you wrote:
And the over-current protection needs to be within seven inches of where the alternator output connects to either the battery or the main DC bus bar.
Hmm. I must have read the ABYC book wrong, because I put a huge breaker close to the alternator. It is actually about 12 inches away, because of cable lengths (the alternator is moved around a lot when changing belts or replacing engine hoses, and there needs to be some slack.)
What you say makes sense, because there is more danger of high amperage coming from the batteries than there is from the alternator. I remember agonizing over this, because the rule didn't make sense to me but it was the printed rule. Heck, I have a big breaker within 7 inches of each battery bank (except the starting battery, which is exempt) and so decided that the rule meant that I should put a breaker next to the alternator. Actually, I put a 170A fuse next to my 130A alternator, because I thought it was a stupid rule and knew that if that fuse ever blew I'd have a cascade of problems. As someone said, the alternator would probably die. I've swapped alternators when the boat is bouncing around and it's not fun, especially with a V Drive.
Wal -- s/v Stella Blue _______________________________________________ Email address: CnC-List@cnc-list.com To change your list preferences, including unsubscribing -- go to the bottom of page at: http://cnc-list.com/mailman/listinfo/cnc-list_cnc-list.com
