The provisions of this section of Part 4 in the 2002 BSS Standards are mandatory for non-private boats where applicable.
To reduce the risk of the battery charging panel overheating, it must be adequately ventilated to allow any heat produced during charging to escape. To minimise the risk of overheating cables, or short circuits, it's recommended that you fit a manually-operated switch which isolates the battery charger from the incoming a.c. supply.
It's also a good idea to have an indicator light on your charging panel that shows when the boat's batteries are charging. [4.7]
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Built-in mains battery chargers must be suitable for the marine environment they are used in. Most examiners recommend that the charger is connected to the boat via a “CEEFORM” blue 16A fixed male plug, similar to the ones used in caravans, and that the charging lead uses a “CEEFORM” free female socket on its boat end to avoid anyone's fingers coming into contact with live connectors. [4.6] |