I have often wondered if all these shore power cords laying in the water between the boat and the dock pedestal omit any current. Zincs, pods, fasteners deteriorate quicker around these docks or zero effect.
We were taught that yes, in and of itself AC power, being 50/60Hz, can generate small amounts of power. Many power/voltage testers do just that, as long as you get near the power carrier they will light up showing there is power in the system. Same would be, never coil your powered up cords, snake them out on the dock. Coiled cords, are just that, a coil, creating a magnetic field within.
Many boats in my marina have power cords in the water, some with heavy growth on them and marina management doesn’t care. and don’t get me started on idiots who disconnect their power cords from the boat leaving them on the dock with the breakers on!!!
Good to know. Now walking down the dock and seeing the shore cord fiasco will produce lots of anxiety.
The other issue is it's bad for the cord. The part of the cord in the water is much cooler than the part on land, so it effects the copper inside from the electricity passing through. It can emit a small amount of leakage into the water as well.
When we walked the docks, we agreed we did not want to work on any boat with cords in the water. It is a good sign of the what quality is in the bilges.
Same would be, never coil your powered up cords, snake them out on the dock. Coiled cords, are just that, a coil, creating a magnetic field within.[/QUOTE] So the Glendenning power cord retractor coils the cord in a small barrel. Usually only partially deployed leaves a nice coil. Is that a problem? Should I be deploying all the cord and snaking it on the dock. Never seen it, but that doesn't mean it right.
Were talking AC voltage coiled up in a basket. This is usually not an issue. Lots of science behind it but constant frequency in a coil does not prove much EMF in a shore power cord bucket. In simple science from this swamp,, a compass over an AC wire may swing a little, but not hold steady as over a DCv cable coil. Ya have to let some theory soak in before any logic comes thru. If needed, let us (and many) discuss this here... I luv Y F.
Uh oh, my boats have always been on lifts, but until today I always left the breaker on. I will now start turning the breaker off whenever I disconnect. I thought I knew a lot, but look at me now!
