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no earth


jenevers

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2 minutes ago, Stephen Jeavons said:

Yikes! Assuming he has 3-pin sockets on his boat, I wonder if this means he hasn't wired up the earth pins on any of them. Also means he has no earth leakage protection if he plugs a faulty power tool in.

Guy's a nutter

Yes he has 3 pin sockets and earth wiring in the circuit but I his Genny and Inverter aren’t earthed. He said the Genny came out of a road vehicle so wasn’t connected to the chassis!?!?

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That's clever (not). An item with a fault (framing the live) will make the frames of every other plugged-in appliance live e.g. a microwave oven, iron, electric kettle. Some of these items have exposed steel. Sounds like a nasty accident waiting to happen 

 

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I had a long winded argument with a bloke who used to post on here years ago. He said much the same; that no earth was needed on the boat. You simply can't help some people. 

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Imagine if the hull went live and somebody stepped onto an earth; another boat maybe. I can't believe that people even argue the case for not earthing a boat when mains potential is present. I expect they are trying to avoid corrosion, but there are safer ways!

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I agree with all that has been said, but many do not use shore power and just rely on a generator which is not earthed. Others do sort of use shore power to run the odd drill etc but run off what is no more than an extension cable (hopefully with a trip in the circuit). That leaves all the onboard 12 volt stuff which presumably is not earthed and this might be what is behind the thinking? This ignores the potential for a live short to the boat's shell and I guess therein lies the problem? But I am no spark!

Edited by Traveller
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8 hours ago, catweasel said:

I had a long winded argument with a bloke who used to post on here years ago. He said much the same; that no earth was needed on the boat. You simply can't help some people. 

Is he still alive??

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8 hours ago, catweasel said:

Imagine if the hull went live and somebody stepped onto an earth; another boat maybe. I can't believe that people even argue the case for not earthing a boat when mains potential is present. I expect they are trying to avoid corrosion, but there are safer ways!

 

Yes I knew a kiwi bloke on a boat who claimed to be an electrician who refused to bond his AC earth to his hull on the basis that he didn't want to create galvanic corrosion. He just said all his cables were insulated. 

 

I always use the power tool example. In the old days when electric drills were made of cast metal they were earthed with a bond to the metal casing. These days the casings are plastic and the tools are double insulated, but you'd have to be mad to bring mains cables into a steel box without earthing it. I don't suppose floating the steel box on water makes much difference to the scenario apart from the danger to anything that happens to be in the water nearby if the hull goes live.

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7 minutes ago, blackrose said:

you'd have to be mad to bring mains cables into a steel box without earthing it. 

But he isn’t bringing mains cables into a steel box (if by that you mean a landline)as he’s completely solar and Genny powered from what he says.

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12 hours ago, jenevers said:

But he isn’t bringing mains cables into a steel box (if by that you mean a landline)as he’s completely solar and Genny powered from what he says.

But the Genny is producing 240V isn't it? Same as being on mains so the risks are surely the same. Doesn't matter where the power is generated, 240V is 240V

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14 hours ago, jenevers said:

No. I think he’s 100% solar/Genny. Why , would that make a difference?

Yes, but I’m not going to get into what would inevitably become an argument on here about floating voltages.  

1 hour ago, Stephen Jeavons said:

But the Genny is producing 240V isn't it? Same as being on mains so the risks are surely the same. Doesn't matter where the power is generated, 240V is 240V

240V relative to what?

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6 minutes ago, Stephen Jeavons said:

I would still use an earth.

Me too. But it’s not necessarily “The sky is falling” disaster that some have suggested. 

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