Extension cord?

[Anisum]

Mine isn't Anker. I posted that one because I couldn't find a good picture of the brand I bought. I'll look up the specs it came with and see if it has the built in surge protector.

I will say that while the issues of surge protectors is important and certainly no one wants to cause a fire. I do feel the cruise lines should also meet the demand of most travelers. When I'm in a room with one other person I can get away with only using the outlets provided BUT there are families of four or more using the same number of outlets that satisfies two people. Obviously they can't allow devices that may be a danger but the alternative if they don't intend to add more sockets in the rooms would be to come up with a list of approved devices.

I do have a question about the Coast Guard's findings. Reading it, I get the impression that just some SPDs are incompatible with ships but that others should be fine. Is there anyway for someone to know prior to having the device inspected by a trained crew member?

 

[westom]

Looking at the device.... For a $7 device.... would there be surge protection?

First the device should have a UL Listing for human safety. If it is UL listed and has surge protectors, then it will list UL 1449. UL 1449 was created because so many surge protectors created house fires (mostly due to undersizing). It has been revised twice more because even UL Listed protectors still cause fires.

Second, fire risk in a home is considered acceptable. It is totally unacceptable on a ship.

Third, best protection is already inside appliances. A near zero protector inside plug-in devices does little for electronic protection. Appliances routinely convert tiny surges into rock stable, low voltage electricity to safety power its semiconductors. Most protectors are recommended on fear; not based on specification numbers.

 

[truck1]

This problem is still only an advisory from the USCG and not regulation, which I think it should be.However it is only going to get worse as the cruise industry appear to not be keeping up with the demand to charge electrical technology. And it is only going to increase.

I'm sure none of us want to be "that person" that innocently brought on something dangerous and caused a fire.
But I'm not sure how they can inspect everything electrical as well.

@Tonka's Skipper @truck1
What are your views and thoughts?

I read the advisory from the CG, and yes it is just that, an advisory, but it also mentions that they line/operator should have a policy in place to cover surge protectors. The CG can say that from now on, a ship has to have a given gizmo, to enter US waters, and all that will happen is that those ships will move to Europe. The people with the real power to make that happen is IMO among others. CG usually follows the IMO SOLAS directorates. As do most countries, unless there is a specific reason not to, such as environmental issues such as in Alaska, or Venice Italy, where the islands are sinking. From what I remember seeing, and Ill have to dig it up, DCL has a policy in place that if you bring on a certain item, one of the ships electricians has to ok using it before the ship leaves the pier. Personally I haven't seen it or heard of it being done, but its supposed to happen. Thinking back I do remember leaving a small battery charger on the desk charging and coming back to find it unplugged. Didn't think much of it at the time, but 20/20 hindsight is always nice. It makes more sense remembering seeing the electrical policy.
Here the issue, along with what the USCG put out.

A ships electrical system is designed to provide a given amount of amount of power, and its broken down per cabin. Each supply, so to speak in each cabin can only handle a given amount of power. So theoretically, someone can bring on board a power strip, and over heat the supply lines causing issues, up to and including fires. May not be today or tomorrow, but at some point. Same thing with hair dryers etc. As pointed out, they can easily in some cases max out an outlet and even overload it. Neither of which is good.

Overtime, people do become complacent and that's a whole different issue.

Heres the next issue. Available power. A ship is designed with a certain amount of power in mind, with a little fudge factor. Using the Magic class as an example, when they were built, they were designed for an electrical load at that time. So the gensets were speced with that in mind. Now 18 years later, usb chargers are becoming more prolific, and electrical devices are increasing. Heres the dilemma. Theres only so much power to go around. The ships needs come first, (propulsion, a/c water creation, septic you get the idea) then passengers. So now, we have say the ship can provide 10kw of power. Say 1 kw goes directly to the cabins. Divided up say for arguments sake each cabin get 1/10th of a kw. Flash forward 20 years later. Now, guests are bringing onboard electronics that surpass the 1/10th kw availability. The problem goes back to theres only so much power to go around.

Could DCL put in say USB chargers? Probably pretty easily. The question is, what are they willing to sacrifice for the usbs.

