My boat has a single 30 amp connection, can I upgrade to 50A?

[Morgali]

So, as the title says, currently my boat has a single 30 amp connection to shore power. There is 50 amp available at the pedestal. What do I need to do to convert the power on my boat to 50 amp?

I know I'll need new power inlet, but my breaker panel is 30 amp main, with 6 legs. Currently I trip the main breaker with too much on my 15 amp legs. I am running a heater, dehumidifier, laundry washer/dryer combo, water heater, and inductive cooktop.

I have and was going to install a Victron Quattro 12v/5000va/220amp 120vac. Can I keep the existing breaker panel and just upgrade the main breaker to a 50a?

[Jammer]

Depends. You may also need to change out the neutral bus and whatever cabling and/or busbars connect the main breaker to the branch breakers. You will also need to replace the wiring between the shore power inlet and the panel.


Another choice would be to add a second 30a inlet and set up a separate panel for that.

[wrwakefield]

Yes, if you are willing to replace the shorepower cord and inlet [50A requires 6AWG wire; your 30A cord is 10AWG], wiring from shorepower inlet to panel[s] [also change from 10 to 6 AWG], expand the breaker panel into two 110V AC legs and install new main breaker[s], and possibly run additional 110V circuits in the boat to distribute your new AC capacity..

Doing so will net you over 3 times the amperage of 110V AC [nominal] over what you currently have with your 30A service. [50A 220V AC split into two 110V AC legs = 100A of 110V AC.]

This is how our boat is wired.

In case this is useful food for thought.

Cheers! Bill

PS: If you don't have an isolation transformer, be sure to include a 50A galvanic isolator as well...

[Morgali]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Depends. You may also need to change out the neutral bus and whatever cabling and/or busbars connect the main breaker to the branch breakers. You will also need to replace the wiring between the shore power inlet and the panel.

I had planned on this, was going to install an entirely new shore power inlet, new wiring to the victron, and from the victron to the main breaker panel. I'd like to be able to just swap out the main breaker for a 50a.

Originally Posted by Jammer

Another choice would be to add a second 30a inlet and set up a separate panel for that.

I had not considered this, but it might be worth looking into!

[smac999]

the dock is likly 50a 240v.

you could just take one leg of it which will make things much easier then trying to convert to 240v. the wire from the inlet to breaker to panel will need to be bigger. and probably the jumpers within the panel.

that quatro charging at full power will take 30a itself.

if the high draw was short term I'd say the quatro assist mode would save you blowing breakers and you could stick with 30a. but your loads are all long term loads (heater ,hot water etc). so you'd just kill the batteries assisting

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by Morgali

I am running a heater, dehumidifier, laundry washer/dryer combo, water heater, and inductive cooktop.

Even with a new 50amp system you'll still have to manage your power usage.
What's the cumulative amperage draw of all that stuff you listed ?

Remember that even with a 50amp system, pulling 50amps over the longer term will cause problems.

[stormalong]

I agree with Jammer. Two inlets is what I did when a live aboard in Washington DC and Annapolis. The summer heat and winter cold meant I needed to add a reverse cycle air conditioner. I added a second panel out of the way and ran it separately from everything else.

If you put in a 50 amp system you may find that when you visit other marinas there will be few or no 50 amp outlets. The cost of 50 amp is much more than adding a second 30. A 50 amp to dual 30 amp Y adapter comes in handy if you do end up somewhere with only 50s.

Price out the 50 amp items that you will need and you will find them to be more than double the cost of 30 amp stuff.

[smac999]

Originally Posted by stormalong

I agree with Jammer. Two inlets is what I did when a live aboard in Washington DC and Annapolis. The summer heat and winter cold meant I needed to add a reverse cycle air conditioner. I added a second panel out of the way and ran it separately from everything else.

If you put in a 50 amp system you may find that when you visit other marinas there will be few or no 50 amp outlets. The cost of 50 amp is much more than adding a second 30. A 50 amp to dual 30 amp Y adapter comes in handy if you do end up somewhere with only 50s.

Price out the 50 amp items that you will need and you will find them to be more than double the cost of 30 amp stuff.

with his big 5000w quatro he can only feed one line through it. he is better off going with a single 50a and feeding all 50a through it. just use one phase. then it can charge at the full 220a. and also assist the shore over 50a if he hits that.

with 2 30a lines the quatro and all inverter loads will be on the single 30a. if any loads are on the charger will get reduced.

I guess the washing machine and hot water could go on the 2nd.

if you have a big battery bank and a bunch of solar you could try just using the single 30a line and the quattro assist function. you just need to keep an eye one it so you don't kill the batteries at the dock. but it's better suited to quick big loads like microwaves, toasters etc. and the batteries are only draining for a couple mins

[valhalla360]

Basically, you need to redo the entire panel and tie the circuits back into the new panel.

Since you are asking the question, it's probably better to pay a professional rather than DIY. It's not rocket surgery but since you had to ask, you probably don't have the background to do it safely.

Bigger question, why are you popping breakers now?

If you are popping a 15amp branch circuits now, upgrading the main to 50amp, won't stop that from happening. Replacing the breakers on those branch circuits is not a great idea unless you upgrade or at least verify the wiring can handle the additional amps.

Your boat is 42yrs old, are the breakers simply getting worn out? It's not uncommon for old breakers to pop more easily after years of use. It might be as simple as replacing the breakers.

Additionally given the age, it might be worth going thru the electrical system checking all the connections to make sure they are tight and corrosion free (both at the panel and at each switch/outlet). Bad connections can also cause issues and more importantly can overheat and cause fires. Where you can observe the wiring checking for chafe.