Installing an ELCI Prevents Electric Shock Drowning!
Installing an ELCI Prevents Electric Shock Drowning! Anyone who’s come in contact with even a mild jolt of electricity knows the muscle spasms it can generate. Complete immersion after falling or unknowingly jumping into water that’s been electrified by a boat’s faulty wiring can trigger total body immobility and even stop a heart, tragically resulting in a drowning fatality. The cause is typically stray AC current exiting the boat and traveling back to its source on shore via the water instead of the ground wire. Fortunately, there are measures that can be taken to help prevent such occurrences, the centerpiece being an equipment leakage circuit interrupter or ELCI. SmartPlug Systems, pioneer in shore power safety, explains the importance of this critical piece of equipment and the simplicity of adding one by the average DIY boat owner. An ELCI is similar to a residential GFCI (ground-fault circuit-interrupter). The circuitry inside the device measures the incoming and outg