Hi.
Many inverters use their chassis as common ties between the negative DC and the AC safety ground. If you use one of these inverters, you can take care of many electrolysis and static discharge problems.
The way you handle the AC ground is to use a bidirectional diode setup that permits current flow in either direction with a voltage drop of around 1 volt. This should also take care of atmospheric discharges short of a lightning strike.
Good luck!
Tom Caffrey
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "Roger L" <rogerlov@...> wrote:
>
> This might/might not help get you started....
>
> First of all the use of an external hull ground - which might or might not be part of your Perkins setup depends on if you are charging the battery from shore power. If so, some safety codes require that the "ground" (green) wire of the AC supply be connected to a metal plate on the outside of the hull which is in contact with water and therefore with the earth ground. Some people also do this for the AC system within the boat itself. If you have an AC system in the boat. The external hull gound can be a safety advantage or not....depending on how the rest of the AC is wired. And depending on your shore power.
>
> Technically no part of the battery circuit itself needs a ground. I prefer to keep my direct current battery circuit as a continuous circuit within the boat. No part of the battery connects to the external hull plate "ground"; again, within the boat it is simply a continuous circuit. There IS a common buss on the negative side of the battery so that the negative side is always connected to all instruments and circuits while the positive side is switched on/off for each.
>
> However, I am at low voltage (12 to 28 vdc) and that plays into my decision as well.
> Some people find that they need an external hull ground - actually a "ground plane' for the short wave antenna. If so, it is a separate thru hull connected to a different plate on the outside of the hull and is not connected to any power. Nor is it usually connected to the AC hull ground....though some do so by mistake and get by with it. The RF ground as it is called is simply there to reflect radio frequencies and to enhance the antenna.
>
> The fact that you ask the question is good, but the subject can be complex and there are safety issues. You will get many answers. I recommend that you have someone at the site take a look.
> Roger L.
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