Marine Ac Wiring

Your boat s electrical panelboard is the heart of the electrical system.
Marine ac wiring. Can i use regular wire for my boat the answer to this common question is a qualified yes if the wire is sae society of automotive engineering j378 j1127 or j1128. Or if you are having trouble finding the parts that you need for your marine wiring project please check out our sister site for marine electrical. West marine offers a large selection of primary wire duplex wire triplex wire and specialty wire for marine applications plus battery cables west marine stocks electrical terminals and connectors wire support and heat shrink tubing wiring tools fuses and electrical terminal. Electric current created by a shore side power source or ac electrical generator is dis tributed throughout the boat by hot wires or ungrounded conductors.
In nearly all cases your boat wiring system should have a marine grade main battery disconnect switch. If you take good care of your air conditioning system it ll take good care of you maybe for decades says wright. Whatever your marine wiring needs west marine can provide you with the materials and tools to get the job done. The american boat yacht council abyc and other international bodies provide standards for sheathing and supporting wire runs.
These wires are designed for surface vehicles not for the special requirements of the marine industry but meet the minimum standards for boats in. As an ac appliance ages the insulation of its inside components can break down gradually allowing some leakage of fault current to the case. This allows you to open the switch turning everything off at once. These vary in size based on the job they must perform.
Yes the green grounding wire will carry this fault current back to the. By tom burden last updated. In this case we ve shown an 1 2 both type battery switch. Marine wire quality is important and our marine grade wire is designed specifically to survive the harsh marine environment.
So it is typically a problem with ac circuits on a boat not your typical 12 volt dc wiring installation. Our boat wire is fine stranded copper type iii stranding with each strand completely tin plated so tinned copper will resist corrosion and ensure safe and secure operation for many years to come. For additional boat wiring and marine electrical information please drop us an email and we will try to help. Marine dc wiring basics.
In general if three conductors are bundled reduce maximum amperage by 30 percent.