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**newhaul** · 17-03-2019, 11:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptCrunchie

It wasn't 6 years. We pulled it every year for the first 3, replaced the zincs the third year and they were about ½ gone. When we splashed, the marina put us beside the steel boats.

My point exactly.

ok that part was not in your original post leading many to surmise what I posted.
When you found them half gone that should have told you there was an issue that needed to be investigated.

CptCrunchie · 17-03-2019, 12:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by newhaul

ok that part was not in your original post leading many to surmise what I posted.
When you found them half gone that should have told you there was an issue that needed to be investigated.

Not in that marina. We had to change the zincs on our motorsailer every year.

I was proud of my wiring job that one set of zincs lasted so long on the Chris. But that was when we were berthed on the west side. Apparently, everything changed when they moved us to the east side. But by then, I was too sick to even get down to look at it.

The point of the OP's question wasn't about zincs so much as leaving the power connected. Again, it's all about the green wire, not the zincs, nor what you leave on .....unless, of course, it is your boat that is leaking. You could have every system on the boat on, or none of them, but as long as that green wire is attached, this can happen.

osprey877 · 17-03-2019, 13:04

In PNW you need to leave a heater and/or dehumidifier on all winter. Most boats are plugged in 24/7 when at their berth.

foothillsailor · 17-03-2019, 14:18

Depends on for how long and where?

One year I left mine plugged in in Mazatlan (humid and saltwater environment) with instructions to just leave it plugged in for 2-3 days each month. Came back to find out that (a) power cord was left plugged in for 8 months continuous (b) plugs on boat (both male and female connections) were totally corroded (c) both power cord and boat connections were totally cooked/burnt (d) batteries were run down.

Conclusions: won't trust someone do something where failure to do it might result in burning your boat down and I installed solar power (better dead batteries than a burnt/sunk boat) ... lesson learned

smac999 · 17-03-2019, 14:32

Most boats are plugged in 360 days a year. (And only used a few days a year)

waterman46 · 17-03-2019, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by CptCrunchie

It depends on a few things. How long will you be away from the boat? What all do you leave running? Do you have solar to keep your batteries topped?

If you have solar, you likely would never need to plug in. But if you didn't have solar, with the electron soup of stray current in most marinas, I'd only plug it in to top up the batteries. Even the best galvanic isolators can fail.

There's no easy answer. A couple cloudy days, even with a big solar array, with a couple of average bilge pumps running fulltime, about 20 amps total, will draw down your batteries.

Tillsbury · 17-03-2019, 20:09

You asked which is better. Better is to leave it plugged in, but that assumes that:

You have a good quality battery monitor/charger that will look after the batteries

You have a good quality electrical system (over here they need testing and signing off every three years, which doesn’t guarantee perfection but at least helps to signal issues)

You have a good quality power supply to your berth, with proper breakers and management who won’t let people plug in without electrical certification.

You have a good quality isolation transformer so you have no physical connection to the marina wiring.

If you have all those, you won’t have any reason not to leave it plugged in.

sailingchiro · 17-03-2019, 20:56

Why can't you do both. I only have shore power ran to the battery maintainer and the dehumidifier. It is not connected to shore power but rather a adapter ran inside to only those items. The boat is not connected to shore power but only through battery maintainer. This has eliminated eating zincs. Also, I empty frig and leave doors open.

Sailor 99 · 17-03-2019, 21:03

Quote:

Originally Posted by surazo

any of you had used an intelligent charger ? .I maintain shore power connected trough a smart charger .It detect the batt charge and disconnect this bank .It work fine for me .
Normally I include a thermical differential switch to prevent any shore power problem
any comments .thanks

If your not using an intelligent charger then your charger is likely 30 years old and due for replacement anyway. Smart charges pay for themselves by increasing the life of your batteries.

