Extension Cord/Power Strips

[chengkp75]

For another link of standby power, read this link from the University of California Berkeley...

 

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2001/02/09_energ.html

 

As I said before, its not the power strips or extension cords that are the problem, its the fact we don't unplug much if any of our gadgets...

 

While you are correct that modern appliances use "vampire" power, the other posters are correct that a power strip by itself is not drawing any power or current. And the reason that cruise ships don't want power strips has absolutely nothing to do with vampire power. Compared with the maximum generating power of the ship, the amount of power all the cabins could draw is at most a few percent. Your house has probably 200 amps of usable current, while any given cabin can only draw 15 (and that is actually split between the 3 cabins on the circuit). Also, most electronics can be plugged into the 220v outlet as well, which drops the current draw by 50%.

 

The main problem with power strips is that everyone brings theirs from home. Most of these power strips are surge protected, which can cause a serious hazard when used with shipboard wiring systems. See the USCG Safety Notice about this:

 

http://www.uscg.mil/tvncoe/Documents/safetyalerts/SurgeProtectiveDevices.pdf

 

Another problem with US power strips is that the switch or "breaker" on the power strip only opens the "hot" lead, but leaves the "neutral" wire connected to the load plugged into the power strip. With the possibility of a ground on the ship, as happened in the USCG Safety Alert, this can lead to someone grabbing an appliance that could still be electrified and dangerous.

 

The ships use a European style power strip that disconnects both wires in the power strip, since European wiring, like shipboard wiring, has 2 hot legs. If you bring one of these power strips, or a simple extension cord (which doesn't help the multiple outlet problem), you will have no problem with taking it onboard.

 

40 years of marine engineering onboard merchant ships (including cruise ships) gives me the experience here.

Edited February 14, 2015 by chengkp75

[chengkp75]

Plus in the utility power line transmission line business electricians see a wire as a load... And if a wire presents resistance an electrical outlet presents resistance and is a load... ..

 

I'm sorry, but your definition of power and load are just not right. While in the power transmission business a wire is a load, there must be current flowing through the wire to make the load. An outlet without anything plugged into it has no current flowing, so the wires leading to the outlet have no power or "load" associated with them.

[Valen9]

Maybe my use of the word load in your opinion is wrong, but juice is flowing through the outlet. If not why do electric clocks still run when you turn radios and microwaves off? Plus in the utility power line transmission line business electricians see a wire as a load... And if a wire presents resistance an electrical outlet presents resistance and is a load... And surely a power strip lengthens the wiring to an outlet on the strip from the wall outlet...

 

When your microwave or oven is off, that means that the cooking elements are not running. Each of these appliances is part of the load. We don't consider those "ghost" loads since those clocks are considered a working load -- at any time you might walk by in the kitchen and want to know the time!

 

An extension cord or power strip that does not carry a load does NOT have electricity running through it. It is an open circuit. A transformer is NOT an open circuit -- as long as it is plugged in, it is "transforming" even if there is no load on it. There are newer devices that detect a load and can disconnect such things when they're not needed but in the past nobody bothered.

 

The reason you must unplug electronics before you mess with them is NOT because there is electricity running thru them at all times! It is because if you are messing with it and make a tiny mistake, you might complete a circuit and electrocute yourself. Some devices also contain capacitors, which store electricity for a short period. You want to wait until the capacitors discharge before you mess with the device, and for the same reason.

 

I think you need to review what you know about electronics.

[garycarla]

Going on the Valor next week and was wondering where people kept their power strip plugged in so it didn't take up counter space.

 

This thread has taken a strange turn.

 

First off, it is from 2010. Still valid, but old.

 

Next, the poster is talking about the Valor, which is not an NCL ship.

 

Then, we get into some high tech talk about loads and stuff. Pretty funny actually.

[Kingofwylietx]

Holy dead thread Batman!

 

Actually, I know a bit about circuits and electrical properties myself....but I found Chengkp75's info very interesting Because I would not have even thought about the neutral disconnect or having 2 hots. I'm glad I read it.

We will take a simple short cord with multiple outlets with us on our next cruise. 👍

[don't-use-real-name]

JUST beware of this the ships engineers just love you folks when you flush things

down the toilet that should not be causing 50 other folks on the pipe line to

be inconvenienced while repairs can be done.

 

SO with that in mind if the sum of all your electric toys exceeds the current

output of the cabin you are in a circuit breaker will be blown and the friendly

ships engineers will have to come and reset the breaker either in your cabin

or in the passageway outside it.

 

NOW take this a step further - while this is unlikely (where have you heard

that before?) Say you bust the electron bank and maybe even were aided by

your cabin neighbor with all his toys the Main breaker for a whole section of

staterooms maybe affected and the men with white coats and flashlights are

going to be coming and restoring power and it ain't going to be pretty.

There will be talk about sailing in the dark ages when candles where OK but

using the loo without lights is going to be something to write home about

albeit when lighting is restored !

