Mains Hook Up Lead

[Nobag]

Hello All

 

We have no 240V set up on our boat and i was wondering if one of these would be okay to use, to connect a battery charger to.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAINS-HOOK-UP-LEAD-3...0QQcmdZViewItem

 

Thanks for your thoughts

[Justme]

I am sure some one will be along soon that knows for sure.

 

But I would say no as you cant earth bond it so the RCD would not work properly & its rated for "portable" appliances only.

Also seems a little costly for what it is. A proper consumer unit, wire, lead out cable & sockets would be much cheaper.

 

Try HERE for better prices on the same item or any electrical supplier for a perm install option.

 

Justme

Edited April 7, 2009 by Justme

[chris w]

Hello All

 

We have no 240V set up on our boat and i was wondering if one of these would be okay to use, to connect a battery charger to.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAINS-HOOK-UP-LEAD-3...0QQcmdZViewItem

 

Thanks for your thoughts

I second what Justme said above. The RCD will NOT work if an earth fault to the hull occurs, unless you can somehow bond the incoming mains earth to the hull. My advice - steer clear of this device on a steel boat.

 

Chris

[Ex- Member]

I'm pretty sure it would be ok as that's what it's designed for and maybe it's cost incorporates the safety elements required much like garden electrical leads, although I would prefer to fit a consumer unit though as justme suggests and fit a couple of sockets somewhere, if you're on 240 volt at any time at least then you can maximise it's use elsewhere on the boat.

 

Youll need a small fused consumer unit plus a couple of 3 pin sockets and the shoreline connector fitting on the boat, then you still have to buy a decent length of Blue arctic cable and a socket for each end. 50m reel of 2.5mm cable will cost around £45 quid you can use some of it for the internal wiring and use what's left for the shore lead.

 

Experts will know more though.

 

Interesting to note that the e-bay lead is far more expensive than the one justme posted from towsure. Never assume e-bay will be the cheapest, I've noticed over the past year that most of the purchases I've made are from other smaller independant sites, it's rare I find cheaper products on e-bay anymore.

[chris w]

I'm pretty sure it would be ok as that's what it's designed for

It is NOT OK on a steel-hulled boat UNLESS you can bond the incoming mains earth to the hull. Just because they state it is OK on "boats", doesn't mean it IS OK on boats. These things are usually written by idiots who lost their jobs when Woollies closed and now are rocket scientists.

 

Chris

[Ex- Member]

It is NOT OK on a steel-hulled boat UNLESS you can bond the incoming mains earth to the hull. Just because they state it is OK on "boats", doesn't mean it IS OK on boats. These things are usually written by idiots who lost their jobs when Woollies closed and now are rocket scientists.

 

Chris

 

Agreed Chris now you have stated that, my post came just after yours. The e-bay add suggests boats as well, so maybe it's a little misleading.

[chris w]

Agreed Chris now you have stated that, my post came just after yours. The e-bay add suggests boats as well, so maybe it's a little misleading.

The ad is misleading. The author of the ad will just think of all the items in which people could use this in theory, without understanding the techicalities involved.

 

Chris

[Yoda]

The ad is misleading. The author of the ad will just think of all the items in which people could use this in theory, without understanding the techicalities involved.

 

Chris

 

Not all boats are metal.

[Smelly]

Hello All

 

We have no 240V set up on our boat and i was wondering if one of these would be okay to use, to connect a battery charger to.

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MAINS-HOOK-UP-LEAD-3...0QQcmdZViewItem

 

Thanks for your thoughts

 

HOW MUCH?

 

Build it yourself and earth it, it'll cost you considerably less, be safer & even if you use the correct IP spec (55 I believe, but 65 is better and you'll still save money).

 

60 quid for that is extracting the urine!

 

edit... having read the spec, a single RCD onboard, properly earthed is better and a fair bit cheaper, you're paying for those RCDs that, with no reference on the hull are useless.

Edited April 7, 2009 by Smelly

[chris w]

Not all boats are metal.

That's why I stated "steel-hulled boats" earlier

[Nobag]

HOW MUCH?

 

Build it yourself and earth it, it'll cost you considerably less, be safer & even if you use the correct IP spec (55 I believe, but 65 is better and you'll still save money).

 

60 quid for that is extracting the urine!

 

edit... having read the spec, a single RCD onboard, properly earthed is better and a fair bit cheaper, you're paying for those RCDs that, with no reference on the hull are useless.

Thanks everyone, I will look into having a permanent installation fitted, is it a job that an electrician used to wiring house's can do?? or do i need to look elsewhere.

[nb.hind]

Thanks everyone, I will look into having a permanent installation fitted, is it a job that an electrician used to wiring house's can do?? or do i need to look elsewhere.

 

A 'good' electrician can do anything, just check that they realise that a boat is not a house! A perfectly good house electrician might , for example, use the wrong type of cable out of habit.

 

There is also no reason why you shouldn't do the work yourself, boat electrical systems need not be complicated and there are plenty of people to ask for advice on anything you feel unsure of. If you live near Cambridge I'll come along and give you a hand.