[C320-list] Red Reverse Polarity light on panel

[Mike Mellon]

David, you could also try borrowing a known good dock-to-boat power 
cable and substituting it for yours and seeing if the problem goes away. 
   As others have mentioned, because the light is connected between the 
ground and the neutral wires in the boat, this problem also arises if 
there is a poor cable connection at either the dock outlet or the boat 
input connector, especially where the ground connection is intermittent.

Mike Mellon
LaVida 324 1995

On 11/15/2021 9:06 AM, David Nolte wrote:
> Thanks Scott and Ade. The electrician is coming back. If he can’t find a problem I’ll take her to a marina.
>
> David Nolte
> Beach House 0004
>
>
>> On Nov 15, 2021, at 11:29 AM, Ade Bateman<ade.bateman at outlook.com>  wrote:
>>
>> This is a good reminder and worth everyone including in their regular checks. When I was in the process of buying my boat, the surveyor found some charring/melting on the shore power connector indicating that it had come close to starting a fire. The connections were all replaced before I completed the purchase. I've since changed out the boat side connections for a SmartPlug.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: C320-list<c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com>  On Behalf Of Scott Thompson
>> Sent: Monday, November 15, 2021 8:04 AM
>> To:C320-List at Catalina320.com
>> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Red Reverse Polarity light on panel
>>
>> One other thought: The bad connection could be at the shore power connector on the dock or on the boat, or inside the boat. It's not necessarily the electricians fault! If your shore power cable is old then it might be the culprit. Or it could be the shore power inlet on the boat. These things wear with use. I had to replace my shore power inlet a few years back when I was consistently getting "reverse polarity" indications on docks where no one else was getting them. In any event, please check those items since bad connections can start a fire.
>>
>> Scott
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/15/2021 10:58 AM, Scott Thompson wrote:
>>> David,
>>>
>>> Even if the wires are not reversed you can get this signal if the
>>> ground or neutral wires are unreliable. "Polarity reversed" just means
>>> that there is a voltage differential between neutral and ground at the
>>> boat. They are supposed to be tied together back at the breaker panel
>>> on shore (not on the dock or on the boat), so there should be no
>>> voltage difference. However if either wire has a bad connection
>>> between the boat and the house then there may be a voltage
>>> differential between the neutral and ground wires at the boat.
>>>
>>> Whatever the cause, I would call your electrician back.
>>>
>>> Scott
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On 11/14/2021 1:44 PM, Ade Bateman wrote:
>>>> I'm not sure why the red light didn't come on immediately, but this
>>>> light is intended to signal that the live and neutral wires coming
>>>> into the shore power connector are the wrong way around (which could
>>>> indicate here that the electrician wired them backwards). This can be
>>>> especially dangerous because it can make parts of the system live
>>>> that would otherwise be disconnected by a switch in the live wire. It
>>>> can also create dangerous conditions depending upon how the ground
>>>> and earth are wired. I've seen various posts here indicating that
>>>> different 320's are wired differently in this respect so I wouldn't
>>>> assume any particular configuration. This can result in some metal
>>>> items onboard being connected to the live wire.
>>>>
>>>> In short, disconnecting immediately is the right thing to do (not
>>>> just turning off the power) and next you need an electrician to
>>>> diagnose the issue.
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From: C320-list<c320-list-bounces at lists.catalina320.com>  On Behalf
>>>> Of David Nolte
>>>> Sent: Sunday, November 14, 2021 8:28 AM
>>>> To:C320-List at catalina320.com
>>>> Subject: [C320-list] Red Reverse Polarity light on panel
>>>>
>>>> We had an electrician run a new 30 amp line down to the dock so we
>>>> could charge the boats’ batteries. After he finished the job I
>>>> plugged in and flipped to shore power. The Green light came on and I
>>>> left. I came back a few days later and the Red light below the Green
>>>> shore power indicator was on. The Red light is a caution light thats
>>>> says Reverse Polarity, and to turn off the power, which I did.
>>>>
>>>> What is going on here? How can I fix it?
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> David Nolte
>>>> Beach House 0004
>>>>
>>>>
>> --
>> Scott Thompson
>> Surprise, #653
>>
>
>
>
-- 
Michael Mellon
45 Ortalon Ave
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
mmellon at cruzio.com
831-425-5583 Home