 

[westom]

Heres the next issue. Available power. A ship is designed with a certain amount of power in mind, with a little fudge factor. Using the Magic class as an example, when they were built, they were designed for an electrical load at that time.

The reasoning works as long as we ignore numbers. Ships were designed for power consumption of that time. That meant light bulbs in hundreds of watts. And USB devices is low singe digit watts.

Today's bulbs consume about 1/7th that power. Hundreds of watts reduced to tens. And a 2 watt USB device is still very little power - many USBs consuming a ten watts total.

With numbers, what demands power has changed (and when). An overall load has slightly decreased even with ten USB devices per cabin.

Problem is not power consumption. Problem is fire.

 

[truck1]

The reasoning works as long as we ignore numbers. Ships were designed for power consumption of that time. That meant light bulbs in hundreds of watts. And USB devices is low singe digit watts.

Today's bulbs consume about 1/7th that power. Hundreds of watts reduced to tens. And a 2 watt USB device is still very little power - many USBs consuming a ten watts total.

With numbers, what demands power has changed (and when). An overall load has slightly decreased even with ten USB devices per cabin.

Problem is not power consumption. Problem is fire.

Yes ships were built for power consumption at that time. But things change over the years.

Consider also what they are adding. The A/d on the Magic as an example. Theres things that go on behind the scenes that we don't see. Overtime, the gensets lose efficiency so the ship probably isn't making 100% of her rated power too often.

Power consumption is still part of the problem, even with the lowered demand. Using an underrated extension cord can cause an overload and fire. Using a standard 6 port power strip can overload the circuit and cause a fire, depending on whats plugged into it.

To an extent they go hand in hand. Look at it this way. A single outlet is rated at a given amount of amps. Just say 10 for arguments sake. Here comes a family of 4 with multiple phones, ipads, laptop, and cameras. Plus a pair of hair dryers. So they plug a hair dryer into an outlet. A 1800 watt hair dryer pulls about 15 amps.( I looked) Were now 5 amps over the rated outlet. So the wiring overheats and the problems start.

 

[BartmanLA]

I've taken a 4 port power strip with a 2ft cord both times we have been on the wonder for charging phones, tablet, and bluetooth speaker and never had any of the room attendants object or disconnect it. I don't use it when I'm not in the room, I turn it off, and I don't plug everything into it at once, usually just a phone charger and the speaker charger. The problem is on the "desk" on the Wonder/Magic there is only limited outlets, and with the wave phones plugged in you have no extra spots to plug in more than one device. I could see it being a problem if you're trying to pull loads for heavy duty devices like medical equipment or fans etc, but for phones or a tablet I don't see this being a danger.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've taken a 4 port power strip with a 2ft cord both times we have been on the wonder for charging phones, tablet, and bluetooth speaker and never had any of the room attendants object or disconnect it. I don't use it when I'm not in the room, I turn it off, and I don't plug everything into it at once, usually just a phone charger and the speaker charger. The problem is on the "desk" on the Wonder/Magic there is only limited outlets, and with the wave phones plugged in you have no extra spots to plug in more than one device. I could see it being a problem if you're trying to pull loads for heavy duty devices like medical equipment or fans etc, but for phones or a tablet I don't see this being a danger.

Well, you can always unplug the Wave Phone charger (that's what we do). And there's an outlet behind the TV. They've also added outlets on either side of the beds in the rooms now.

 

[C6PT7]

I think it is remiss of dcl and all other cruise lines to not provide a certified safe USB charging block or plug sockets in light of so many having surge protection built in. Yes they ban power strips most likely due to the surge protection risk, but also because of overloading receptacles, so by them providing a charging solution they are removing the risk.
I'm sure they could find a manufacturer who would provide a specially dcl branded unit and solve this issue.

 

[C6PT7]

Yes ships were built for power consumption at that time. But things change over the years.

Consider also what they are adding. The A/d on the Magic as an example. Theres things that go on behind the scenes that we don't see. Overtime, the gensets lose efficiency so the ship probably isn't making 100% of her rated power too often.

Power consumption is still part of the problem, even with the lowered demand. Using an underrated extension cord can cause an overload and fire. Using a standard 6 port power strip can overload the circuit and cause a fire, depending on whats plugged into it.

