plug in or out ?

[dreadnought]

hi all,now we are back in the marina for the winter months,and the boat will be left empty for long periods should i leave the shore line plugged in or disconnect it,we have a galvanic isolator and Solar power.our mooring is in a row of finger moorings with about ten narrowboats on it,all on power hook up,any advice please,many thanks

[Quattrodave]

I assume you have a decent battery charger? Plugged in to keep the batteries tip top....

[David Mack]

Solar should do that, even in winter, if there are no other power demands.

I would unplug the shore lead - indeed coil it up and store inside the boat to avoid potential damage.

[GUMPY]

I leave my shore lead connected but all it does is run the small heaters inside the boat for when the temp goes below 4degC

Batteries are lovingly cared for by 480w of solar 😉

[ditchcrawler]

4 hours ago, dreadnought said:

hi all,now we are back in the marina for the winter months,and the boat will be left empty for long periods should i leave the shore line plugged in or disconnect it,we have a galvanic isolator and Solar power.our mooring is in a row of finger moorings with about ten narrowboats on it,all on power hook up,any advice please,many thanks

If you don't need power I would unplug. well I do

[jonathanA]

Plugged in and some form of electric heating to protect from frost / keep damp at bay.... 

[TheBiscuits]

I'd say don't abandon the boat for months, but then I like my boat!

 

If you're leaving it alone for a long time, unplugged is my vote.  If you have some solar the batteries will be maintained and if you're not plugged into the marina circuit you should get less hull damage from the other boats in the circuit.  You won't get zero damage if you're moored in a marina close to other boats on a common earth but unplugged will be less than if you're connected to the others.

 

If you don't have solar, suck it up and trust your Galvanic Isolator is better than those on the next few boats and leave it plugged in.  I wouldn't personally, but your needs may differ.

 

My (recent) 40 year hull survey was pretty much "Meh.  Keep doing what you're doing and I'll see you in five years."  I don't plug into shorelines for more than a washing machine cycle, ever.  Even when the electricity is free!

[GUMPY]

13 hours ago, TheBiscuits said:

If you don't have solar, suck it up and trust your Galvanic Isolator is better than those on the next few boats and leave it plugged in.  I wouldn't personally, but your needs may differ.

Thats why I have an isolating transformer, removes any doubt

 

[ditchcrawler]

Very wise

[Machpoint005]

Plugged in but switched off!

 

 

[ditchcrawler]

16 minutes ago, Machpoint005 said:

Plugged in but switched off!

 

 

Doesn't help anything, the earth loop is still there

[Alan de Enfield]

3 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

Doesn't help anything, the earth loop is still there