220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.

220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

Terry,

Is it possible that your "220" installation boat is a 50Hz European
wiring setup? You might want to look into whether this boat is wired
expecting that type of input or the U.S. standard of 60Hz.

If so, there may be problems in doing what you describe, as the input is
a single phase 220 volt three wire system (hot, neutral, ground), where
as the 220 volt U.S. standard uses four wires, two hot and one neutral,
one ground.

There are other considerations as well such as the difference in Hertz
will also affect many different pieces of electronic equipment and motors.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Robb

Terry wrote:
I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.

220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

"Terry" wrote in news:1150619837.438321.17910
@i40g2000cwc.googlegroups.com:

I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.


If this boat is a European boat, there is no "neutral" wiring to get 120V
off of. We simply rewired the French Amel Sharki ketch with all new US
wiring. There's no center tap neutral in Europe...or the rest of the world
on 50 Hz.

220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

Terry wrote:
I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.


As Robb pointed out, it would be a good
idea to make sure your 220 volt
equipment will work on 60 Hz.

A slightly tongue-in-cheek suggestion
for a "quick fix" is to use a 250 volt
isolation transformer for the boat's
current wiring, and an additional 125
volt transformer for any 125 volt
circuits you might want to add. Might be
a lot less expensive than a complete
rewiring and the isolation transformer
provides additional benefits.

You could use a single 250 volt
center-tapped isolation transformer
providing you connected either a 125
volt circuit or a 250 volt circuit, but
not both at the same time. I really
don't think this is likely to be a very
satisfactory arrangement.

With regard to isolation transformer
pricing, if you are willing to consider
non-bulletproof designs that don't
satisfy the ABYC belt, suspenders and
hands-in-the-pockets standard, you can
purchase very good isolation
transformers for a reasonable amount.
Last time I checked, only one supplier
of isolation transformers met the ABYC
standards, and that company was on the
committee that wrote the standard.

Anyway, consider insurance and survey
impacts as well as safety when you
contemplate radical rewiring.

Good luck.

Chuck

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220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

On 18 Jun 2006 01:37:17 -0700, "Terry" wrote:

I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.

I have a boat that was originally owned by a European who lived in
Hong Kong and took it to Europe for a while. When it came to the US,
the previous owner added a 240-120 stepdown transformer and added US
110v outlets. The 120 feeds the battery charger/inverter that feeds
the 120 volt outlets. The stepdown transformer is also an isolation
transformer as there is no neutral leg on the 110 which allegedly
makes using 110 v tools safer and a GFCI unnecessary. (I still have
the GFCIs because when the 120 comes from the inverter, it forces one
leg to ground.).

You could do it as you suggested and indeed the owner just before me
disconnected the transformer and tapped between one phase and ground
for 120v. When an electrician spotted that, he told me that it would
throw unbalanced loads into the generator (240v, 60Hz) when it was
operating.

The 50 vs 60 thing only involves AC motors that might run faster than
expected. A transformer will run hotter on 50Hz than on 60HZ, so
running a 50Hz transformer on 60hz isn't a problem.

Just be sure to consider battery chargers, inverters and generators as
they make the issue more complex.

220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

One other thing you may not have considered. The wiring for 220V is
generally a bit undersized for 120V, as the amperage goes up as the
voltage goes down. Unless your boat was wired with exceptionally heavy
wiring, which I seriously doubt, you will probably need to replace much
if not all of the wiring.

220 and 110 for cruising boats
 

Dick Locke wrote:
On 18 Jun 2006 01:37:17 -0700, "Terry" wrote:

I am in the process of getting a 220 boat. I am thinking that if it
takes it takes two phases to make 220 for boat wiring then I can run a
separate pair from the neutral and one phase and make that into 110 for
the boat. I can then install both 220 and 110 plugs on the vessel.
Would like to know if anybody can critique me on this as I am not 100
percent sure.

I have a boat that was originally owned by a European who lived in
Hong Kong and took it to Europe for a while. When it came to the US,
the previous owner added a 240-120 stepdown transformer and added US

SNIP

Keep in mind that not all step-down
transformers provide isolation. Some are
simple auto-transformers.

Chuck

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