Submersible Fishing Lights

[MOPanfisher]

I wish I could remember enough of the explanation he gave to make it make sense.  Something about how any "stray" current would try to return to source but with the solar there was not an available source for it to return to.  ???  Hopefully one of you electrical enginger types can explain it, or say that it's a load of hooey.  I know that testing the circuit on a dock wired for solar is a little different, with a regular GFCI  tester it won't teio, but you can create a direct short between hot and neutral and it will trip.

[Bozinsek]

This is all 12 volt DC current, guys.  A whole different animal than Alternating Current.  If it wasn't, we would all fry ourselves everytime we dropped a trolling motor in the drink.  I wouldn't throw my grandkids into the water where any type of sketchy electrical circuits were present.  Old docks scare the bejeezus out of me.  I've seen some that I wouldn't even grab the handrail of.  Say what you like about the COE's stand on no new A/C supplied docks, but I'm kind of in agreement with them.  

 

[MOPanfisher]

Bozinek, yep we know yours is DC, we just sort of drifted away to another topic, very seldom happens on Ozark Anglers.

[bfishn]

40 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

I wish I could remember enough of the explanation he gave to make it make sense.  Something about how any "stray" current would try to return to source but with the solar there was not an available source for it to return to.  ???  Hopefully one of you electrical enginger types can explain it, or say that it's a load of hooey.  I know that testing the circuit on a dock wired for solar is a little different, with a regular GFCI  tester it won't teio, but you can create a direct short between hot and neutral and it will trip.

Your buddy has a good point. Our AC grid is based on potential-to-ground (earth ground). Any unintended alternate path to ground will conduct, and if water is the path, you can have a fairly large field of area affected. Inverter AC isn't referenced to earth ground, merely potential between conductors . This is good in theory, but in reality our docks are wired like a house, with the neutral conductor bonded to earth ground. Output from an inverter to standard wiring puts you back into the same potential-to-ground scenario.

[MOPanfisher]

Thank you bfishn for setting it straight.  Even with his assurances I wasn't willing to bet my life or anyone else's life on it.  

[Old plug]

i knew and was aware of that dock where the drowning on LOZ took place they wad a electric motor mounted under a water slide  it looked like a total disaster long before the disaster took place. Of the twenty homes in my imeadiate vicinity on LOZ I can only verify that one other than mine is wired to specifications. If your a home owner out here and need someone to wire your dock be careful. Some of the electricians out here do not even do a good job. Last summer a neighbor had a dock wired up( took then about a week) to get it done. After they were done I drove by in the boat and seen no less than 3 violations

[MOPanfisher]

Old Plug, since I know very little about the docks at LOZ I have a question.  Is there a requirement (from Ameren or county ordinance) that required the docks to be wired according to a code, such as the national electric code, or any requirement for annual inspection.  Realizing that there is no way they could enforce an annual inspection but just curious.

[Old plug]

4 minutes ago, MOPanfisher said:

Old Plug, since I know very little about the docks at LOZ I have a question.  Is there a requirement (from Ameren or county ordinance) that required the docks to be wired according to a code, such as the national electric code, or any requirement for annual inspection.  Realizing that there is no way they could enforce an annual inspection but just curious.

There sure is. Ameren rules are the same as the National Electrical code. But there is no enforcement of it unless the dock changes hands. In places they wanted to have annual inspections, That even is a mess. They said it should be done by a qualified electrician then gave the authority to do it to firemen in locale fire houses at the cost of $150 bucks to be inspected and if something needed to be changed they had to come back and verify the change and then charge you another $150. The whole inspection thing looks like more of a money grab deal rather than concern for safety.  If you sell your house  the home inspector often inspects the dock. Not sure that is a positive thing either.  Recently a friend sold her home and the inspector called her for having the wrong kind of GFI's in the house near water outlets. They had GFI and your suppose to have GFCI  in those locations. But they never said a thing about the GFI that were on her dock. And that to me where the GFIC's would seem to be required . 

[MOPanfisher]

Thanks OldPlug.  I suspected it was required to follow the NEC, but didn't know of the  fire dept. connection, or if any enforcement. I know we have to install GFCI outlets anywhere within 6 ft. of a water source or something like that at our office.  I assume the major difference on a dock would be that the outlet / box also would need to be rated for wet/damp locations.