident waiting to happen, plus it exacerbates the stray current and galvanic corrosion issues you have described. An archive search on galvanic corrosion would also be a good place to start.
Solar Cells installation and routing
I read this post and response and I agree. I just bought my 310, moving up from a US27. On the US27 I had a single starting battery that I kept charged with a small (10" x 10") solar charger I bought from West Marine. For now I do not plan on regularly plugging into shore power as I just don't see the need for my usage pattern. My boat in it's slip will be facing due north so it appears on of the better places to install solar chargers would be off of the bimini or stern rails. With the standard 310 batteries what size solar panels should I look for and where? I believe I really just need some that leave a continuous trickle charge on the batteries to keep them healthy. Where is the best place to mount them? Where is the best place to tie them into the batteries and electrical system an d route the wires? It would seem that the A/B switch on the power panel would be the most straight forward place to add them in, but perhaps it is better to put them directly on the battery terminals.
I read this post and response and I agree. I just bought my 310, moving up from a US27. On the US27 I had a single starting battery that I kept charged with a small (10" x 10") solar charger I bought from West Marine. For now I do not plan on regularly plugging into shore power as I just don't see the need for my usage pattern. My boat in it's slip will be facing due north so it appears on of the better places to install solar chargers would be off of the bimini or stern rails. With the standard 310 batteries what size solar panels should I look for and where? I believe I really just need some that leave a continuous trickle charge on the batteries to keep them healthy. Where is the best place to mount them? Where is the best place to tie them into the batteries and electrical system an d route the wires? It would seem that the A/B switch on the power panel would be the most straight forward place to add them in, but perhaps it is better to put them directly on the battery terminals.
Solar Panels
Ray With the standard 310 batteries what size solar panels should I look for and where? I believe I really just need some that leave a continuous trickle charge on the batteries to keep them healthy. -It all depends on what you want them to do. For only a trickle charge, get an 11 watt Unisolar flexible panel, bungee cord it onto your dodger and run the wires to the house bank. If you want more power for staying at anchorages and minimizing engine run time for battery charging, get a larger set of panels. Only you can decide what your goal is. Read the West Marine Advisors and BoatUS material also. Anything larger than a trickle design should require consideration of a charge controller. West Marine tells you the sizing range. Where is the best place to mount them? ---In the sun. Sorry...I just couldn't resist!
Calder's book and just about any other solar panel reference will advise you in detail. Many mounting arrangements are available. You need to do some research on this and other websites, lots of information out there. Look under solar panels, solar panel mounting hardware, etc. Where is the best place to tie them into the batteries and electrical system an d route the wires? It would seem that the A/B switch on the power panel would be the most straight forward place to add them in, but perhaps it is better to put them directly on the battery terminals. ---If you want to leave your battery switch in the off position when you're not at the boat, then either run to the house bank, or to the house bank position on the switch, NOT the C post. Don't put it on the battery terminals -- install a separate positive distribution post and put everything there, with only one wire onto the battery terminals from there. Also, we don't know what setup you have for charging the start bank. If I assume it's the standard, 1-2-B with the alternator output going to the C post so you have to use the B position to charge your start bank, then you should consider getting an echo charger and moving the alternator output off the 1-2-B switch and to the house bank.
Ray With the standard 310 batteries what size solar panels should I look for and where? I believe I really just need some that leave a continuous trickle charge on the batteries to keep them healthy. -It all depends on what you want them to do. For only a trickle charge, get an 11 watt Unisolar flexible panel, bungee cord it onto your dodger and run the wires to the house bank. If you want more power for staying at anchorages and minimizing engine run time for battery charging, get a larger set of panels. Only you can decide what your goal is. Read the West Marine Advisors and BoatUS material also. Anything larger than a trickle design should require consideration of a charge controller. West Marine tells you the sizing range. Where is the best place to mount them? ---In the sun. Sorry...I just couldn't resist!
Calder's book and just about any other solar panel reference will advise you in detail. Many mounting arrangements are available. You need to do some research on this and other websites, lots of information out there. Look under solar panels, solar panel mounting hardware, etc. Where is the best place to tie them into the batteries and electrical system an d route the wires? It would seem that the A/B switch on the power panel would be the most straight forward place to add them in, but perhaps it is better to put them directly on the battery terminals. ---If you want to leave your battery switch in the off position when you're not at the boat, then either run to the house bank, or to the house bank position on the switch, NOT the C post. Don't put it on the battery terminals -- install a separate positive distribution post and put everything there, with only one wire onto the battery terminals from there. Also, we don't know what setup you have for charging the start bank. If I assume it's the standard, 1-2-B with the alternator output going to the C post so you have to use the B position to charge your start bank, then you should consider getting an echo charger and moving the alternator output off the 1-2-B switch and to the house bank.- Status