To an extent they go hand in hand. Look at it this way. A single outlet is rated at a given amount of amps. Just say 10 for arguments sake. Here comes a family of 4 with multiple phones, ipads, laptop, and cameras. Plus a pair of hair dryers. So they plug a hair dryer into an outlet. A 1800 watt hair dryer pulls about 15 amps.( I looked) Were now 5 amps over the rated outlet. So the wiring overheats and the problems start.

Thanks for your thoughts truck1!

 

[westom]

Yes they ban power strips most likely due to the surge protection risk, but also because of overloading receptacles, ...

Receptacle shape means it must safely provide 15 amps. Each minimally acceptable power strip (ie with a UL Listing) must feature its own 15 amp circuit breaker. Overloading a receptacle is not a concern.

Ship would already provide sufficient power for all cabins. Extra USB ports are a near zero power increase - far below power reductions created by CFL and LED bulbs. Overloading ship's generators is not an issue once numbers are provided.

 

[insureman]

Receptacle shape means it must safely provide 15 amps. Each minimally acceptable power strip (ie with a UL Listing) must feature its own 15 amp circuit breaker. Overloading a receptacle is not a concern.

Maybe the individual outlet might not be a concern, however some of these outlets wired in parallel would put stress on the circuit feeding these outlets. A couple of power strips on different outlets on the same circuit could cause the feeder circuit to overheat. Hopefully the Magic's 20 year old circuit breaker exposed to sea conditions will trip before the plastic insulation melts.

 

[C6PT7]

Receptacle shape means it must safely provide 15 amps. Each minimally acceptable power strip (ie with a UL Listing) must feature its own 15 amp circuit breaker. Overloading a receptacle is not a concern.

Ship would already provide sufficient power for all cabins. Extra USB ports are a near zero power increase - far below power reductions created by CFL and LED bulbs. Overloading ship's generators is not an issue once numbers are provided.

I guess what is the definition of a power strip is in question?
How many receptacles on an extension cord constitutes becoming a power strip?

Walmart sell the above extension cord with 3 outlets (I would hope it is UL listed) here http://www.walmart.com/ip/Axis-45511-Axis-45511-3-Outlet-Extension-Cord-8-Green/25490677

They are nema 5-15 if I'm not mistaken and do not incorporate a circuit breaker.

I agree that the additional load of a USB charging hub per cabin is unlikely to cause any additional load on the hotel services electrical systems since many people will already be using potentially dangerous USB multi chargers and the like.

 

[Starwind]

A couple thoughts:

Regarding the Anker multiport USB charger: I have one and have had it for a few years. If you read the reviews on Amazon it is clear that some of Anker's versions of it can overheat to the point of being able to melt things, a serious potential fire risk. I'm not sure if they have fully resolved the issue or not. For that reason I only plug mine in when a human is in the room and would hopefully notice if there was an issue. Ours has gotten warm, but not melting hot.

My solution to multiple USB devices that need charging is:

Portable external battery that has USB ports for (re)charging USB-powered electronic devices.

Some examples: http://www.ebags.com/landingpages/lifeboat https://www.anker.com/products/A1271011 and others.

The ones I have will charge an iPhone four times before needing recharging themselves; a tablet about twice.

So, I have a couple, I charge them up overnight, and then during the day use 'em to recharge USB-powered critters. Rinse and repeat.

These work well in all kinds of circumstances, not just cruise ships: road trips, airplane trips, at school, out and about for the day, at WDW parks, etc. There are smaller models that fit well in purses or even pockets (usually with less power so e.g. maybe can only charge a phone once).

Many of them can charge two devices at the same time (be mindful of how much power they can put out and whether they can split power well between two devices... some e.g. could charge two iphones at once but couldn't handle two tablets at once since the tablets have a much bigger draw).

These have revolutionized our power needs and ability to do things without fear of running out of power. Everyone in our household has at least one of them.

Finally: I use the device's original manufacturer USB cable (or a second one I have bought -- but the manufacturer's, not a knock-off). Likewise, I only purchase the portable battery from companies I trust [ebags, anker, mophie], not cheap knockoffs.

