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Old 09-01-2018, 12:21 PM   #12
sdowney717
Guru
 
City: Seaford Va on Poquoson River, VA
Vessel Name: Old Glory
Vessel Model: 1970 Egg Harbor 37 extended salon model
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,264
Think many are missing the obvious fix, use a GFCI on the inverter and generator output.

I use a GFCI outlet direct on the MSW inverter.
Shore- gen- inverter can feed the entire boat's electrical panel, selectable by switched 4 pole DT power relays.
I had to use 4PDT relays since I have twin 30 amp power and they switch together hots and neutrals.

My distribution panel is made by Square-D with spaces for 8 breakers.
Which made it easy to do.
I have added five AFCI-GFCI combo breakers to it.

So all

outlets
Cruisair heat pump - AC
Water heater
Pool pump
Microwave

are all AFCI-GFCI protected circuits.

Years before I made the AFCI-GFCI changes, I had a wet wire in the cruisair which electrified the pumped water outlet. I reached down to feel the temp of the water coming out and got shocked. That wet wire connection, an unsealed but joint enabled enough leakage current to feel a hefty shock. Of course I fixed it immediately but immediately is too late if someone had been swimming nearby. Now that it is AFCI-GFCI protected, not likely to kill anyone if the wire has another issue..

Another benefit to GFCI protecting the AC compressor, is diagnostic, determining shorted windings in the motor to ground. Sometimes compressor motor winding fail internally and leak current into the ground, probably another source of potentially getting shocked in a wet boat environment from a failing compressor motor . So if the AFCI-GFCI breaker for the compressor does not trip off, you know the motor itself is ok.

In our house, had an old attic fan from 1965, worked sort of ok, but when going to an AFCI-GFCI breaker circuit, that fan kept tripping off the breaker. Getting a new attic fan and no more tripping off. I honestly think with that one, it was the old fan thermostat, the AFCI breaker detected to much internal arcing in the switch and shut it down. bypassing the thermostat, the fan motor ran ok.

AFCI breaker detects electric arcing which causes fires.
GFCI breaker detects ground faults which keeps you from being electrocuted.
The combo breaker combines both features into one beaker.
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