I live & work at Holden Beach. I wire a lot of boat lifts/Walkways over the Intracoastal waterway & in canals. Does the feeder wire from the house panel to the end of the dock subpanel over water have to be GFCI protected? What is happening is when I put it on GFCI, then when a boat with shorepower plugs into it, it trips the gfci back at the house because the boats have their own gfci protection in the boat.
Wiring over water
- Thread starter choots
- Start date
- Status
- Location
- Windsor, CO NEC: 2017
- Occupation
- Service Manager
I don't think the feeder requires GFCI protection - but you can install GFCI's on the load side of each other all day and should not see a trip.
Does the GFCI at the receptacle where the boat plugs in trip, when the feeder GFCI protection is removed?
You could have damage to the feeder conductors causing this trip as well.
Does the GFCI at the receptacle where the boat plugs in trip, when the feeder GFCI protection is removed?
You could have damage to the feeder conductors causing this trip as well.
- Location
- Illinois
- Occupation
- retired electrician
The wiring on the boat has some type of neutral to ground connection or excessive leakage current that is causing the GFCI to trip.
Don
Don
The boat is plugged into shore power. 30a/125v. Everytime you plug into shore power the gfci breaker at the main panel where the main feed comes from trips. I have run into this on several occasions with different boats. I wire all mine with regular breaker at main panel & go to subpanel over water to end of walkway. I run 4 wire to subpanel & all loads I put on GFCI. I have never had problem with this but now we have inspector dispute. He says that the feeders over water have to be on GFCI.
Cavie
Senior Member
- Location
- SW Florida
The wires are not required to be gfi protrcted, just the equipment at the dock. Motors, outlets. you are protecting the people not the wires.
- Status