The AC receptacle installed on the port side of the galley |
The AC distribution panel that I selected for my boat was a Blue Sea Systems brand panel with a built-in AC main breaker. The large switch at the top of the panel is the breaker. Beneath this switch are the three switches for the three separate circuits. I had purchased this particular panel, because it had everything I needed - a meter, a breaker, and three separate circuits.
One of these circuits would be dedicated to the battery charger.
The Iota 45 charger |
The air conditioner box |
After a great deal of thought, I decided that this spot, pictured below, was the one and only place that I could install the AC receptacle dedicated to the air conditioner. Installing the receptacle here would mean that its backside would project into the cockpit locker. Despite the fact that there would be equipment in this locker, this location for the receptacle was tolerable, especially since I could protect the back of the receptacle with a plastic electrical box.
To begin the installation, I marked the area using an AC receptacle faceplate as a guide. This faceplate, as seen above, is one that is made specifically for a GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interrupt) receptacle. These are the types of receptacles that are normally now required by local and state building codes to be installed in the bathrooms and kitchens of new homes under construction. These receptacles, unlike the normal ones, will break the circuit in the presence of water or excessive moisture. This, of course, reduces the risk of electrocution. Are these GFCI receptacles, therefore, good to have on a boat? Certainly.
Please ignore the spots of mildew and other crud on the bulkhead. The boat was still pretty nasty at this time.
Over the outline of the faceplate I traced the outline of the GFCI.
Then I got to work, drilling one hole after another through the bulkhead.
I had to use this multi-hole technique, because the area was too tight for any of the electrically powered saws that I had.
Once I had drilled all of the large holes, I pulled out the Dremel with its special fiberglass-cutting bit and made my way through several of the holes.
The Dremel was somewhat helpful, but the keyhole saw was the tool that finally did just what I needed.
After I had cleaned up the rough edges of the hole, I installed the GFCI receptacle.
Then I installed the white plastic faceplate. When I had purchased the GFCI, I had thought that white would look good. As it turned out, it looked sort of cheap, and it didn't really tie in well with the mahogany trim for the other components of the electrical system. I contemplated creating a mahogany trim piece for the faceplate, but I thought that it would complicate things, and I thought that it would not look good to extend the mahogany trim beyond the mahogany fiddle rail on the front of the cabinet. As you see in the picture below, the fiddle creates a visual break between the countertop and that which is inboard of the countertop.
Therefore, I returned to the hardware store, and, in the process of purchasing an additional GFCI (for the receptacle dedicated to the battery charger), I found some stainless steel faceplates that were quite affordable.
The stainless steel made a big difference in terms of the appearance of the receptacle and the overall appearance of the layout of electrical components in this part of the boat.
This ends this first part of my two-part article on my installation of the AC receptacle on the port side of the galley in Oystercatcher, my Ericson 25.
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