Which Y adapter shorepower

[Sealife]

Will be returning to the land of cheap shorepower and plan to make the most of it. We have always used 1 30 amp cord as needed from 30 amp pedestals ( I can energize both panels from one inlet with transfer switches). It seems lots of US marinas now have 50 amp pedestals. This would allow us 20 more amps for A/C, if (2) 30 amp pedestal receptacles were not available.

Stupid question: 50 amp 125v to (2) 30 amp 125v adapter or 50 amp 125/250v to (2) 30 amp 125v adapter.

Never payed any attention previously to 50 amp pedestals. I’m thinking most are the 250v variety.....

Thanks

 

[johnma]

We have (2) 50 amp/125v pedestals in our slip. We only use one. Most of the slips we have been in when travelling (mostly Chesapeake Bay) are either 50amp/125v or (2) 30 amp. Larger slips may have 250v but I have never been assigned one.
John

 

[Sealife]

Thanks, trying to figure out which adapter I need to order. Trying not to randomly call a crap ton of marinas from the Bahamas to ask!

Yea, the Chesapeake seems to have a lot of dual 30amps, but further south or newer marinas seem to prefer 50s

 

[CharlieJ]

It has been my experience that 50A/250V are far more prevalent than 50A/125V in Florida and East Coast marinas.

Be careful: Feeding a 30A shore power cord from a 50A pedestal means that your 30A cord is not being protected. I may be Captain Obvious on this, but I have one or two folks that were surprised when I pointed it out.

 

[dhays]

It has been my experience that 50A/250V are far more prevalent than 50A/125V in Florida and East Coast marinas.

Be careful: Feeding a 30A shore power cord from a 50A pedestal means that your 30A cord is not being protected. I may be Captain Obvious on this, but I have one or two folks that were surprised when I pointed it out.

I spent many years feeding a 30amp boat with a 50/125v pedestal and 30 amp cord with adapter. Now I use a 50A/125 cord.

 

[Group9]

It has been my experience that 50A/250V are far more prevalent than 50A/125V in Florida and East Coast marinas.

Be careful: Feeding a 30A shore power cord from a 50A pedestal means that your 30A cord is not being protected. I may be Captain Obvious on this, but I have one or two folks that were surprised when I pointed it out.

50 amp 250 or 50 amp 125 ot both? I understand why a 50 amp 250 would offer no ground protection to a 30 amp cord, but why wouldn’t a 50 amp 125 have a ground?

 

[ranger58sb]

I've only ever seen one 50A/125V pedestal on the Chesapeake; actually it was at a small marina on the C&D canal...

Most that we've seen are either twin 30s or single 50A/250V pedestals. (Which is not to say I've assiduously inspected all the pedestals at every marina we've visited.)

I'd guess a 50/250-to-twin-30s would likely be useful around here, and we've seen them in use often.

-Chris

 

[kchace]

50 amp 250 or 50 amp 125 ot both? I understand why a 50 amp 250 would offer no ground protection to a 30 amp cord, but why wouldn’t a 50 amp 125 have a ground?

A proper adapter will always have the correct ground protection. The problem is if you're feeding a 30A cord with a 50A circuit you can overload the 30A cord well before any fuse or breaker designed for a 50A circuit would open.

Scott, it looks like there are only 2 kinds of 50 amp outlets. 50A @ 250 and 50A 125/250. One may be more prevalent than the other, but you (and I) may end up needing one Y connector (I would get the 50a 125/250 to double 30) and a short adapter to go from 50A 125 to 50A 120/240. Definitely not cheap but all are available on Defender.

Ken

 

[CharlieJ]

Group9 Post #6
It is not about the safety ground. The 50A pedestal circuit breaker is "protecting" your shore power cord that is rated at 30A.

 

[Sealife]

Leaning towards 50amp 250/125vac male plug. Made an advanced slip reservation at Great Harbour Cay Marina in the Berry Islands Bahamas due to Beryl forecast a week ago. So going in today for 2 nights.

I will check the pedestals here...maybe not the best indication of US east coast marinas. Although lots of Florida boats coming and going. I will only be using 1 30amp as price is $.75/kWh!

Please feel free to continue to post on pedestal experience.

 

[wkearney99]

Group9 Post #6
It is not about the safety ground. The 50A pedestal circuit breaker is "protecting" your shore power cord that is rated at 30A.

As in, the breaker in the 50A pedestal won't trip as your 30A cord overheats. Be sure to mind what loads you put through it. And that your 30A cord is in good condition.

What do you have on the boat now as shore power inlets?

 

[Sealife]

I have (2) 30 amp inlets. Not to drift, but boat breaker is 30amp and will trip, still not technically protecting cord as it could short before ships breaker, but boat itself can not pull more than 30 per cord. Also need to be mindful boat could pull 60 before boat breakers trip, but shore rated at 50...

 

[Group9]

Group9 Post #6
It is not about the safety ground. The 50A pedestal circuit breaker is "protecting" your shore power cord that is rated at 30A.

Oh, okay. But, why wouldn't my 32 amp panel breaker do that?

 

[CharlieJ]

Sealife #12
To state the obvious: your panel circuit breaker is only protecting the downstream circuits from overload or short circuit. Your onboard main shore power circuit breaker does not protect the shore power cord, the inlet or the conductors running from the inlet to the line side of the main shore power circuit breaker from a fault in that run of copper.

 

[sdowney717]

Sealife #12
To state the obvious: your panel circuit breaker is only protecting the downstream circuits from overload or short circuit. Your onboard main shore power circuit breaker does not protect the shore power cord, the inlet or the conductors running from the inlet to the line side of the main shore power circuit breaker from a fault in that run of copper.

