Wayne.B wrote:
On 19 Jul 2006 05:51:08 -0700, "Andina Marie"
wrote:

By far the majority of accelerated zinc loss cause is the shore power
connection.
The first step is to install a galvanic isolator.
Defender has them on sale for about $95 at
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|303336&id=605562

=================

Is it possible to install the isolator external to the boat using the
right combination of connectors and junction boxes?

The shore power circuits on my boat are almost impossible to get at in
any reasonable way.

The only problem I can imagine is
dealing with the heavy connectors and
cables. Otherwise, it should work fine.

You could use a conventional power cord
from the dock to your boat and locate
the GI box on the boat rather than on
the dock.

Chuck

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Wayne.B wrote in
:

Is it possible to install the isolator external to the boat using the
right combination of connectors and junction boxes?

T

Sure. Buy the 30A or 50A isolation transformer he
http://www.charlesindustries.com/main/ma_iso_bost.html

Mount it in a ventilated NMEA enclosure next to the dock power pedestal so
it can cool itself. Run a short cable from the transformer to plug into
the dock pedestal, then, with the appropriate AC twistlock outlet for the
size of the transformer mounted on the outside of the NMEA box, plug the
boat into the box....KEEPING THE BOAT GROUND DISCONNECTED FROM THE DOCK
GROUND, PLEASE!

Both sides of the isolation transformer are isolated from ground. There is
no grounded neutral like shore power uses. The only way you can be shocked
is when you are directly connected ACROSS L1 and L2 on the transformer
secondary. That's why they call it "Isolated" in the first place.

Unconnected from dock ground and the grounded nonsense of the marina and
rest of the halfass-wired boats, your galvanic current ashore is zero,
leaving only galvanic currents caused by your boat eating the zincs.

On Wed, 19 Jul 2006 18:28:19 -0400, Larry wrote:

Sure. Buy the 30A or 50A isolation transformer he
http://www.charlesindustries.com/main/ma_iso_bost.html

I understand the benefits of an isolation transformer but I was
looking for lighter, cheaper, etc.