Fun educational video well explained. It should be noted that the cooling fan would only run if there is a ground fault as there is otherwise no power source, but that should trip AC breaker so odds of fan use are low
Great videos-thanks! I am sorry if this is a dumb question but if I do that test on my boat with my multimeter and shore power cord and I don’t have a galvanic isolator or an isolation transformer what should I see to know my safety ground is intact/working?
Great question. If you do not have an isolation transformer or galvanic isolator installed and you test between the pedestal end of your shore power cord AC safety ground and the onboard AC safety ground buss or the safety ground on an outlet. You should read very low resistance, less than 1 ohm. That low resistance would indicate that the AC safety ground through the shore cord and then through the boat's wiring is intact. If you see no continuity or high resistance that would indicate that there is a problem with the AC safety ground. Thanks again great question.
Hi, thank you very much for easy to understand and extremely valuable knowledge videos for DIY! Can you please address the scenario were boat has two 30 A shore cords and two Isolation Transformers. Does this setup require a Galvanic Isolator? The boat was loosing zincs at very fast rate. The outdrives were recently upgraded with Mercathode. Thank you!
If the transformers are arranged as isolation transformers then a galvanic isolator is not required. Some transformers are for polarization and do not offer any galvanic protection.
@@workinonaboat1950 thank you, how do I know if they are polarizing or galvanic protection? sorry for the noob question. I can not even understand the difference between Common Ground, Bonding, Grounding? should all of them be interconnected?
@@andreylevenko5534 There is a good bit of information online about isolation vs polarization probably easier to direct you there instead of trying to explain in the comments. Bonding and grounding have different functions but are joined at the common ground point. Great idea for a future video.
I've not checked all the comments yet but when you pointed out the boat's Ground side of the outlet at 15:50, your finger seemed to point at the Neutral (wide) lug of the outlet, not the Ground. And then your video did not actually show you insert the test lead. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe it doesn't even matter (is my guess), but can you address that for me. Awaiting delivery of a 42yo boat in a few days and will want to check. Survey made no mention of an isolator and I'm feeling overwhelmed with the systems I've got to learn. Thanks.
I think we are talking about diffrent things. When we test a galvanic isolator we are measuring the voltage across the diode inside the isolator to check that it is functioning. We check hull potential to assess if we are protecting our underwater metals.
Hi, Great Video but is there another way? I have Najad 355 Sailing yacht and the Galvanic Isolator is installed in line the incoming Ground wire and the vessels Grounding plate (Bronze plate through mounted on the exterior of the Hull). However all the vessels 240v system is connected before the Galvanic Isolator on the incoming ground. Have Najad simply done this wrong or is there another way?
Thank you for the info, most helpful. I do have a question, will the galvanic isolator also protect against corrosion on one drive and not the other ? I have twin Bravo1s and the magnesium anodes (fresh water) on one of the drives are heavily corroded in a short amount of time ( 3months) while the other is not. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated !!
A galvanic isolator should protect the whole boat. If one sided is corroding faster than the other. I would check the bonding. Paying close attention to the bonding straps on the drive. Those little little wire straps that connect the moving parts of the drive together.
Question, I have two 30 amp shore power cords, one for HVAC, the other for all other AC loads on the boat. I assume I must have two Galvanic Isolators. Please confirm.
You can use a single isolator provided the single isolator can handle full fault current of both cords. so for two 30amp cords a 60amp isolator is needed
New to boat and multimeter, I performed the check as you suggested and my multimeter reads 1447 and reverse 1443 with no decimal. Am I getting an accurate reading or is my isolator inoperable? Thank You
I purchased a better quality meter and set to diode test and has same results, even disconnected isolator and tried it directly, same numbers. I ordered a new isolator. Hope that's the problem. Thank You.
Lots of good multimeters out there. This is the one I use daily.www.amazon.com/Auto-Ranging-Resistance-Klein-Tools-CL800/dp/B019CY4FB4/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3GFWTAA6G351O&keywords=klein+multimeter&qid=1647432784&sprefix=klien+mul%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-6
Fun educational video well explained. It should be noted that the cooling fan would only run if there is a ground fault as there is otherwise no power source, but that should trip AC breaker so odds of fan use are low
Very helpful and enlightening. Thank you. Kids are great too.
You are a very good teacher, thank you very much for the valuable information. :)
Enjoyed the video and as usual love the child stars.
That was great, Eric....as well as Part 1. Now on to watch 'isolation transformer'. Thanks!
