Electrical issues in St Michaels MD USA

[Mlp48]

In the St. M area, the going hourly rate range for electrical techs is $90 - $120 and that's in an arranged and convenient setting. Instead, you're complaining that you want someone to drop their plans and pole out to your boat and then wade through someone else's old and potentially faulty work ? You should expect to pay a premium for that no matter what location. Otherwise, learn to do it yourself -- or be very grateful that there's someone willing to come at all and be so fearless as to do so.

[Scrimshaw4]

Have you checked your battery selector switch setting and tested it's connections? JMHO

[captmikem]

As I read your description of the problem, you have no DC other than starter and windlass with no AC in (shorepower), but when you have AC in, you have DC power.

To me, this indicates you are not getting voltage from the battery to your panel, but you are getting voltage from your charger to your panel.

Odd, because most battery chargers are hooked directly to the battery.

You have two batteries, one for the engine (and I suspect the windlass), and one house, for some reason the house battery voltage is not appearing at the panel. If the battery is dead, then this makes sense. If it is a fuse or loose/broken wire, then the battery charger would have to be connected not directly to the battery but down stream of the fuse or wire.

I would start at the Battery charger and follow it to see where it is connected. I would also (with no AC applied) check the voltage at the terminals of the house battery.

One other thing, if your inverter is an inverter/charger (like a Zantac) and you had it replaced two weeks ago, I would check there first. Meter the positive lead output of the charger with it off. If 0 volts then it is not making contact with the battery. If 10 volts or less, bad battery.

If as you say the windlass is connected to the main battery, then your panel supply comes from a lead somewhere down that line and is open, again I would work from the charger positive lead back. While at it I would also check the integrity of the negative connection as well.

Good luck
M

[Cadence]

As a suggestion. While you're running down your problem take a piece of paper and draw a schematic. It may help in the future.

[captmikem]

Xantrex, not zantac.... isn't spell check wonderful...

M

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by mike toynton

Hi
Basically anything other than the windless and the motor using DC power does not work when the motor is on or off.
When I switch to shore power and plug it into the generator it works fine.
We had the invertor replaced about two weeks ago.

Sounds like you should have hired a $140/hr marine electrician to install the new inverter.

[Caliber40]

The writer never complained about the $140 an hour electrician. No chance anybody can post a reasonable question , especially a guy far from home ,without the snarky comments.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Caliber40

The writer never complained about the $140 an hour electrician. No chance anybody can post a reasonable question , especially a guy far from home ,without the snarky comments.

In post #1 the OP implied a $140 electrician was perceived to be out of their budget.

My perception of the outcome is perhaps they got what they paid for.

Not snarky at all, just a logical observation.

[Chuck Hawley]

Originally Posted by stormalong

Usually the windlass does not go through your switch panel. It sounds like your switch panel is not getting power so I would start there.

Do you have a simple voltmeter? Check the main breaker on the switch panel. If there is no power then work your way back to the battery until you find power. You may have a fuse of circuit breaker close to the battery that is open.

My boat had a fuse close to the battery that was so well hidden that I didn't know it was there for the first five years I owned it - until an engine mechanic accidentally shorted it to ground.

Great advice! All boats should have circuit protection between the battery switch and the panel, although this is sometimes omitted. It's likely that there is a fairly large fuse (60-100A rating) and that it has blown.

The fact that your large DC loads are working means that the batteries are being charged and you don't have a battery switch problem (likely). You may want to look on the back of the switch panel and try to find the positive wire that leads to it from the battery. Could it have fallen off or could it be loose?

Do you have a "main breaker" on the distribution panel? Something labeled DC or MAIN? That would be a likely culprit.

Incidentally, an open circuit in the ground wire could also be the problem, leading from the place where all the ground wires connect back to the battery.

Chuck

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by Caliber40

The writer never complained about the $140 an hour electrician. No chance anybody can post a reasonable question , especially a guy far from home ,without the snarky comments.

I'm not sure who's comment you considered snarky. It would seem the guy hired to install the inverter/charger loused something up. Probably not intentionally. It would seem his distribution panel isn't connected to his house battery but is powered from the charger. One wire or fuse? Maybe a rush to get home at the end of a day.

[Caliber40]

$140 an hour to a Canadian is = to $170.

[mike toynton]

A big thank you to everyone for the advice
It turns out it was a partly faulty bus bar
Thank god for voltmeters
Cheers

[TBW]

Try yachtmaintenance in Cambridge.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by mike toynton

A big thank you to everyone for the advice
It turns out it was a partly faulty bus bar
Thank god for voltmeters
Cheers

Glad you got sorted out and yes, the voltmeter is king and they never lie (at least not in the hands of unexperienced user ).

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by mike toynton

A big thank you to everyone for the advice
It turns out it was a partly faulty bus bar
Thank god for voltmeters
Cheers

The big deal is you figured it out yourself. You're across the Bay from me (Annapolis) but if I can help I'll be happy to. Email dave@auspiciousworks.com. Do you have proper size wire and terminals to jump around the problem? A failed bus bar is unusual to say the least. Have you figured out the cause?



If you can sail to Annapolis I can drive you to West Marine (I have a Port Supply account) and/or Fawcett.