New Shore Power Location

[dwleo]

Hi guys,
I have a 2004 2500 SCR which has the shore power outlet at the back in a hatch. And that's the only one! I am considering adding another one on the starboard side at mid-point. Anyone done this before?

Thanks for any knowledge.

[mmwjr]

I’ve never seen two shore power receptacles on the same line. This would also be a safety issue as the receptacle has blade contacts and connecting to one will provide power to the other and if one lifts the cover you can accidentally touch the blades getting shocked. If you add one midship you should disconnect the other.

[dwleo]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

I’ve never seen two shore power receptacles on the same line. This would also be a safety issue as the receptacle has blade contacts and connecting to one will provide power to the other and if one lifts the cover you can accidentally touch the blades getting shocked. If you add one midship you should disconnect the other.

Never saw it like that. My last two boats had outlets midship on both sides and, although I don't know for sure, I don't think they were separate.

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by dwleo

Never saw it like that. My last two boats had outlets midship on both sides and, although I don't know for sure, I don't think they were separate.

Were they line 1 and 2 on both sides? Typically line 2 is for the air conditioning. Was there a switch to select which side?

[yahoo82]

A lot of Rinkers had dual sets of shore power. Usually transom port and midships starboard … both line 1 and 2 on both areas. Having them diagonal meant you could bow in or back in and always find a connection that would work.

However the way they accomplished this was an isolation relay behind the AC panel. Whichever connection was energized would pull the contacts over and de-energize the other set. Similar to a transfer switch for a home generator.

As stated, it would be unsafe to wire another set directly in parallel because the male connectors on the empty set would be energized and could be touched. You would either need to permanently unwire the unused set or install some type of selector/transfer switch.


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[dwleo]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

Were they line 1 and 2 on both sides? Typically line 2 is for the air conditioning. Was there a switch to select which side?

Never saw a switch and to be fair, I only used one for hookup.

[PJHoffnet]

A transfer switch - with a 'only one at at time' lock out design (like a generator, or shore power, switch) would make your idea work just fine. I'd HIGHLY recommend having a professional marine certified electrician do the installation.

[sph801]

I installed an outlet in my anchor hatch on the bow of my 3300 so I could plug my Honda generator in on the bow when I wanted. I put another outlet in the stern locker, in essence creating a glorified extension cord. Power is still fed to the boat through the original outlet in the stern locker. When I want to use the stern receptacle I simply plug the shore power cord in as usual. When I want to use the bow I plug the shore power cable in the stern locker into the new receptacle I installed instead of the shore power outlet. Now I can energize the receptacle on the bow to power the boat. There is no way with this setup to energize both at the same time or have any live exposed plugs.


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[dwleo]

Originally Posted by yahoo82

A lot of Rinkers had dual sets of shore power. Usually transom port and midships starboard … both line 1 and 2 on both areas. Having them diagonal meant you could bow in or back in and always find a connection that would work.

However the way they accomplished this was an isolation relay behind the AC panel. Whichever connection was energized would pull the contacts over and de-energize the other set. Similar to a transfer switch for a home generator.

As stated, it would be unsafe to wire another set directly in parallel because the male connectors on the empty set would be energized and could be touched. You would either need to permanently unwire the unused set or install some type of selector/transfer switch.


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That makes a lot of sense. Thanks.