Tested out per the video. All good. The shore cord / outlet test came out at 0.889 and 0.888 so higher than your example but good. Nice topic
Thank you for this great information!
Great videos-thanks! I am sorry if this is a dumb question but if I do that test on my boat with my multimeter and shore power cord and I don’t have a galvanic isolator or an isolation transformer what should I see to know my safety ground is intact/working?
Great question. If you do not have an isolation transformer or galvanic isolator installed and you test between the pedestal end of your shore power cord AC safety ground and the onboard AC safety ground buss or the safety ground on an outlet. You should read very low resistance, less than 1 ohm. That low resistance would indicate that the AC safety ground through the shore cord and then through the boat's wiring is intact. If you see no continuity or high resistance that would indicate that there is a problem with the AC safety ground. Thanks again great question.
Hi, thank you very much for easy to understand and extremely valuable knowledge videos for DIY! Can you please address the scenario were boat has two 30 A shore cords and two Isolation Transformers. Does this setup require a Galvanic Isolator? The boat was loosing zincs at very fast rate. The outdrives were recently upgraded with Mercathode. Thank you!
If the transformers are arranged as isolation transformers then a galvanic isolator is not required. Some transformers are for polarization and do not offer any galvanic protection.
@@workinonaboat1950 thank you, how do I know if they are polarizing or galvanic protection? sorry for the noob question. I can not even understand the difference between Common Ground, Bonding, Grounding? should all of them be interconnected?
@@andreylevenko5534 There is a good bit of information online about isolation vs polarization probably easier to direct you there instead of trying to explain in the comments. Bonding and grounding have different functions but are joined at the common ground point. Great idea for a future video.
I've not checked all the comments yet but when you pointed out the boat's Ground side of the outlet at 15:50, your finger seemed to point at the Neutral (wide) lug of the outlet, not the Ground. And then your video did not actually show you insert the test lead. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe it doesn't even matter (is my guess), but can you address that for me. Awaiting delivery of a 42yo boat in a few days and will want to check. Survey made no mention of an isolator and I'm feeling overwhelmed with the systems I've got to learn. Thanks.
It does look that way, you are correct, that's the trouble with trying to hand hold a camera. But yes the test lead goes into the ground.
Why isn’t it 1.4 V? 0.8 V does not seem like enough to protect stainless steel.
I think we are talking about diffrent things. When we test a galvanic isolator we are measuring the voltage across the diode inside the isolator to check that it is functioning. We check hull potential to assess if we are protecting our underwater metals.
Hi, Great Video but is there another way? I have Najad 355 Sailing yacht and the Galvanic Isolator is installed in line the incoming Ground wire and the vessels Grounding plate (Bronze plate through mounted on the exterior of the Hull). However all the vessels 240v system is connected before the Galvanic Isolator on the incoming ground. Have Najad simply done this wrong or is there another way?
A galvanic isolator should be installed in the AC safety ground (green wire) between the shore power inlet and the AC safety ground buss.
Thank you for the info, most helpful. I do have a question, will the galvanic isolator also protect against corrosion on one drive and not the other ? I have twin Bravo1s and the magnesium anodes (fresh water) on one of the drives are heavily corroded in a short amount of time ( 3months) while the other is not. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated !!
A galvanic isolator should protect the whole boat. If one sided is corroding faster than the other. I would check the bonding. Paying close attention to the bonding straps on the drive. Those little little wire straps that connect the moving parts of the drive together.
Question, I have two 30 amp shore power cords, one for HVAC, the other for all other AC loads on the boat. I assume I must have two Galvanic Isolators. Please confirm.
You can use a single isolator provided the single isolator can handle full fault current of both cords. so for two 30amp cords a 60amp isolator is needed
New to boat and multimeter, I performed the check as you suggested and my multimeter reads 1447 and reverse 1443 with no decimal. Am I getting an accurate reading or is my isolator inoperable? Thank You
Not sure what you are reading there. Is the meter set to diode test?
I purchased a better quality meter and set to diode test and has same results, even disconnected isolator and tried it directly, same numbers. I ordered a new isolator. Hope that's the problem. Thank You.
Can you guide me in purchasing a good multimeter to purchase? A link to or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you.
Lots of good multimeters out there. This is the one I use daily.www.amazon.com/Auto-Ranging-Resistance-Klein-Tools-CL800/dp/B019CY4FB4/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3GFWTAA6G351O&keywords=klein+multimeter&qid=1647432784&sprefix=klien+mul%2Caps%2C83&sr=8-6
an isolating transformer is a good idea they actually work to