For those with Apple products: the Apple store sells a number of this type of product from a few manufacturers.

SW

 

[MSPeeler]

If we bring our iphone chargers, and they aren't approved, what happens to them?

 

[C6PT7]

If we bring our iphone chargers, and they aren't approved, what happens to them?

Your iPhone chargers will not be inspected. And that is the problem being raised, because there is no way for the cruise lines or port inspectors to inspect every single electronic device.
Are they single chargers but just not made by Apple or multi chargers?

As I said above, if you are in doubt if it safe to use, go to the front desk and ask them to have it checked by the electricians. they will either say yes or no. Yes and they will return it to you, no and they will hold it until the end of your cruise and return it to you, just like the fools that try to bring their own cooking equipment or clothes irons aboard.

 

[C6PT7]

A couple thoughts:

Regarding the Anker multiport USB charger: I have one and have had it for a few years. If you read the reviews on Amazon it is clear that some of Anker's versions of it can overheat to the point of being able to melt things, a serious potential fire risk. I'm not sure if they have fully resolved the issue or not. For that reason I only plug mine in when a human is in the room and would hopefully notice if there was an issue. Ours has gotten warm, but not melting hot.

My solution to multiple USB devices that need charging is:

Portable external battery that has USB ports for (re)charging USB-powered electronic devices.

Some examples: http://www.ebags.com/landingpages/lifeboat https://www.anker.com/products/A1271011 and others.

The ones I have will charge an iPhone four times before needing recharging themselves; a tablet about twice.

So, I have a couple, I charge them up overnight, and then during the day use 'em to recharge USB-powered critters. Rinse and repeat.

These work well in all kinds of circumstances, not just cruise ships: road trips, airplane trips, at school, out and about for the day, at WDW parks, etc. There are smaller models that fit well in purses or even pockets (usually with less power so e.g. maybe can only charge a phone once).

Many of them can charge two devices at the same time (be mindful of how much power they can put out and whether they can split power well between two devices... some e.g. could charge two iphones at once but couldn't handle two tablets at once since the tablets have a much bigger draw).

These have revolutionized our power needs and ability to do things without fear of running out of power. Everyone in our household has at least one of them.

Finally: I use the device's original manufacturer USB cable (or a second one I have bought -- but the manufacturer's, not a knock-off). Likewise, I only purchase the portable battery from companies I trust [ebags, anker, mophie], not cheap knockoffs.

For those with Apple products: the Apple store sells a number of this type of product from a few manufacturers.

SW

I agree about the Anker multi chargers. I also have read about them overheating and melting down.
Anyone buying a $7 charger to charge their $700 equipment is foolish IMO.
Buying a manufacturers charger or cable is the best policy IMO.

The rechargeable battery rechargers are a great option too!

 

[MSPeeler]

Your iPhone chargers will not be inspected. And that is the problem being raised, because there is no way for the cruise lines or port inspectors to inspect every single electronic device.
Are they single chargers but just not made by Apple or multi chargers?

As I said above, if you are in doubt if it safe to use, go to the front desk and ask them to have it checked by the electricians. they will either say yes or no. Yes and they will return it to you, no and they will hold it until the end of your cruise and return it to you, just like the fools that try to bring their own cooking equipment or clothes irons aboard.

They are Apple iPhone/iPad single chargers, the ones that came with the devices.

Thanks for the info! I'd hate to be the one who sparks the fire (and not in the cool dance way...)

 

[C6PT7]

They are Apple iPhone/iPad single chargers, the ones that came with the devices.

Thanks for the info! I'd hate to be the one who sparks the fire (and not in the cool dance way...)

If they are Apple made chargers you can use them without any problems and sleep well!

 

[C6PT7]

These kind of Ebay sellers and products scare the hell out of me!
10 USB chargers for $10.79......
yeah, quality components used in these!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10x-1A-USB-...Outlet-FOR-iPhone-4-5-6-Samsung-/221871276818

 

[truck1]

If we bring our iphone chargers, and they aren't approved, what happens to them?

What normally gets checked is things like hair dryers, power steips, flat irons stuff like that. Something that would have a large power draw and potentially overload a circuit. Phone chargers and laptops there not worried about.