batter charger related question....

[razorseal]

I dont have shore hookup on my boat so I was gunna get a 30a male to 15a (110v) female adapter from westmarine for 75 bux to plug in household products and a battery charger into it... here is my question...

how would I wire this? does the charger plug into a 110v outlet? and say I plug in the battery charger into the outlet... while the batteries are being charged, can I use the boat ''s cabin lights, and tv and such which runs through the battery?

[razorseal]

I should also add I dont know jack about tihs subject... so I dont think its a 30a to 15a adapter lol, I think its 30a to 30a female 125v lol

[Champ]

I am assuming that shore power is 30 Amp 110V AC with the standard 30 Amp 3 prong plug. If so, you can certainly get an adaptor that has a male 30A connector (which you''ll plug in to shore power) to a female 15Amp standard household-type grounded plug (into which you''ll plug a good quality exterior extension cord.) Yes, you can get battery chargers (including marine ones) that plug into a 110V outlet (or, in your case an extension cord). I''m assuming that since you don''t have shore power aboard your boat, it is a smaller size boat, and you probably only have one battery. If so, no problem. Just hook the 12V DC terminals to the correct (+) and (-) terminals on your battery to charge. the (+) side should be fused.) Yes, you can operate 12V equipment on your boat (such as cabin lights) while the battery is charging.

[razorseal]

hey champ, its not a tiny boat, its actually a 27 sailboat... it has 2 batteries (west marine 745s not sure on the specs, they are class 27 or something)

those adapters are SO expensive though! it was almost 80 dollars! high quality or not, thats alot of money for something thats a foot long! (not even lol)

[GordMay]

Permanently replace your 15A straight-blade male plug (on extension cord) with a 30A 125V Twist-Lok Cord Cap (male plug) - NEMA style L5-30P.
eg: Hubbell #HBL2611 (under $10)
Goto: http://www.apexelectronic.com/connectors.htm
Fourth one down @ $7.50

-or-
Make your own adapter with male end as above, 1 ft. cabtire cord, and a standard 15A 120V female connector. Under $20

[hellosailor]

Agreed, you can make your own power adapter inexpensively. But since you are playing with electricity make sure you wire it up right. Once you know exactly what socket the marina has (any doubts, take a digital pix with you) I'm sure you could give anyone in an electrical supply house $10 and they'd wire up the parts if you bought them there.

Although most marinas have GFI's in their systems now, I'd make the adapter using a GFI instead of just a plug. For about $10-20 you can buy a GFI adapter with one plug and three sockets on it. Start with that, cut off the plug and put on the one for the marina sockets. That way you've got extra protection you can COUNT on.

The quality of the raw power coming out of battery chargers varies a lot. They are all usually "good enough" to charge batteries, but you might find they generate noise if you are using any kind of device besides light bulbs while they are charging. And you'd want to use a voltmeter to make sure you are getting no more than 14.4 volts while it is hooked up, because higher voltage can shortage the life of bulbs and hurt other devices. Bottom line, basically, you should be all right with it, unless the charger manufacturer warns you not to do this.

[camaraderie]

Razorseal... you can certainly wire up an adaptor cheaper as others have noted. What concerns me about your post is the reference to a battery charger. This sounds like you plan to wire in an automotive type plug in charger to keep your batteries topped up. I would stongly caution that this type of charging is both dangerous on a boat and detrimental to the life of deep cycle batteries. We had the boat next to us burn to the waterline one year due to use of an automotive charger on his boat. On a 27 ft. boat, perhaps you might think of installing a real 30AMP inlet and wiring a real boat battery charger to it and a couple of electrical outlets for your TV, DVD and Microwave Oven and PC!

[sailingdog]

If you're going to install a 30-Amp shore power system, don't forget to install the proper breakers needed as well as GFCI outlets. The actual installation isn't all that difficult...if you've done any wiring work in a house, you probably have the skills needed.

One reason marine grade power cords are so expensive is that they are more heavily insulated than standard extension cords, and the wiring is tinned for corrosion resistance. Standard extension cords DO NOT use tinned wire, and if they start to corrode, they become a very good resistor and will very readily start a serious fire.