[C320-list] Shore power system

[Rick From Inflate Co]

I have hull 235 , a 1995 and just had en electrician go thru it . He said they don't wire boats today the way they did then. He said it was a poor set up by today's methods . I was having so odd things happen. In the end , a new inverter / charger, new fuses and breakers. Same basic wiring just beefed up. I don't know squat about electrical but I hope this info is of some help.


Rick
NEMO
#235 Dana Point


On Jul 22, 2013, at 5:20 PM, Ron Squires <rsquires77 at netzero.com> wrote:

> Warren thank you for responding, I was hoping for replies from owners of mid-nineties boats. The only wiring I am addressing in this post is the 120v system. On our boat the neutral (white wire) and the safety ground (green wire) buses are connected via the over the top of the separators jumpers used on these type of terminal strips. To be clear the terminal strip has twelve positions, all of them are connected via jumpers. Four positions are white wires and six are green wires, with two unused in between. This does not match the 1993 schematic included in the owners manual, nor any other schematic I have been able to locate. All the opinions I have read conclude that these two buses should not be connected on a boat, only "at the power source". I'm not talking about those boats carrying a gen-set, but those like ours using a shore power cord and on shore source. The ABYC recommendation to connect the safety ground (green wire) and 12v negative (black wire) buses is not at issue here. I see no indication that these two are connected on our boat.
> 
> Ron & Michelle
> # 26 1994 "Island Time"
> 
> _/) Sent from my iPhone 5
> 
> On Jul 22, 2013, at 6:02 PM, Warren Updike <wupdike at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
>> To be clear, when you say, "neutral bus" do you mean the negative (black)
>> side of the DC service?  When you say, "safety ground bus" do you mean the
>> frame ground (green) side of the AC service?  If the answer to both is yes,
>> then this is a normal and recommended connection.  Our 1994 hull also has
>> this connection.  This is not likely contributing to your problem.  Nor, is
>> it a reason why your GFCI is tripping.  If everything else is OK, there
>> should be no voltage across the green/white or green/black wires of the AC
>> service that would trip the GFCI.
>> 
>> I think you should find your problem along the lines suggested by others.
>> Check every point of connection between the dock and the AC breaker.
>> 
>> Warren & Pattie Updike
>> 1994 C320 #62 "Warr De Mar"
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Ron Squires [mailto:rsquires77 at netzero.com] 
>> Sent: Monday, July 22, 2013 10:35 AM
>> To: C-320 List
>> Subject: [C320-list] Shore power system
>> 
>> This is our first season with this boat. When we connect to the shore power
>> supply we encounter two problems, so far. First is we get a reverse current
>> light, second when turning on the main AC breakers in order first the one at
>> the inlet then the one the panel, the GFCI at the supply point trips.
>> 
>> What we have noted already while investigating is that the neutral bus and
>> the safety ground bus are connected on the single shared terminal strip via
>> what look to be original jumpers.
>> The boat does not have an isolation transformer.
>> 
>> I can't believe this boat has been miswired this long without someone
>> questioning the buses being connected.
>> Can anyone think of a reason they would have, or should be connected on the
>> early series boats(hull #26)?
>> The buses being connected does explain the GFCI trip but not the reverse
>> current light. We have checked the source and cord with a polarity checker
>> and they are OK.
>> We need to dig deeper into the AC system, will we find any more surprises
>> with the system on a boat with an early hull number?
>> 
>> _/) Sent from my iPhone 5
>> 
>>