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Which 240 hook up socket ?


narrowboatmike

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My boat has the caravan flap type inlet plug shown earlier . The boat is 16 years old and its probably original and still in use on a regular basis. Occasional a squirt with contact cleaner or WD40  is not a bad idea It was  difficult to remove when I first bought the boat (used) as the contacts had corroded slightly.

 

The surface mounted plugs are probably an easier fit  if nothing is presently fitted - smaller holes to drill/cut . 

 

My first  boat had the inlet plug inside the cockpit where it was never  exposed  directly to the weather. The cable had to be trailed inside of course but that was easily possible . It remained outside the door  to the living quarters 

 

I have three  shore power cables of various lengths which can be joined together if needed . Often enough  the long cable has come in handy.The shortest cable I made to a length to suit my home mooring .

 

 

 

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This is my, if you'll pardon the pun, current solution to the shore lead socket problem. As has been mentioned, the relatively cheap surface mount IP44 sockets can suffer from water ingress. Enough to corrode the internals over time and also to trip out the shore bollard RCD when it pools between the live and earth pins. This will inevitably be on a dark and stormy night. Which way you are mooring has an effect. The socket facing the prevailing wind is worse. Sheltered is better. Settled snow is bad too. Mounting the socket with the receptacle facing upwards suffers less water ingress than the usual facing downwards that many boats have. Some sockets come with a blanking cap that helps prevent water coming in when out cruising and no shore line. In this orientation, the shore line plug (actually a socket) cable entry seal system is important and some are better at preventing water ingress than others. I have filled the cable entry with hot melt glue to help improve the water tightness.

 

These days I have a modified four pint plastic milk carton as a rain shield. (The carton is made of plastic, not the milk, just to clarify). This is cable tied to the cable and shields the whole plug/socket assembly from rain thusly:

shore-lead.jpg.b88a183f142c5c23763753c3fa3d4cba.jpg

 

Jen

Edited by Jen-in-Wellies
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3 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

This is my, if you'll pardon the pun, current solution to the shore lead socket problem. As has been mentioned, the relatively cheap surface mount IP44 sockets can suffer from water ingress. Enough to corrode the internals over time and also to trip out the shore bollard RCD when it pools between the live and earth pins. This will inevitably be on a dark and stormy night. Which way you are mooring has an effect. The socket facing the prevailing wind is worse. Sheltered is better. Settled snow is bad too. Mounting the socket with the receptacle facing upwards suffers less water ingress than the usual facing downwards that many boats have. Some sockets come with a blanking cap that helps prevent water coming in when out cruising and no shore line. In this orientation, the shore line plug (actually a socket) cable entry seal system is important and some are better at preventing water ingress than others. I have filled the cable entry with hot melt glue to help improve the water tightness.

 

These days I have a modified four pint plastic milk carton as a rain shield. (The carton is made of plastic, not the milk, just to clarify). This is cable tied to the cable and shields the whole plug/socket assembly from rain thusly:

shore-lead.jpg.b88a183f142c5c23763753c3fa3d4cba.jpg

 

Jen

It's good to see an incoming surface plug mounted the correct way up. Some 5 years ago I spoke to Mennekes technical dept. about the suitability of their plugs and sockets for outdoor use. They were adamant that they were only splashproof but were aware that they are widely used outdoors. They said that the pin plug should be mounted with the pins upward and the socket downward so the socket shroud went over the pin plug. A cap should be fitted to the upward pin plug to minimise water ingress. I await Lodden telling me that I have got wrong again but then he is an electrical expert and probably knows better the the manufacturer.

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32 minutes ago, Flyboy said:

I await Lodden telling me that I have got wrong again but then he is an electrical expert and probably knows better the the manufacturer.

I am not going to say much except that the last company I worked for is one of the largest users/distributors of Mennekes in the UK so we had lots of contact with their technical dept ;)

I also have experience of using these connectors outside for longer than anyone else on here as it was part of my job for most of my life.

Just think about it, horizontal is the way it should be done, I have seen many problems caused by using the connectors vertically.

BTW we are not talking one or two connectors but hundreds at each installation.

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8 minutes ago, Loddon said:

I am not going to say much except that the last company I worked for is one of the largest users/distributors of Mennekes in the UK so we had lots of contact with their technical dept ;)

I also have experience of using these connectors outside for longer than anyone else on here as it was part of my job for most of my life.

Just think about it, horizontal is the way it should be done, I have seen many problems caused by using the connectors vertically.

BTW we are not talking one or two connectors but hundreds at each installation.

