Posts: 2754
Location: Mauston, Wisconsin | Steve, If the ground for the charger is not connected to the boat hull, there is no return path to the house circuit. Which is usually the case for aluminum hull boats, e.g., to prevent galvanic corrosion of the hull.
#1. Verify that the house outlet is wired properly, e.g., with an outlet checker as has been suggested previously. Ideally the outlet should be an GFI (ground fault interrupting outlet) to protect people. However, this is not usually the case with older homes. Kids are especially susceptible to electrocution, e.g., because body mass is directly related to how much current is required and the duration to cause cardiac arrest. Do not test by touching the boat!
If the boat is in the water, at a dock and the charger is plugged in, it could be very dangerous for anyone swimming in the vicinity when the charger is plugged in.
ABSOLUTELY! Do not test by touching the boat!
#2. Check the extension cord too with the outlet checker. If it checks good, Keith's problem is in the boat.
#3. Because the charger is isolated from the hull. First disconnect both the hot and neutral at the charger (extension cord to boat disconnected). Then take a piece of std. 14AWG or larger jumper wire and connect the charger ground to the hull.
#4. With the house extension cord disconnected at both ends, plug in the boat end first and then the house end. It's very likely the house CB will trip or fuse will blow. If it does its in the boat.
There is an alternate much safer method using a multimeter. With the house extension cord disconnected. Simply set your multimeter to Ohms (lowest setting). Then connect the red lead to the hot (typically black wire) at the charger and then take the multimeter black lead and touch it to the hull, if it reads zero or very low ohms the hot is shorted to the hull in the boat wiring.
If not, then check the neutral (white wire) the same way by moving the multimeter red lead to the charger neutral and touching the black lead to the hull.. If either the AC hot or the neutral is shorted to the hull it's very dangerous!
A good temporary fix has already been suggested by Jerry Newman.
If you or Keith need to discuss anything, please call 608-547-7057.
Be careful!
Al |
