AC POWER IN SLIP

[RHC]

I docked my boat in a slip for the 1st time. I discovered the shore power supply is 125V as opposed to typical 115V at home. The plug is also not the standard for homes (looks like twist lock type).

QUESTION: Is it safe to use common power tools and home appliances from this AC supply?

thanks folks,

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

yes, it's standard AC once you get the proper plug.

30 Amp Plug




Bob T.
"DaBob"
'02X w/ '04 90-TLDI & '06 2.5-Suzuki

[Catigale]

You will find most applicances will accept a range of input voltages - this will be indicated on a label on the device..things like lights and resistive loads (heaters, etc) will not really care what the line voltage is, whereas things with 'logic' can be sensitive to line voltage.

In my house at upstate NY I see variation between 108 and 130 Volts AC, peak to peak over the course of many days..I suspect that is pretty normal.

You might your dock voltage varying too.

[DLT]

things with 'logic' can be sensitive to line voltage

This is certainly true. But, most things with "logic" have some sort of power supply (external or internal) to drop the voltage down. Those power supplies will be able to accomodate typical fluctuations...

In my house at upstate NY I see variation between 108 and 130 Volts AC.

Actually, the power company does all their math with the goal of delivering 120VAC. But, IIRC they consider +/- 10%, at the meter, to be within acceptible limits. So, if you are seeing significantly more than 120VAC, then you must be relatively close to a substation, whereas those farther away will typically see more in the area of 110VAC. Of course, this is all dependent on loads on the "system". Hotter days means more A/C, which means lower voltage for all...

The bottom line is the power company sees 108-130VAC as the same thing. Thus, whatever you plug into the wall should have been desinged with that in mind and likely couldn't get a UL rating is if wasn't. So, you don't have to worry until you are seeing voltages above 130VAC.

By the way, the next 'possible' voltage "range" is centered at 208VAC. 208 is kinda odd ball.

You're more likely to see 240VAC, which is what all your big applicances run on, and is in fact just two 120VAC hot legs. You typically have three wires coming into your house from the power company. Two will certainly be insulated, while the third may not. That's two hot legs and one ground/neutral. The voltage between either hot leg and the ground/neutral is ~120VAC. The voltage accross the two hot legs is ~240VAC. If you see ~240VAC at an outlet, fire your electrician.

[baldbaby2000]

You should be fine with 125V. Lightbulbs won't last as long but it shouldn't hurt anything. My boat has the 30Amp connector but I carry an adapter so I can also plug into a standard outlet.

[mtc]

[quote="Catigale"]
In my house at upstate NY I see variation between 108 and 130 Volts AC, peak to peak over the course of many days. I suspect that is pretty normal.[quote]

Cat, you often take random voltage measurements during the normal course of a day while sitting around your house?

Wow, you're an odd one, like me. I measure all kinds of things just because I can. Have you ever measured your fluid intake just to see what was metabolized?

Michael

[Catigale]

I spent 10 years in labs interfacing all kinds of stuff with computers and then writing the code to measure...these kids today..everything is spoon fed for them...we had to make our own bits back then...



har har har..

..back on thread...you will see as much variation in an old house from wiring changes and local loads as the power company supply variation in my experience...for example when the AC kicks on, I can see a change in line voltage upstairs of 3 percent in the bedrooms

[Scott]

we had to make our own bits back then...

And when I was young we had to walk backwards uphill in both directions through the jungle barefooted to school while carrying our books on our heads.

Oh yeah, and we had to watch out for the head hunters.

[hamshog]

Buy the plug at Lowes or Home Depot for about $6.00 versus $35 at West Marine

[DLT]

Scott, I didn't think you went to school!

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

Buy the plug at Lowes or Home Depot for about $6.00 versus $35 at West Marine

you are so right!
one can "build" their own cord. i actually purchased a heavy duty large size 12 gauge contractors cord from WalMart for under $20. Then I added the appropriate fittings from Home Depot/Lowes.
the only part needed was the "marine" yellow rubber cover.
bottom line...i created a $100 30 Amp cord for under $40.

[LOUIS B HOLUB]

Buy the plug at Lowes or Home Depot for about $6.00 versus $35 at West Marine

Thats exactly what I did. However, I initially purchased the wrong "twist plug", and had to redo my home made cord. My advice, besure you get the correct twist plug--there are differences !!

[PeteC]

Here is a list of items I ordered from sailnet recently for my shore power installation. I thought the cordset was a bargain compared to West Marine prices or even making it yourself.
It would be hard to get the plugs sealed on a homemade cord.

CHARLES CI-A3015 ADAPTER 30AMP FEMALE - 15AMP MALE $26.59
CHARLES CI-A1530 ADAPTER 15AMP FEMALE - 30AMP MALE $24.55
HUBBELL 61CM08P 30A 50' CORDSET $39.22
HUBBELL HBL303SSBL 30A INLET SS RECTANGULAR $47.95
BERKSHIRE 14/3 100' SPOOL TINNED COPPER BOAT CABLE $44.44


FWFW, I got the breaker panel from Go2marine.com

98864, Standard AC Line - 3 Position Circuit Breaker Panel w/ 30 Amp Main, Paneltronics $133.72 Each

These were the best prices I could find and the quality seems good.

[Bill at BOATS 4 SAIL]

I tried making my own shore power cord about ten years ago.
I cut the end off a heavy duty yellow extension cord and attached a twist plug.
I then realized I had a male plug on both ends.

[Chip Hindes]

i created a $100 30 Amp cord for under $40.

No doubt a very good buy, but not nearly the same thing.

The Marinco marine cords sold at WM (and for less elsewhere) are much nicer and heavier duty than contractor cords, the connectors are fully molded over and when properly mated, they are 100% waterproof, including the connections. As well, they my not be worth the markup, but they are considerably better than something you make from components.