UK 16amp supply, 13amp load help..

[Silli1]

Hi,

May be an odd one but…
I’m fitting out a boat, the marina supplies 16amps shore power and they insist on gas cookers so as not to overload their supply.

I’ve just seen you can buy 13amp cookers, would I be right to assume that a 13amp cooker would only ever draw 13amps and thus, would not be able to overload their 16amp supply or does the high wattage (2200 I believe) have more to do with it than the draw?

Many thanks

 

[timhoward]

Divide the watts (2200) by 230 volts to get the total current draw possible, which would be turning everything on at once until such a time as the various elements are cycling on thermostats.
On it's own such an item would not trip the protective device on the marina supply. However it could be a fair chunk of your 16 amps gone so it could limit what else you can do at the same time.
On a more practical note wouldn't you want a gas cooker so you can cook when not at the marina?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

2200W / 230V = 9.6A so fine for your own supply but with limited cooking ability - that's really one full size ring or an oven on full. It seems rather limiting if you do have LPG aboard and that is an option. You don't mention the size of boat so maybe you need a compact cooking device anyway.

 

[Silli1]

Thanks guys,

I don’t have gas yet, there’s a shortage of bottles atm tbh but haven’t ruled it out, just weighing up the options.

As for cruising, that’ll be very limited land I’ll mostly be in the marina, so trying to make it as simple as I can. Well I think I am

Thanks to you guys though, I think the penny has just dropped… maybe…

When I complete a power audit of all my appliances, I’ll better understand what I can use at a given time so as not to draw over 16amps, ie.. if the cooker draws 9.6a and the washing machine 5a etc I know I’ll be able to use the two at the same time… just don’t put the kettle on…

New to boating and limited knowledge of electrics, if you hadn’t already guessed.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

the washing machine 5a

Most washing machines need 10-13A.

New to boating and limited knowledge of electrics

Don't forget there are extra / different regs for boat wiring compared to house wiring! E.g. no T+E, DP MCBs etc and other specifics to consider like galvanic isolation, N-E links if you want to use a genny, etc. Good to seek advice but 50% of everything you will be told will be wrong. I speak as a former marine installer and boater of 35 years and the amount of electrical gobbledegook I hear around and about is amazing.

As for cruising, that’ll be very limited land I’ll mostly be in the marina

Don't limit your future possibilities if you don't have to. Unless it's a static houseboat, I would strongly recommend making everything cruisable. We have electric water heating and I do use electric heaters occasionally for convenience on the berth but only as an alternative to the engine calorifier / gas boiler / solid fuel stove options that I would not be without.

 

[littlespark]

Washing machine on a boat?

I would think there would be laundry facility’s included in any mooring fee you pay??

I only know canal barge systems, as a family member had one on the Union Canal in Edinburgh.
Yes, you get 16A from the marina hook up, but a lot of the time, you may be moving and dependant on the inverter from the engine for electricity. Which is normally only enough for a phone charger!
Lighting is off the 12v battery system.

16A is very roughly 4kW…

 

[pirate]

Good advice above, but it ultimately depends on what kind of "boating" you intend to do. It's much more flexible to be able to be independent of shore power for heat, light, cooking, everything really. However, there are so many options out there it can be tricky to decide which way to go. You can also get far too complicated...on one boat I had we used:
Diesel for the main engine
Petrol for the outboard
Gas for cooking
Paraffin for the central heating...
Battery power for lighting and windlass
It all worked fine though.
Speak to other boaters and get their views/experience, and pick and choose what suits you best.
If you are really fitting out from scratch and have the luxury of cabling at the start, maybe consider 24V for the electrics.

 

[R-fur]

Just because its a 16A socket dont assume it can deliver 16A, Some marinas who give free electricity with the berth use 6A breakers so the boat owners cant use fan heaters etc. If you want a 16A supply you often have to pay extra or get a metered supply.
The marinas say the 6A supply is only for lights and battery charging even though 16A sockets are the standard.
Views will vary between marinas of course.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

At our mooring we have 10A supplies but the MCBs are hard to access and accidentally tripping one might result in downtime before someone can be found to unlock. I have equipped our DB with a recalibrated B10 that is tested to trip first on overload in all weathers, so that the shoreline source never trips as a result of switching on too many appliances. (Although obviously it would be a race with a short-circuit or leakage instant trip.)

 

[brianmoooore]

All very similar to the situation with a touring caravan.
Fridge: 230V, 12V or LPG.
Space heating: 230V or LPG
Water heating 230V or LPG
Cooking: Oven & hob LPG, microwave 230V
Lighting and extractor fan: 12V, automatically changing to 230V when available.
Just the washing machine and freezer 230V only.

16A sockets are the standard, but 10A MCB is usual, with the odd 6A. Normally type C though.
I carry a selection of the common electricity box keys with me in the 'van. Been useful on a few occasions when we've accidently tripped the supply MCB.