 I'm just passing on what the makers told me and you said I'd got it wrong.  The way to go is to use the ones with the cat flap over the top or better still a proper marine version. 

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Those surface mount things are (if you'll pardon the pun) plug ugly! Fitted facing up, the thing fills with water when disconnected,and water running down the lead runs into the back of the socket. Facing down, and water apparently enters the connection when plugged in. The horizontal caravan fitting or expensive marine fitting both look much better in that regard.

Or why not run the shore lead in through a hatch or window and have the connection inside the boat in the dry?

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15 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Those surface mount things are (if you'll pardon the pun) plug ugly! Fitted facing up, the thing fills with water when disconnected,and water running down the lead runs into the back of the socket. Facing down, and water apparently enters the connection when plugged in. The horizontal caravan fitting or expensive marine fitting both look much better in that regard.

Or why not run the shore lead in through a hatch or window and have the connection inside the boat in the dry?

I agree I hate those so called proper Hella type of sockets outside, big source of blowing trips here when damp or raining. I run my lead through a little nitch cut out in the rear doorstep to inside, ''trad stern'' keeps nice and dry. I expect the Japanese make proper water-damp proof external sockets, they are the masters of electrics, not the bloddy Geermans.

Edited by bizzard
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13 minutes ago, David Mack said:

Those surface mount things are (if you'll pardon the pun) plug ugly! Fitted facing up, the thing fills with water when disconnected,and water running down the lead runs into the back of the socket. Facing down, and water apparently enters the connection when plugged in. The horizontal caravan fitting or expensive marine fitting both look much better in that regard.

Or why not run the shore lead in through a hatch or window and have the connection inside the boat in the dry?

Some are available with a cover to reduce the risk of water ingress when not connected. Got one on my boat. Gone cruising with this in place for weeks on end, with no water getting by. Who are you to call Plug ugly?!

spacer.png

I'd worry about putting the shore lead through a window. Running over a metal edge with relative movement from the boat and wind.

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I have the socket inside the boat and the cable enters through the large gap (high level vent?)  between the door and the rear hatch.

 

I worried about the cable being damaged but it also runs over the bows, along the roof, over the bike, etc.

 

Actually since installing solar I have no real need for shorepower.

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  • 3 weeks later...
1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

This is my coke bottle solution, thanks to the forum for pointing out i needed to protect it as its the wrong way up!

 

 

20201016_160442.jpg

 

An simple & elegant solution to a non-problem.

 

I'd suggest that is the 'right way up'.

The plug is wired thru' the bulhead so water cannot get in there.

Any rain hitting the plug or socket  will run down the outside (it will not run uphill in the gap between plug & socket)

The rain cannot penetrate the socket cable entry point and will just run downwards.

 

 

I'd be very interested for someone who believes this to be 'the wrong way up' to explain why.

 

I've never, not once, had water getting into my plugs or sockets when installed like this.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Alan de Enfield
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Just now, robtheplod said:

Thanks Alan

 

The socket does get water in it when i unplug from the boat - maybe I'm just very unfortunate?  Hopefully this will work anyway... :)

 

Remember the socket is the bit attached to the cable that goes ashore - the 'Plug' is the bit screwed onto the back of the boat.

The reverse of a house 'plug and socket' Where the socket is kied to the wall and the plug is on the end of the lead.

 

Socket is the 'female' that has receptacles for the 'male' pins to push into.

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The plug has the ‘pins’ and the socket the ‘holes’. The socket should be on the cable coming from the shoreline and connecting to you boat - I.e. when disconnected you shouldn’t have ‘live’ pins (only the holes are live)

 

does that make any sense or have I just confused further?

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28 minutes ago, robtheplod said:

Thanks Alan

 

The socket does get water in it when i unplug from the boat - maybe I'm just very unfortunate?  Hopefully this will work anyway... :)

As did mine on Parglena, before I changed it. Luckily it was one where the socket part was moulded into the case and not an insert, so the water never reached the connections or cable.

Edited by Loddon
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1 minute ago, Loddon said:

As did mine on Parglena, before I changed it. Luckily it was one where the socket part was moulded into the case a not an insert so the water never reached the connections or cable.

Do you mean the plug ?

The socket would be on the shoreline and 'rolled up' when not in use.

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Just now, Alan de Enfield said:

Do you mean the plug ?

The socket would be on the shoreline and 'rolled up' when not in use.

No I mean the socket.

It only collected water when in use.

Water runs down the side of the plug and into the socket.

 

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