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the US Coast Guard or ABYC. For an official interpretation of regulations or standards you must contact the US Coast Guard or
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The danger of electrocution in the water near
boats and marinas.
Electrical systems on boats are the major cause of boat fires, but they
also cause other problems leading to serious injuries or death.
Electric Shock Drowning, is one of these. ESD unfortunately seems to kill
or injure far more children than adults. The above video is by Kevin
Ritz whose son Lucas was killed by ESD. Since then he has become the
leading expert on this insidious problem and has helped to prevent many
deaths that might otherwise have occurred. See Electric Shock
Drowning Prevention Association
http://www.electricshockdrowning.org/
ESD is caused by faulty alternating current circuits leaking 120 volt
electricity into the water. The source is faulty wiring on the boat or
on the dock. It occurs primarily in fresh water because of fresh
water's high resistance to current flow. It rarely happens in salt
water because of its' low resistance to current flow. It occurs
most often at marinas with electrical hookups or boats with Alternating
Current Systems.
Boatbuilders have no control over the wiring on the dock. (however, the
dock should be wired in accordance with
NFPA 303.
http://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/document-information-pages?mode=code&code=303 ) But they do
have control over the wiring on their boats. Builders must follow
the USCG
(http://www.uscgboating.org) and ABYC
(http://abycinc.org) Or ISO standards for electrical systems. They
also need to put information in the owners manual about Electric Shock
Drowning and why it is so important that boat owners not alter the
electrical system without the assistance of a certified marine
electrician.
All boats should be wired in accordance with
ABYC standard E-11 (http://abycinc.org)
for Electrical Systems on Boats.
The Owners Manual for a boat with an Alternating Current System
and shore power should include:
NEVER SWIM AT A MARINA! or at any dock with
electrical power.
Do not let children swim off a boat that is hooked up to AC or has a
generator running (not to mention the problem of carbon
monoxide from the generator exhaust
https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/carbonmonoxide.html). If you touch metal on your boat or on the
dock and get a shock or even a tingling immediately shut everything off
and have an electrician check it out. You must do the same thing
if you suspect the shore power hookup, or get a reverse polarity alarm
from the shore tie. Also, many boats now have an ELCI circuit
interrupter in the shore power connection. If it trips it is time to call
the electrician.
Never cut the green wire. In addition to electric
shock drowning there is a significant shock hazard on any boat that has
an AC electrical system and has a ground fault in that system. You could
get a shock simply by touching the metal case of an appliance. The green wire, the third
wire, also called the grounding wire is there to protect you from shock.
Using household appliances (refrigerators, washers, dryers etc.) can
create a shock hazard because in most of these appliances the green wire
is connected to the metal case and the white neutral wire inside the
appliance. This is correct for shore side installations but not for
boat installations. These connections between the green wire and the white
wire should be removed and the green wire connected to the metal case of
the appliance, before installing the appliance on a boat.
A marine electrician knows this. Always have your electrical system checked at least annually, and unless
you have experience working with AC electrical systems, hire an ABYC
Certified Marine Electrician to do electrical work.
In addition, cutting or disconnecting the green wire can result in
current leaking into the water. This can cause ESD,
or also stray current corrosion on your boat. See
Corrosion On Boats
https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/corrosion.html
Low voltage Direct Current electricity (DC under 50 volts) may not offer a shock hazard but it can start fires. A DC short circuit can dump
thousands of amps in an instant and melt wires and circuit boards, and
set your boat ablaze. Make sure your boat meets all US Coast Guard and
ABYC standards for AC and DC systems. See the page on fires; Fires
:https://newboatbuilders.com/boating/fires.html
Many people who own boats do their own electrical work. If the boat has
a simple system, a battery, running lights, and a few instruments, then
this is probably not a problem. But as you add instruments and
electrical devices to your boat the system can get very complex. It gets
even more complex if you add AC appliances and bring in power from the
shore. You may have to add another battery to run everything,
and overcurrent protection (circuit breakers or fuses) and switch
panels. If you do this it is time to get assistance from a
professional. But if you do, make sure the professional is a
marine electrician or marine
electrical engineer. Electrical systems on boats are different
from household AC systems! In particular, the way systems are grounded
and how DC systems and AC systems are connected is significant.
Doing it wrong can mean your life, or at least the safety of your boat
and boats around you. The American Boat And Yacht Council, has
standards for marine electrical systems, and provides courses and
certification for marine electricians. Ask the electricians if they are ABYC
certified. If they don't know what you are talking about, find
someone who does.
In addition the US. Coast Guard (in the USA) and boating
authorities in many countries, have specific rules you must follow for a
safe installation. See Ike's List - Electrical for sources.
https://newboatbuilders.com/pages/links_electrical.html
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