Electrical installation position

[Bromleyxphil]

Most folk seem to give up a cupboard space in the kitchen for the positioning of all the electrical paraphernalia, I mean the fuses the inverter solar controller etc.  Is there any reason that all of this equipment couldn’t be positioned underneath the steps running down from the back of the boat.

Phil

You may be able to tell that I am quite new to this forum thing is it better to put all of my questions on separate threads underneath the topic title or should I really be doing one complete Thread on my build or more specifically my design with all of my silly questions in it.   I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be questionner for a long time before I know enough to become an answerer.

Edited November 12, 2017 by Bromleyxphil

[Jess--]

Sounds like you are describing where the electrics would be in a reverse layout boat (reverse layout has the kitchen at the back of the boat).

I wouldn't put the electrics under the steps because at some point someone will either leave a hatch open in the rain or walk down the steps after falling in the canal and the resulting water will get into the electrics. (while it may not do much to 12v electrics apart from corrode them it can easily kill an inverter and they can be expensive to replace)

[alan_fincher]

I think you are best starting each new unrelated question as a  new thread.

Try to give it the most meaningful title you can, and it is likely more people able to give advice may get to open it.

I would challenge your assertion that most people put the majority of their electrical equipment in the kitchen, though.

This would be a fair assumption for kitchens at the back of a boat, near the batteries and engine, but the majority of narrow boats do not have the kitchen at the back, and it's not a good idea at all if it lengthened the cable runs between batteries and electrics.

There are very good reasons for getting switchgear, inverter, etc as close to the batteries as is sensible, and doing otherwise is likely to be a bad idea.

It needs to be accessible, so burying it away, or putting it somewhere you have to crawl to work on it is also likely to not be a good idea.

Eyeheight on a rear bulk head somewhere is very common, and for very good reasons.

[Alan de Enfield]

19 minutes ago, Bromleyxphil said:

I mean the fuses the inverter solar controller etc

Certainly your inverter wants (needs) to be as close as possible to your batteries - ideally no more than 3 feet away.

Fuse boxes, distribution panels, controllers etc need to be where you can easily get to them. If you have an electrical problem (its always in the dark !) you need easy and ready access, only you know how easily you can access under the steps on your boat.

 

I would suggest different threads for different questions - if you lump them all under one title that means everyone has to trawl thru all your questions to find if the latest one is one they can help with.

If you go for a single thread (say) "Help With Self Build", when you come to ask "what size anchor do I need" you may not get any suggestions.

[cuthound]

Our last shareboat had the inverter under the steps, and the distribution board next to it, by the side of the steps.

The only problem I had with it was once coming through Blissworth Tunnel I had left the hatch open (boat was a semi-trad) and water pouring from the tunnel roof splashed the inverter.

Apart from a big flash, it didn't seem to do it any harm and it continued to work at least until we sold the share.

After thst I always made sure the hatch was closed before entering tunnels. 

[Sea Dog]

27 minutes ago, Bromleyxphil said:

I have a sneaky suspicion that I will be questionner for a long time before I know enough to become an answerer.

In that case, my advice would be to have a look at some well-designed boats and choose the best practice from them rather than invent your own way at this stage. Not just for this particular issue, but for the whole boat. Some things have evolved over time for really good reasons which are not immediately obvious, particularly as narrowboats are a compromise. There are some great features in many boats, but its the sum of the parts that makes the best boats imho. Good luck!

[nb Innisfree]

Innisfree has the rear hatch to one side so I put the batteries on the floor under the step and inverter + consumer unit and shoreline etc mounted on the rear bulkhead to one side. Removable steps allowed easy access to batteries. 

[system 4-50]

1 hour ago, Sea Dog said:

In that case, my advice would be to have a look at some well-designed boats and choose the best practice from them rather than invent your own way at this stage. Not just for this particular issue, but for the whole boat. Some things have evolved over time for really good reasons which are not immediately obvious, particularly as narrowboats are a compromise. There are some great features in many boats, but its the sum of the parts that makes the best boats imho. Good luck!

This is truly great advice - but a lot of the fun is devising your own ways of doing things, even when you know that a big percentage will not be an improvement over the norm! Where you choose to be a deviant then budget for the cost of redoing it later.