Outlets

Cyn143srog · 05-29-2015, 11:06 PM

Hello everyone my name is Roger, I have a Mainship Rumrunner and I lost electrical power to all outlets on starboard side. I have power to outlets on port side. All of the outlets use the same panel switch. I've checked fuses, checked all outlets for loose wires. Any ideas? I've only owned this boat for 8 months. It's really a great learning experience. But some times frustrating.

BlueYonder · 05-29-2015, 11:12 PM

Check your GFI outlets, one may have tripped or gone bad.

**Bay Pelican** · 05-30-2015, 07:00 AM

Likely GFI outlets. If not time to learn how to use a multi-meter. Tracing electrical ac/dc lines and determining where the power stops will be a life long experience in boating.

Trace the power line back to the first box that does not have power and test if power is coming into the box. If not then go back to the common source and test there.

The multi-meter is one of the most important tools to have on a boat as you will be using it to check everything from float switches to radio connections.

Cyn143srog · 05-30-2015, 04:19 PM

I did check the GFI and they are fine. I have been checking with a multi-meter and haven't found the problem yet. Thank You for your input greatly appreciate.

Roger

jwnall · 05-30-2015, 04:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bay Pelican

Trace the power line back to the first box that does not have power and test if power is coming into the box. If not then go back to the common source and test there.
.

What Marty said.

High Wire · 05-30-2015, 08:01 PM

My first thought is a tripped GCFI receptacle in the engine room or head.
If you dont have a wiring diagram in your owners manual, then get a strong, small flashlight and follow the wires from the breaker to the affected side outlets. Unplug the shore power and shutdown any inverter first. once you find the wires to the first outlet, trace back the white wire to the terminal strip as well.

**FlyWright** · 05-30-2015, 11:20 PM

Marty's right. Trace the connections electronically. Step by step. You'll find it if you approach it systematically.

FF · 05-31-2015, 05:01 AM

Many boats have the setup to bring 240V aboard , which is simply for most (2) 120v legs.

Could your boat have a similar setup , and only one leg is energized from the dock?

DavidM · 05-31-2015, 06:43 AM

I have a the same boat and it has a single 30 amp 120V shore power supply so a bad shore power leg is not the problem.

I am not near the boat, but I will bet you anything that there is a GFCI outlet in the head that supplies power to all downstream breakers on that side of the boat as the galley is on that side as well and needs to be GFCI protected.

I would pull that GFCI outlet and see if it has power to it. If so it is bad and is killing all power downstream. Easily replaced with a Marinco- $$$ or Home Depot --$.

David

Cyn143srog · 06-04-2015, 03:36 PM

I've been tracing wires, I haven't come up with solution yet. There has been an inverter change on this boat. Not exactly sure how it's been wired, some things don't seem to correct. I just wanted to give everyone an update. I really appreciate all the information that all of you have given me.
Thank You again, I will keep everyone posted on my progress.

Roger

FF · 06-05-2015, 05:19 AM

"There has been an inverter change on this boat"

Some higher quality inverters have a pass thru or boost feature.

In a dump you can limit the power the boat will take from the power pole , 15A is not a lot.

On some the inverter will kick on and parallel to boost the supply , till the batteries go down too far.

This style inverter uses a more complex wiring , and removal to replace with a dumber inverter could be your hassle.

You WILL need an experienced person to rewire, not a DIY.

Cyn143srog · 06-05-2015, 08:18 AM

I have called a marine electrician, he was recommended by a pass Mainship Dealer. Of course he is very busy and won't be here till the 17th.

Roger

Cyn143srog · 06-11-2015, 09:11 AM

Problem has been solved, there was a bad GFI. It reset but there was no power going off to the other side of the boat. Thank you all for your help.

Roger

BobH · 06-11-2015, 04:41 PM

A little late, but I haven't seen it mentioned. Instead of a multimeter, there is a probe you can buy at Lowes or HD that you simply touch to a wire and it will show if there is power or not. Only works on AC though.

Another tool I have found extremely helpful is a clamp on DC AMP meter. Used it extensively to trace battery cables.

Bob

stubones99 · 06-12-2015, 06:23 AM

he didn't say he was docked, so it may be one leg of his genset lost power too? or simply a leg blew a fuse.

Cyn143srog · 06-12-2015, 06:58 AM

Hello, I lost power when we were at the dock, just starboard side outlets. I don't have any idea what caused GFI to fail. Even if I ran the generator or inverter there was no power.

Roger

stubones99 · 06-12-2015, 07:10 AM

Make sure the short power cable is locked into the marina box. If you didn't get it locked in, you could be running off one leg, which could drop power on part of your boat depending how it was wired.

psneeld · 06-12-2015, 07:36 AM

So in post #13....I am assuming the solution was found by replacing the GFI and the other side now works in both sore and genset power?

Cyn143srog · 06-13-2015, 06:43 AM

Everything is working fine. Thank You all for your help.

Roger