Just as alcohol and driving are a bad mix, stray AC electrical current is a potential killer as well as being capable of causing severe underwater damage. An undetected electrical problem in a boat’s AC system can cause equipment to fail, start a fire, or deliver a potentially lethal electrical shock to anyone on the boat or in the water. Therefore, it pays to be certain that no electrical problems exist.
Unfortunately it’s almost impossible to visually inspect every wire and connection on most boats, so another detection method must be used.
Since most boats get their AC power from a cable attached to the dockside AC supply, it’s reasonable to use this as a convenient location to test the boat’s AC electrical system. Of course, there’s the slight problem in making measurements while the boat is connected, but the only way to be certain there’s no problem is to make the tests under a load condition; i.e. when equipment on the boat is turned on and operating.
The solution is to use an in-line tester that will connect temporarily between the boat’s shore power cord and the dockside AC receptacle. The DockTester™ Electrical Integrity Testers by ESC Products Corporation are such a product. They measure AC line voltage and current in all three (or four) wires as well as AC voltage in the water. They also measure DC (galvanic) voltage in the water. All measurements are displayed on a digital readout. The measurements are simple to make, and are done while the boats electrical equipment is operating normally at the dock - the proper conditions for measuring leakage currents.
No special knowledge is required to operate the DockTester™ Testers, just follow the simple instructions. Record the measurements and, should the readings be outside the expected range, consult the included product manual for possible reasons.
If you own or manage a marina or boatyard, the DockTester™ Electrical Integrity Tester can help keep your customers happy and your docks safe.
ESC Products Corporation
1-800-404-6904
© 2003-2007 ESC Products Corporation
