Noco charger

[Joe arrigo]

I just installed a noco genius charger and agm batteries . The only thing is I have to use the old shore power plug because it has the factory breaker on my panel . I have to put a female plug on my old charger wire . Any info or ideas or will this work fine

 

[seasick]

I think I understand what you are asking about. I assume your old charger was hard wired to power ( your AC panel)
Electrically the female receptacle idea will work but I would suggest that if possible and you have the room, that you install a utility box with a a ground fault protected outlet since your shore power not have fault protection at the dock.
I do have concerns though about the charger. I did a quick look and didn't see any mention about being designed for a marine environment. There are several Genius models and I don't know the exact model you have If the charger is going to be permanent, it should be designed for a marine environment and should be fused appropriately for the battery feed(s)

 

[dogdoc]

A plug connection ( essentially a splice) in the bilge/transom area for ac power in a marine environment is a scary thought. Even heat shrink splice would not be acceptable in my mind. It should be enclosed in a box as seasick says. On my old grady the ac system was shot, all the ac appliances in the cabin did not work so I just eliminated the ac power going to the cabin. The only ac on my boat powers my on board charger. I placed a 15 amp ac input under the port gunnel that feeds a galvanic isolater and then the charger. While this may not work for you I suppose you could add a second ac input dedicated to the charger but that seems overkill to me.

 

[seasick]

A plug connection ( essentially a splice) in the bilge/transom area for ac power in a marine environment is a scary thought. Even heat shrink splice would not be acceptable in my mind. It should be enclosed in a box as seasick says. On my old grady the ac system was shot, all the ac appliances in the cabin did not work so I just eliminated the ac power going to the cabin. The only ac on my boat powers my on board charger. I placed a 15 amp ac input under the port gunnel that feeds a galvanic isolater and then the charger. While this may not work for you I suppose you could add a second ac input dedicated to the charger but that seems overkill to me.

Actually I was recommending a hard wired GFIC outlet in a utility box. More importantly though, I wasn't thinking about the charger in the bilge but in my foggy mind assumed it was higher up, in a cabinet or such and close to the AC panel. If the install is in a lower bilge, the charger and wiring have to meet ABYC specs and the charger has to specifically state it is for marine apps.

 

[Hookup1]

On my boat the battery charger is on a panel circuit breaker. This is enough protection for me. The only GFI's on my boat are on the outlets.

For the charger power I spliced a molded female power cord in with soldered connections and heat shrink. I then plug the male cord from the charger in and neatly/carefully wrap the two plugs with good electrical tape.

The models I see are IPS68 rated which is more than you need.

• Designed for water - A fully-sealed and waterproof onboard battery charger with an ingress protection rating of IP68, but has survived brutal life cycle testing, including thousands of hours underwater.

 

[seasick]

I guess that without knowing the exact model of charger and the intended installation details, I can't say with certainty if the charger is suitable for the application.

I will comment though that ABYC regs don't permit soldered connections as far as I am aware.

 

[Hookup1]

I guess that without knowing the exact model of charger and the intended installation details, I can't say with certainty if the charger is suitable for the application.

I will comment though that ABYC regs don't permit soldered connections as far as I am aware.

Soldered connections are probably not allowed. Use an adhesive lined shrink tube crimp butt splice.

My splices are short barrel twist connections, soldered and covered with a short piece of heavy duty adhesive lined shrink tubing to prevent flex on the wires.

 

[DennisG01]

Yeah, generally speaking, butt/crimp connections with adhesive shrink are MORE than adequate. The flex that Hookup mentions is the reason to, for the most part, stay away from soldering. "Most" people use too much solder and you get a flex/pivot point where the solder stops and that can cause the wire to break. Even with proper soldering, there will be a flex point - but it is worse with too much solder.

If one is going to use solder, the joint must be physically supported on either end by some mechanical means (cable clamps, for example) to prevent flexing - essentially keeping the joint straight/in-line until after the solder point so the natural flex of the wire can happen.

Joe, I'm not following exactly what you are saying here - can you better explain? "The only thing is I have to use the old shore power plug because it has the factory breaker on my panel . I have to put a female plug on my old charger wire ."

But, why not hardwire the charger directly to a breaker in the panel?

As mentioned, also clarify where you are mounting the charger and whether or not it is appropriate/approved for that area.

 

[efx]

Does this look to be a problem? See the yellow female plug on the feed from the circuit panel on the boat. The power feed from the yard to the boats panel is gfic. The marine rated battery charger plugs into the yellow plug power feed. All wires are secured to stringer.

 

[DennisG01]

EFX, there's less USCG rules about plug-in connections with an outboard. But, you still have the charger in an area that could possibly see gas fumes. A plug-in connection is a loose connection and could possibly arc/spark. If there are gas fumes present, you know what comes next. Best practice is to use a plug-in connection up on deck somwhere or hardwire that connection. The setup you have also can allow moisture to get inside the plug - especially since it's vertical. Also, because it's vertical and doesn't appear to have the charger side very secure... what's stopping the two plugs from starting to come apart due to vibration? There's another case where sparking can happen.

Side note... it looks like you purposefully alilgned those double hose clamps to make them look "pretty" Best practice is to orient the worm gears 180* to each other for better clamping/sealing.

 

[efx]

EFX, there's less USCG rules about plug-in connections with an outboard. But, you still have the charger in an area that could possibly see gas fumes. A plug-in connection is a loose connection and could possibly arc/spark. If there are gas fumes present, you know what comes next. Best practice is to use a plug-in connection up on deck somwhere or hardwire that connection. The setup you have also can allow moisture to get inside the plug - especially since it's vertical. Also, because it's vertical and doesn't appear to have the charger side very secure... what's stopping the two plugs from starting to come apart due to vibration? There's another case where sparking can happen.

Side note... it looks like you purposefully alilgned those double hose clamps to make them look "pretty" Best practice is to orient the worm gears 180* to each other for better clamping/sealing.

Thanks, I appreciate this awareness. I’ll hardwire that battery charger and get it 100% and also alternate this hose clamps. I see what you are saying about the seal.

 

[Hookup1]

I would rather see molded connectors there. Just use electrical tape to tape the connectors together to waterproof them. No more dangerous than your old charger with an exposed terminal strip on it. You will be fine.

HDX 8 ft. 16/3 Indoor/Outdoor Workshop Extension Cord, Black-AW64003 - The Home Depot

The versatile indoor/outdoor weather-proof design of the exclusive 8 ft. 16/3 Black Extension Cord in black from HDX is an ideal solution for light duty use. Power-up commonly used devices, consumer

www.homedepot.com

 

[Ridge Runner]

Actually I was recommending a hard wired GFIC outlet in a utility box. More importantly though, I wasn't thinking about the charger in the bilge but in my foggy mind assumed it was higher up, in a cabinet or such and close to the AC panel. If the install is in a lower bilge, the charger and wiring have to meet ABYC specs and the charger has to specifically state it is for marine apps.

Does anybody know if the original battery charger wire/circuit is ground fault protected?
I don't want to cut and hard wire my new charger because it voids the 3 year warranty. I'm planning a ground fault outlet tucked up under the gunnel to get the connection out of the bilge. Any recommended outlet/box for this?

 

[Hookup1]

Only GFI on my boat is in the head. It's possible all my outlets are protected off that outlet.

I would not protect the battery charger or the boat itself with a dock GFI.

I use a cord like above post, splice in and tape over for a waterproof yet removable connection.