Electric Shock Drowning

[mikenehrkorn]

A friend who knows that I spend a lot of time on our boat in our lake sent me an article on FB about electric shock drowning (ESD). I had never really heard of this before and thought there may be others out there who may also benefit from this information. The link below has a very informative article on the subject.

I am very much a novice when it comes to electricity, but from reading the below article is sounds like the only real problem is with AC coming from shore power of some kind. This is likely why I have never heard of the issue before because our lake is very small with no marina and the only shore power I have at the dock is the occasion extension cord for the battery charger that needs to be hooked up from time to time.

http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/magazine/2013/july/electric-shock-drowning-explained.asp

[padge]

My wife watched her cousin die when she was younger from the same thing. Swimming off the back of a houseboat and the shore power had a wire exposed


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[jstenger]

One of the best things to do is make sure that every extension cord is plugged into a GFCI and check the operation of the GFCI on a monthly basis.

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[kaneboats]

Great thread! Thanks for sharing. I had not heard of this either despite a lifetime of being on the water.

[mikenehrkorn]

One of the best things to do is make sure that every extension cord is plugged into a GFCI and check the operation of the GFCI on a monthly basis.

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That's the approach that I always take, but I was never sure if that was enough.

[zabooda]

That's the approach that I always take, but I was never sure if that was enough.

It's not. The GFCI should always be tested before use to get the optimal protection which is especially important if working near water. GFCI's have a high failure rate and seldom do they fail in the open (powered off) position. I've seen a failure rate of 5-10% per year of the GFCIs at our work site. Motors are not connected to GFCIs as the transients on start up or their motor starter will trip them so avoid water contact at marinas where the fuel pump is on the dock. The same can be said about motors for boat lifts and ensure the wiring is in good shape and protected from damage. Have a power disconnect on shore and disconnect the power on shore when the lift isn't used. Proper grounding (bonding) is the key as electricity is always looking for the easiest return path. If you continually trip a GFCI, there is more to the story than you want to believe so you need to find the culprit whether it is the extension cord or the device being used. The testing device in the article is inexpensive, easy to find incorrect wiring and has a trip device for GFCIs that puts an external fault to the receptacle that would replicate an actual incident. I carry one when I use a campground to make sure the their wiring is correct. BTW, May is Electrical Safety Month so a great time for the subject.

[jmvotto]

I used a gfci fault break testers well

There is a warning device sold that will pick up stray electricity in the water and set off a visual and audio alarm

http://www.docklifeguard.org/purchasehere.html

We always unplug our dock hoist power when swimming kids and pets

[KG's Supra24]

There are a couple variations of what Joe posted. My wife has been looking at them but we haven't bought anything yet. Would love feedback if anyone has used one.

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[Connolly_Crew]

This happens near me every season. Had two drown last year at my home lake. Sad stuff..


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[jmvotto]

Kyle

My buddy just bought one I will give you feed back on the one posted above

[wolfeman131]

I bought this device

http://www.mfssupply.com/ShockAlarm-Electrical-Pool-Dock-Shock-Protection?_ga=2.124784586.1702342462.1494674448-374186819.1494674063

[jmvotto]

Aewsome thanks drew

[KG's Supra24]

I ended up picking up a similar version to what Drew posted ... Shock Alert

http://www.shockalert.com/



http://www.shockalert.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Shock-Alert-Web-Graphic.png

[Gqjeff]

Def going to grab one of these devices. We have a large metal dock with a powered hoist. The mainline is plugged into our cabins shed power. Then it come to a GFCI before entering the dock. Then we have another GFCI on the dock. Then we have a GFCI that we plug the hoist pump into. I always unplug the mainline when not in use. I have forgotten a few times though with kids jumping in the water off the deck. I think one of these alarms is def in order. Thanks a bunch as I like many others had no clue about this....

[Gqjeff]

might grab 2 so I can keep one in the overflow of our pool at our house too just in case.