 

WELL if you are on board a ship and are reading this and the lights go out

you have been warned !

 

OH and have a pleasant cruise in the naughty room tender that is towed behind

the ship for rascals that exceed their electrical current quota !

 

SERIOUSLY no one was hurt or electrocuted while this was written but a bit

of humor may prevent serious overload of current complications !

 

HEY you with the portable power generator - enough is enough !

[Kingofwylietx]

Fortunately, we just need to keep a ton of electronic gadgets charged....so we should remain well below our electron quota.

 

You may find it shocking, but I'm not currently charged with resistance or distribution. The circuit court has the power to ohmit anything generated or transmitted via wire.

[Raleigh Traveler]

A few things to clarify.

Changing to 220v does drop the amperage by 50% but the wattage (actual load) remains the same.

European is 230v and ONLY ONE lead is hot. Unlike the US 230v which does have two hot leads, European has the 230v all on one leg. I live where we use the UK configuration. Because of power issues, we have a battery backup system with an inverter that has a digital readout of power draw. I can't argue the science but I know that if I keep chargers plugged into a strip with no appliances being charged, it affects the readout on the inverter. Also many power strips have electronics inside which do draw power even if nothing is plugged in but switched on. We have also seen US strips fried when plugged into a 230v outlet with an adapter...because the electronics are designed for 115v.

[chengkp75]

A few things to clarify.

Changing to 220v does drop the amperage by 50% but the wattage (actual load) remains the same.

European is 230v and ONLY ONE lead is hot. Unlike the US 230v which does have two hot leads, European has the 230v all on one leg. I live where we use the UK configuration. Because of power issues, we have a battery backup system with an inverter that has a digital readout of power draw. I can't argue the science but I know that if I keep chargers plugged into a strip with no appliances being charged, it affects the readout on the inverter. Also many power strips have electronics inside which do draw power even if nothing is plugged in but switched on. We have also seen US strips fried when plugged into a 230v outlet with an adapter...because the electronics are designed for 115v.

 

Quite right about the total load not changing, but the circuit breaker looks at current, so that is the limiting factor.

 

While European terminology may call one wire neutral, to the best of my knowledge, the neutral is not at the same voltage as the "protective ground", as it is in US wiring. There is usually 220v between the two round pins, and 110v between either pin and the ground. US wiring has 110v between the hot and the neutral, and between the hot and ground, and 0v between neutral and ground.

 

Most chargers these days do not have transformers in them, but are in fact SCR (silicon controlled rectifiers) converters. There will always be a small current draw in an SCR to the gate. A tablet charger these days will draw 0.7 amp at full current, and the gate current is on the order of 0.07 amp or less. The power you see in a power strip that has nothing connected to it, is due to the surge suppressor circuitry, which again requires some gate current at all times. And the reason a 110v power strip that fries when plugged into 220v is because the surge suppression circuit is designed for 110v.

 

As I've said, if you get something without a surge suppressor, most problems onboard go away, and the vampire power that chargers use really doesn't matter to the cruise ship.

 

Sorry for getting this restarted, didn't get to the last post that resuscitated the thread before posting, and as usual, never checked the original posting dates. Mea culpa.

[Raleigh Traveler]

Yes, the breakers look at amps but the breakers here are 5 and 10 amp, not the 15 and 20 you find in a US residence. There is no benefit to 230v European for load.

There is 230v on the hot leg, nothing on the neutral or neutral to ground. Only one leg, the 230v hot, goes through the single breakers and are protected. The UK plugs come with an internal fuse, only on one leg. The other European system is non-polarized but still 230v on one leg and zero on the neutral. You can google the issue and get that info or put a tester to it, which I have done.

For those that cruise often, you can buy a European plugged power strip on Amazon (two round prongs) that have universal outlets. Your cabin usually has two outlets, one US and one European. The European allows you to use both outlets in your cabin as well as outlets in other areas of the ship, like if you wanted to charge something while in a lounge or buffet area as they tend to be the recessed, round European outlets.

[mking8288]

On new ships like the BA, there is at least one (2 with the coffee maker unplugged) unused 220 outlet in the stateroom (more for suites & above) and I use it for the notebook/laptop computer as most (if not all) run on auto-sensing dual voltage power adapter (110-120 and 220-240 volts) with a simple adapter (see pics - small black one on lower left, or the one on the lower right) The bulkier one on top for overseas/int'l travel, all of them in the gadget pouch.

 

The other device that I've been using for 10 years while cruising (+ going abroad) and never have any problems - the trusty Belkin Power Adapter with two 500 maH USB charging port (good for digital cameras but not smartphones that need 1A or 2A with bigger screens or tablets) Belkin has an updated model on Amazon, often sale priced at under $20 USD shipped - for anyone looking to get up.

[Cruiser Who Knows Nothing]

Well that was 10 minutes I'll never get back.

 

 

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