So I need to run a 110 ac circuit for my battery charger are they ground fault protected or not.
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After reading paulswagelock thread two more times the best bet would be to install a GFCI recep. with outdoor cover inside my side storage area then drop down to the charger with a female plug to plug the charger into.I can't remove the plug on the charger or I will void the warranty on it.
Yes all of the above.Long weekend on the Ohio river or the smaller lakes I go to I'm not plugged into shore power plus its not uncommon to spend a few nights on the hook then it would be nice to go to a marina spend the night and charge the house battery on shore power.Are you doing this while in a slip, or at home on the trailer?
Thanks for bringing this to my attention I did checked for continuity between the AC ground and the engine block and I have a continuity without the charger plugged in. Even though my boat is smaller then most it is set up with factory shore power and even without a battery charger factory installed those components are needed to be in place it is all part of the Shore Power and Mercathode system which is address in the Sea Ray owners manual for my boat.Since you are adding a battery charger, you are now potentially connecting AC and DC grounds through that charger. There are more steps to take if they are not already done - AC to DC ground bar jumper, through hull fitting bonding, and very important a galvanic isolator.
Failure to do these items can cause catastrophic failure to your boat, a neighboring boat, or human life.
Does your boat have all these items already?
With my boat having shore power install by Sea Ray I would think an galvanic isolator would be used. I did not know this for sure so with some hunting I found it mounted to the cabin wall under the counter top.Then the last step is to verify you have a galvanic isolator in the system. If you are not familiar, it breaks the green earth ground coming from the shore power with 2 diodes and a capacitor. Critical in a system to prevent galvanic corrosion, and potential shocking for anyone in the water swimming near the docked and connected boat.