Twin Shore Power

[Genoa]

... I was considering posting this on the dark side, as I have never had a sailing boat with 2 x Shore power connections... but I am a yachtie so here it is.

I have just got a boat with 2 shore power connections. It has some Whisper power kit, including a 2.5kW inverter, smart charging etc. It has your normal electrical clalorifier (back up to engine HW) plus 220V sockets. Then the biggie - 2 or 4 kW switchable electrical heating (quiet option to the Hydronic/Diesel) - great at night - if you have the 2nd cable plugged in.

Now, it appears whoever did the install has put the 220V sockets on the 2nd cable with the heating. (Why??)
So when we arrive in a harbour which only provides a single connection, I end up with cable 1 going to the battery charger --> domestic bank --> inverter --> 220V sockets. Any suggestions on how to improve this? Is it a problem to be regularly using an inverter - its a 2015 model. Some local "experts" suck through their teeth at the mere mention of using an inverter for anything other than occassional use.
I did consider moving some of the 220V sockets back to shorepower 1, but there MUST have been a reason for putting them on 2, what could it be? Am I likely to overload a 16A Shorepower with the Calorifier & Smart Charger?

I look forward to any ideas & input....

 

[VicS]

... I was considering posting this on the dark side, as I have never had a sailing boat with 2 x Shore power connections... but I am a yachtie so here it is.

I have just got a boat with 2 shore power connections. It has some Whisper power kit, including a 2.5kW inverter, smart charging etc. It has your normal electrical clalorifier (back up to engine HW) plus 220V sockets. Then the biggie - 2 or 4 kW switchable electrical heating (quiet option to the Hydronic/Diesel) - great at night - if you have the 2nd cable plugged in.

Now, it appears whoever did the install has put the 220V sockets on the 2nd cable with the heating. (Why??)
So when we arrive in a harbour which only provides a single connection, I end up with cable 1 going to the battery charger --> domestic bank --> inverter --> 220V sockets. Any suggestions on how to improve this? Is it a problem to be regularly using an inverter - its a 2015 model. Some local "experts" suck through their teeth at the mere mention of using an inverter for anything other than occassional use.
I did consider moving some of the 220V sockets back to shorepower 1, but there MUST have been a reason for putting them on 2, what could it be? Am I likely to overload a 16A Shorepower with the Calorifier & Smart Charger?

I look forward to any ideas & input....

Two sockets alone could potentially overload a 16 amp shorepower. The charger should not take much current and should be Ok with a 2Kw load on a 16 amp shorepower supply. You dont give any details of the charger though. or tell us the power of your calorifier 4kW will exceed the capacity of a 16amp shorepower supply

I'd guess the POwanted to use the calorifier as well as a sinificant load on the sockets which would have overloaded a 16 amp supply but was happy to use the diesel hetaer rather than the electric heating

You could get around your immediate problems if faced with only one available socket by using a 2 or 3 way splitter .... BUT ......you would have to be very careful not to overload the socket and pop the circuit breaker.
It would buy you some time to think about how best to reconfigure your shorepower system

There was a thread about using a splitter very recently on the PBO reader to Reader forum Which would have been a more appropriate place for your questions

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?518669-Shore-power-splitter

 

[Genoa]

thanks Vic. I never even thought of PBO - silly of me. Your recommended thread is very useful ...

 

[rotrax]

For the very reason that shore power/generator power is totaly separated-its one or the other, never both- be carefull only to use one shoreside pillar for both sockets.

A different pillar might be fed from another AC phase and the AC cycles wont be in synchronisation.

There might be a loud bang.........................

 

[VicS]

For the very reason that shore power/generator power is totaly separated-its one or the other, never both- be carefull only to use one shoreside pillar for both sockets.

A different pillar might be fed from another AC phase and the AC cycles wont be in synchronisation.

There might be a loud bang.........................

I was wondering about that or even if different sockets on the same pillar could be on different phases

There's no problem having two phases on board . At one time sockets in a room on different phases were separated by at least 6 feet but as I understand it that is no longer a requirement of the IET wiring regs

The problem would be if both inlets were wired to the same consumer unit but from the way the OP words his question I don't think that is so. Well worth highlighting though in case they are. It would be dangerous anyway apart from any phase considerations

 

[Lon nan Gruagach]

For the very reason that shore power/generator power is totaly separated-its one or the other, never both- be carefull only to use one shoreside pillar for both sockets.

A different pillar might be fed from another AC phase and the AC cycles wont be in synchronisation.

There might be a loud bang.........................

If that is an issue then there must be a LBOK lurking somewhere.
Also wiring phases together only produces a bit bigger (well, twice as big) bang than phase - neutral short

 

[rotrax]

Many years ago I was having a private tour of a small water powered power station-a converted /modified flour mill. It was in very rural Czechoslovakia, just before communism ended.

The guy who was the Engineer for Alderney's diesel powered power station was with me.

The device that controlled the generators rotation speed, and thus its A/C cycles was a WW1 German submarine diesel engine governor. It was hydraulic.

My mate was really interested in this device. The generator was disconnected so it could be inspected more closely and a diagram of its workings produced. The reason was, the standby emergency generator on Alderney was a WW1 German diesel from a submarine! The governor was of a different type and was unreliable.

All inspections and drawings complete, it was time to hook the generator back up to the Czech national grid.

The two guy's I/C of the plant did not have much experience of doing this and subsequently the phases would not "Lock" together-they blew out with a big bang!

My mate came to the rescue, by watching the two analogue dials for the phasing-the one for the Grid setting the reference-he patiently adjusted the govenor untill the needles rose and fell in synch. He waited a minute or so and, as the exact moment was reached, he threw the great switch.

Phew! Unlike the two Czech guy's efforts, the phases smoothly latched together, no big bang and wrist breaking throwout of the heavy switch.

IIRC,the Alderney U Boat engine was sold to a German Naval/Military museum when they got a new main generator and the old Main generator could go into standby use.

I was privileged to have witnessed the old tech stuff going on in that water mill during that calm Autumn evening in rural Bohemia, near the town of Chrudim.