]
Originally Posted by CharlieJ View Post
Group9 Post #6
It is not about the safety ground. The 50A pedestal circuit breaker is "protecting" your shore power cord that is rated at 30A..

However you claimed in the other thread, many dock pedestal breakers are untrustworthy. But now they are ok?? That is being very inconsistent.

'Shore power pedestal circuit breakers are notoriously neglected and in reality may provide a false sense of protection.'

Post #14
http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s4/breaker-near-shore-side-power-inlet-39336.html#post678720

 

[psneeld]

Boating in a mindless condition is dangerous.....

No amount of circuit breakers, safety switches, auto bilge pumps, navigation improvements, etc, etc will prevent human failures from doing themselves in or creating a hazardous condition.

Use good systems where practicable, be alert for unsafe indications, and remember that other people always feel good by requiring you to be smart, whether you are already or not.

 

[Sealife]

New rule if you post on this thread you must state the shore power pedestal options at your marina! After that anything goes

 

[sdowney717]

I have twin 30 amp breakers on the pedestal, actually a wood post with breaker box and 30 amp outlet boxes below it. All of this was new in 2009. Prior to that the system was from late 1940's vintage and had overhead wiring, likely idea was to keep it away from the sea. It still worked.
The original system had a distribution panel onshore, so no one turned off their slip power, which is not a great idea if you take out the boat for a cruise and leave your cord plugged in.
Huge winter storm wrecked the old docks and so they rebuilt everything.

Maybe I should test the dock's slip breaker by shorting my shore cord and see what happens, lol. What they have is made by Square-D, no ELCI. After the storm, they got FEMA money to rebuilt , the marina is in York County VA, and it was all of it code approved and inspected.

After hurricane Isabel, I talked with another marina manager at York River Yacht Haven. Was told the entire system had to ripped out and all wires replaced because they went underwater, whas a waste. If the wires were overhead, they would have stayed dry. In some aspects, the old ways are better.

 

[kchace]

New rule if you post on this thread you must state the shore power pedestal options at your marina! After that anything goes

Scott I've been giving this some more thought and I think if one believes they will need to (eventually) be able to adapt to either 50a 125 or 50a 125/250, then it would be best to get the 50a 125/250 cable and adapt it "down" to 50a 125 when necessary. The reason being that the 50a 125/250 cable is 3 conductors and ground. Where the 50a 125 cable is 2 conductors and ground. Adapters or not, there would be no way to adapt "up" to 50a 125/250. Plugwise maybe, but one could still never get 2 full 125V legs and 250V out of a 2 conductor cable.

If you just want to adapt a 30a cable to 50A 125 or 50A 125/250 I've seen short adapters for as low as $60.

Ken

 

[CharlieJ]

sdowney717 #15

There is no inconsistency as my two statements are not mutually exclusive. On the one hand I state that I do not trust the pedestal circuit breaker, a view held by many in the marine electrical industry. On the other hand, I am trying to sound the alarm that the 30A wiring between, what many feel, is an unreliable pedestal OCPD and the first "real OCPD" aboard should not be dependent on an unreliable 50A OCPD on the pedestal. Pretty straightforward points of view.

 

[Group9]

Sealife #12
To state the obvious: your panel circuit breaker is only protecting the downstream circuits from overload or short circuit. Your onboard main shore power circuit breaker does not protect the shore power cord, the inlet or the conductors running from the inlet to the line side of the main shore power circuit breaker from a fault in that run of copper.

So it would be 50 amps in my cord until it got to my 32 amp breaker, and then it would reduce itself to 30 amps so as not to trip that breaker?

 

[Bacchus]

So it would be 50 amps in my cord until it got to my 32 amp breaker, and then it would reduce itself to 30 amps so as not to trip that breaker?

The only case where there is a concern is where the shore power cord shorts out prior to the boat side breaker and the amperage in the cord exceeds the 30 A rating and the boat side breaker never sees the high Amperage...
If this happens... and continues for some time then the cord can over heat and maybe melt.
While this is technically and theoretically feasible it seems like the probability is low... if the cord is in good condition.
If you are in this situation... like I am w my boat.... paying attention to any heat up of the female cord end and boat inlet is important as the 2 most likely locations for problems to occur would seem to be at the cord ends... and the boat end could result in problems aboard. Overheating at pedestal not so much.

Has anyone had first hand experience where the cord shorted... melted... and didn't trip 50A pedestal????

 

[CharlieJ]

Group 9 #21
You are being funny...right?

 

[psneeld]

I have seen maybe a 100 melted plugs and or receptacles, many or most without tripped breakers and no fires.

Had a few myself till I upgraded to a 50A 125/250V setup. Now .... For years....not a hint of warm plug.

 

[OldDan1943]

Marina name: Waterways in Aventura FL
My pedestal has a 50amp outlet, I split into 2 30amp shore power cables via a Y splitter.
I cannot recall the last time the pedestal breaker tripped. On the boat, I have 2 30 amp breakers just as the shore power enters the boat. The house breaker does trip with I try to squeeze more amps through the shore power to house.
On the main breaker panel I have the normal shore power breakers, one for AC and one for the house. This is a 30 amp boat but when I start tripping the house breaker, I start the 1500 amp inverter, put the microwave or the 2 galley 120vt outlets on that, that pretty much cures the demands of the electric stove.
How would I change things? Put in a 2000 or 2500 amp inverter and/or buy a 50amp boat.
The key thing to remember is 'load management.' It would be nice if I had a Amp meter in the galley so I could watch the load closer. SHRUG