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Electrical Cords A shocking wake-up call to poor maintenance BY BOB ARRINGTON
The marina at Hawks Cay Resort
W hen explaining how electricity moves through a wire, an analogy is frequently made to how water moves through a hose, comparing voltage, amperage and ohms in the wires to the volume, pressure and resistance of water in a hose. People tend to understand this analogy very well and can easily visualize electricity flowing through wires. Most people have also experienced the failure of a water hose, suddenly bursting along the hose or at the end-fitting. Aside from being unexpectedly soaked while
washing the car or connecting the sprinkler, little harm can come from this mishap. Now imagine your boat’s electrical cord bursting in the same manner. It’s a significantly more exciting and definitely more dangerous occurrence. No, that couldn’t happen, you say.Think again, it happens more often than you realize. Boat shore power cords are amazingly durable.They tolerate staying out in the cold, heat, rain and sometimes even in the snow. They’re walked on and even driven over at times.The ends are occasionally dropped in
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