CptCrunchie · 17-03-2019, 21:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

Why can't you do both. I only have shore power ran to the battery maintainer and the dehumidifier. It is not connected to shore power but rather a adapter ran inside to only those items. The boat is not connected to shore power but only through battery maintainer. This has eliminated eating zincs. Also, I empty frig and leave doors open.

I'm pretty sure that when you connect a AC to DC charger to your batteries, the 'green wire' also connects to the DC ground. Since the ground connects to everything on the boat, including the prop/engine, the boat still needs to be protected.

Since you are in the US, here's the USCG regs, page 3:

https://www.uscgboating.org/library/...lars/BSC81.pdf

Didja know, .....if a swimmer died from an electrical shock near your boat, and the inspectors discovered you weren't compliant with your shore power connections, guess what will happen next?

BTW, shore power isn't explicit to the box on the dock. It refers to any power coming into or onto a boat from shore.

CptCrunchie · 17-03-2019, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by sailingchiro

Why can't you do both. I only have shore power ran to the battery maintainer and the dehumidifier. It is not connected to shore power but rather a adapter ran inside to only those items. The boat is not connected to shore power but only through battery maintainer. This has eliminated eating zincs. Also, I empty frig and leave doors open.

Better yet, here us a thread from a little while back that explains in great detail the reasons the set up you are using is a very bad idea.

Scotty Kiwi · 18-03-2019, 02:36

This thread brought back a bad memory. These events annoyed the Carps (ie cr$p) out of me at the time, and just remembering it - I'm still pissed off.

Living aboard, working 9 to 6, running fridge and freezer, paying extra for shore power. Disconnection meant the fridges flatten the batteries, and I expect have some unknown to me effect on the anodes.

A mate's fancy X million dollar racer, Sydney Hobart wannabe berthed nearby for some serious repairs.

On their arrival the workmen asked it they could disconnect me, so they could get more power, and I explained why they couldn't. I said NO and suggested they could get more extension cords, or rig a double plug, so long as I had a couple of AMPS out of 10 to keep things running. A couple of hours later I notice I've been disconnected anyway. Go and talk to them, explain it, tell them I know the owner (a client). Disconnect them, plug back in, two hours later same thing and same cycle.

During work on the Monday, go down at lunch, disconnected, everything flat.
Well ... what a fizz up I had. Then finally got hold of the owner (a professional client in an unrelated matter) .. assurances it would not happen again. Taped the plug to the whatchacum. Back to the boat for dinner, tape lying on the wharf, disconnected, flat batteries again, for about the sixth time. And the same the next day.

No amount of yelling and threatening and fizzing or quiet rationalisation would stop this arrogant bunch of self important w&nk*rs. Marina Manager tried and couldn't stop them either, but probably didn't try to hard, maybe because of their profile at the time and the damn arrogance.

I guess it took about many cycles from my otherwise treasured and well cared for battery bank until I gave up on live aboard refrigeration. They kept it up for a week. I sacked the prick as a client, and he got a real big serve, much later. Strictly Karma, I reckon.

But just a year or so later at sea ... engine oil cooler heat exchanger innards had apparently rotted out, accepting seawater into the engine oil. Cost $ 0,000s and wrecked one of the charter trips of a lifetime. I blamed those ponsy w&nk*rs .. you know who you are! Do I still hold a grudge? --- to right. Am I being extreme? Yeah yeah probably but right is right, even if right's not might with pr*cks like that.

Still the lesson, and back to the OP, - if you can't be on board to maintain your shorepower, including guard it from the odd thief, don't rely on it.

tdotson · 18-03-2019, 06:31

I used to stay plugged in, but was replacing the zincs every two months. I unplugged and now the zincs last 18 months. I plug in to charge the batteries then disconnect. In the process of adding solar.

**Pete7** · 18-03-2019, 06:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by waterman46

There's no easy answer. A couple cloudy days, even with a big solar array, with a couple of average bilge pumps running full time, about 20 amps total, will draw down your batteries.

If it leaks that much time to lift it out me thinks.