Re: [electricboats] How are you grounding your AC (shore power) and your 12 VDC subsystems?

The key to understanding AC grounding is that the power source is on land. Every electron generated on the land must return to the land. One of the two wires is connected to a metal stake driven into the earth thus it is grounded. This defines the neutral or white wire for AC power.

The load is on the boat which is in the water. The water which separates the load from the source is an electrolyte meaning that it is conducts electricity in varying degrees depending on salinity.

If the wiring is done correctly, every electron  entering the boat via the shore-power cord on the way to the load will return via the neutral to the source on land. None will return through the water.

The problems start when there is a fault. A fault can take many forms and often is undetected or intermittent. Typically bad connections, severed wires, incorrect wiring. More subtle things like wires in the bilge with bad insulation possibly connecting the hot wire to the bilge water can happen. The have been cases of wires getting to hot and melting the insulation connecting  the AC hot lead to some other random wire. The list is endless.

A properly designed system will purposely blow a breaker under fault.

The neutral wire (grounded) should never be connected directly to any grounding system on the boat. However the connection is absolutely necessary and must be done on the shore at the power source. The connection of grounding (on boat) to grounded (on shore) is made via the shore power cord.

All systems that are generated entirely on the boat will have a so called ground connection. All such systems grounds must be connected to a common point. If not the systems will interact in weird ways. More specifically, if not connected, the AC fault prevention system will be compromised and can possibly become deadly.

From: Dave Yamakuchi via groups.io <dyamakuchi=yahoo.com@groups.io>
To: electricboats@groups.io
Sent: Fri, Aug 12, 2022 11:08 am
Subject: Re: [electricboats] How are you grounding your AC (shore power) and your 12 VDC subsystems?

If you don't connect to the 'engine negative,' as it's shown, then that system would be considered floating.  If you somehow avoid grounding the engine, that would float it too.

Good luck!

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