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From: Steve Weingart (gate.net!shw)
Date: Wed Oct 02 1996 - 16:12:52 EDT
Just a minor paranoia note on my part to Marc, Tom, and anyone else who has
been following this discussion...
I've been blithely going on about details of lightning and A.C. and D.C.
grounding and isolation. I'm reasonably qualified, I'm an electrical
engineer with about 20 years, and I've been doing almost all of my own work,
on my, and my friends boats since way before that, I grew up as a geek ;-)
OTOH, I've been operating in the dark, so to speak. Speaking about general
systems, or the ones on boats that I have seen is one thing, speaking about
boats that I have not seen is another. A seemingly minor omitted detail can
be major, especially when we are talking A.C., even more so around water.
Standards and practices have been changing constantly over the years, and a
partial fix can be more dangerous than leaving something alone.
Please don't anyone take my, or anyone else's, advice unless you understand
enough about A.C. power distribution to make sure that you can measure and
test to a reasonable degree of safety. The D.C. side is not nearly as bad
for shock risk, but a high amperage D.C. short is generally called an arc
welder and I've seen wrenches long enough to make it across battery
terminals with chunks removed by the current a car battery can put out.
For those of you who are thinking right now, "What kind of fool is this guy
taking me for? I'd never do anything like that with out being sure.", good,
I feel better already ;-) If anybody reading this isn't sure, please have
someone qualified check your work, *I'll* sleep better.
Off the box and back to the topics at hand.
Thanks,
Steve
Recommended reading: Charlie Wing's "The Boatowner's Illustrated Guide to
Wiring"
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