FinallyRetired
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2002
- Messages
- 1,322
I live on a lake and have a dock about 100 feet from my house. I just sold a small electric boat that had a small battery that I would carry to the house for recharging, then take it down when needed. I realize it's a violation of LBYM principles, but it gets harder and harder for me to handle the small tippy boat and carry the battery up and down a bunch of stairs, so I'm now considering getting a slightly larger, more stable, boat with a 48V system, using four 12V batteries and built-in charger (a Minn kota E-drive).
So I need to run a permanent circuit from the house down to the dock. I'm going to call an electrician to make sure everything is safe and done according to code, but before I get estimates I'd like some idea of the extent of the work.
My house fuse box is in the basement utility room and, unfortunately, is on the opposite side of the house from the dock. The rest of the basement is finished, so putting a separate circuit into the box, though ideal, may be a big deal.
My other option is to run the circuit from an existing outside circuit on the back of the house, which is closest to the dock. But that circuit feeds not only the outside plug but also two bathrooms (what were they thinking) and outside malibu lights, and on occasion trips the GFCI when DW uses her hair dryer.
My question, how much current would I expect a battery charger to draw? And it's not only the charger drawing, but with 100 feet of line, there would also be some voltage drop for that distance. I don't mind an occasional GFCI trip if tapping off that existing line will save me thousands over a separate circuit, but also don't want to do anything stupid.
So I need to run a permanent circuit from the house down to the dock. I'm going to call an electrician to make sure everything is safe and done according to code, but before I get estimates I'd like some idea of the extent of the work.
My house fuse box is in the basement utility room and, unfortunately, is on the opposite side of the house from the dock. The rest of the basement is finished, so putting a separate circuit into the box, though ideal, may be a big deal.
My other option is to run the circuit from an existing outside circuit on the back of the house, which is closest to the dock. But that circuit feeds not only the outside plug but also two bathrooms (what were they thinking) and outside malibu lights, and on occasion trips the GFCI when DW uses her hair dryer.
My question, how much current would I expect a battery charger to draw? And it's not only the charger drawing, but with 100 feet of line, there would also be some voltage drop for that distance. I don't mind an occasional GFCI trip if tapping off that existing line will save me thousands over a separate circuit, but also don't want to do anything stupid.