Hager 12v or 24v electrical panels...

eagleswing

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our used boat came with 'Hager' electric connection panels. ie all the red hot wires come in to a white panel, the ground wires (negative ground system) come in to a different white panel. there are large - gauge red wires which apparently suppply the + voltage to the hot panel. individual accessory hot suppplies exit at the top of the panel . circuit breakers control each unit. there are some extra slots where a red hot wire comes in at bottom, but no accessory is connected out of the top of the + panel.

i emailed hager for a description/instructions of how to work with the 12v panels installed on our boat . and i received a VERY rude reply that there were NO instructions for the hager panels AND any professional marine electrician would know how to wire one... well, this is the USA. our local 'professional electricians' are reluctant to work on this hager panel as they've never seen one. we are about to expand our electrics panel to add a horn , cockpit lights, extra bilge pump, etc. and it would REALLY be good to have some data on how these hagers are supposed to function. it would be really easy to just tap + for a new accessory out of the extra unused + slots of the hager + buss...

is this correct? am i missing anything ? can anyone help ?... (since hager cant and wont... ) (nice customer service, hager--- i shall be SURE to recommned to american manufacturers that you open a US branch soon...)

thanks in a dvance ...
 

William_H

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Electrical panel

It is not clear if the 12 or 24v version is fitted and if it is a 12 or 24v system. The only difference assuming there are no indicator lights is the current rating of the circuit breakers. Considering CBs are rated to protect the wiring from high current the 12v panel will probably have heavier wire and higher current breakers which may be OK on 24v system.
So a simple panel will have as described a heavy wire from +ve supply branching to many circuit breakers and switches. The -ve will be just a place to connect a lot of -ve wires leading to the appliance.

If you have spare breakers and switches all you need do is connect the +ve wire to cabin lights or horn to the unused outlet. (on breaker or switch). The -ve wire will go from the big bundle connection to the lights or horn.
The only consideration is the breaker rating. A 5 amp breaker should do for the lights. If it is greater then use larger gauge wire to the lights or replace the breaker witha smaller one.
It is likely the horn will take a lot more current so the breaker must happily carry the horn current and you will probably need a heavier wire to take the breaker operating current in a fault situation without burning.

So yes it is fairly simple stuff. I imagine your electrician didn't want to touch it for other reasons. Try another.
good luck olewill
 

mitiempo

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I agree. There is a feed side to the row of breakers, and an output side on each. The grounds on a separate panel or bus, all being common anyway.

You need a different electrician.

I guess Hager isn't used to dealing with end users, just the installers. Certainly no Blue Seas - not only are they helpful but they even answer the phone.
 

shaxi

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it is good luck for the people then if you don't know how to DIY ,the phone may help !
:)
g.gif
 

eagleswing

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Thanks !

thanks for all the helpful replies. Yes, we have several unused slots on the hager + busbar , already fitted fitted with various size CB's, and the manufacturer nauticat fitted a lovely electrical diagram for what was already wired to the hager. (USA uses a negative ground 12v system.) . the previous owner of the boat contracted one of the biggest marine yards in east coast (newport RI) to install an extra fan.. the 'professional' wired it off the + of the #2 house battery (properly fused) instead of dealing with the Hager panel. so i thought i might be missing something unique to hagers in my plans for adding various electrical gismos to the boat...most important fix will be that the original horn install only gave access if one was steering from down inside the pilothouse, not while one is in the cockpit at the helm... since in the usa we have a lot of drunken boaters who do not follow nautical rules of the road, a cockpit horn is an essential..
 
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