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Old 02-08-2012, 14:02   #1
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Calling all AC Guru's

I do quite well with DC systems and my like new/used panel has an AC side of course. I have attached a drawing of what the beakers look like on the inside of the panel.
I have run the #8/3 from to shore power in receptacle to the panel and thought I would run it by the powers to be here as to where I connect them. First note: The upper 3 breakers, labeled 1,2 and 3, have a single toggle. In other words, toggle to power on and all 3 close.
That being said, I am assuming that the black (hot) wire goes to the copper buss bar. White (neutral) goes to #2 breaker and the ground ties common to all device grounds. Is this right?
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Old 02-08-2012, 16:40   #2
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Ground should bypass breakers and connect direct to ground buss.

So Hot/black goes to one breaker (one connected via buss to lower breakers). White, neutral goes to second breaker and then to neutral buss. Ground goes direct to ground buss.
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Old 02-08-2012, 16:57   #3
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

You have a three pole circuit breaker. Every circuit breaker has a load side and a line side. You need to id which is which and connect the incoming shore power legs (L1: black; L2: red and N: white) to the appropriate line sides of the three poles of the circuit breaker. To help in the id, the load of each pole will got to its respective bus bar; L1, L2 and N. As SailorChic above states, the safety ground wire does not go through a circuit breaker but goes directly to the safety ground bus, barring a galvanic isolator installation.

One note: DO NOT SCREW THIS UP. If your are the least bit unsure about what you are doing, find a qualified marine electrician and pay him/her for an hour's worth of education.I
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Old 02-08-2012, 17:40   #4
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This appears to be a standard 30A AC shore power breaker. Note "APPEARS", without actual part numbers we can't be sure. Per your drawing: Wiring would be Black (Hot) to 3, White (Neutral) to 2 and Green (Ground) to 1. Note, ground is not on the breaker per se, but is needed to detect reverse polarity on this arrangement. As Charlie say DO NOT, if you have any doubts, do this wiring yourself. Hire a qualified marine electrician. Mistakes here can have very bad consequences.
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Old 02-08-2012, 18:36   #5
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

PLEASE, check out this website: Resources*—*Blue Sea Systems

Blue Sea makes electrical components of the highest quality, and they provide some of the best info available to folks regarding how things work and how they should be installed.

Specifically: http://bluesea.com/files/resources/i...tions/6637.pdf
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Old 02-08-2012, 18:44   #6
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Thanx evryone...as stated, I know green (ground) ties to all the grounds of outlets, charger and so on...and yes to a ground buss.
ExRonin, I agree the black (hot) goes to 3 but to the copper buss bar which goes to 3 via the red wire indicated on the diagram which is the direction of the flow to the the other side of the breaker. I think.
Then white goes to 2. I'm not clear however, how to tie the device whites in. A white wire from the other side of 2, to a neutral buss?
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Old 02-08-2012, 18:46   #7
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Celestialsailor: please see http://bluesea.com/files/resources/i...tions/6637.pdf
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Old 02-08-2012, 18:56   #8
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Correct on the white from other side of two to the neutral buss.

BTW I have a Blue Seas 120V panel on my boat. Good stuff.

BTW I assume that the panel with three main breakers is a 220V panel but with the 35' boat the OP has, he probably has a 30Amp 120V system..
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:00   #9
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Celestial, yes, the load side of neutral (white) goes to a separate neutral bus. Load wiring is as follows for each load. Black goes to the individual breaker for that load (fed by your copper bus from the main shore power breaker. It is then good practice to have two common bus bars, one for neutral (white) fed from the load side of the shore power neutral (your #2), and a second for grounds (green).
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:27   #10
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Quote:
Originally Posted by sailorchic34 View Post
Correct on the white from other side of two to the neutral buss.

BTW I have a Blue Seas 120V panel on my boat. Good stuff.

BTW I assume that the panel with three main breakers is a 220V panel but with the 35' boat the OP has, he probably has a 30Amp 120V system..
You are correct that I am wiring 30A/120. My assumption was the #1 breaker was a feedback for reverse polarity but I could be wrong and is for 220AC. Which I will not use.
Thanx Roy M for the link. I think you specifically wanted me to read the "Test" portion of it which is a safe way of doing it before i through the switch to wake up the Monster...
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:30   #11
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

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Originally Posted by ExRonin View Post
Celestial, yes, the load side of neutral (white) goes to a separate neutral bus. Load wiring is as follows for each load. Black goes to the individual breaker for that load (fed by your copper bus from the main shore power breaker. It is then good practice to have two common bus bars, one for neutral (white) fed from the load side of the shore power neutral (your #2), and a second for grounds (green).
Great...I feel more confident now. Any recommendations on busses for neutral and ground? I"m thinking something enclosed the way I end up slithering around the boat.
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:41   #12
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Well Ideally the buss bars are located behind the 120 panel, out of harms way. Here's a link to a nice buss bar. WM has them too.

Blue Sea Systems Busbars
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:46   #13
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Thats what I had in mind and used similar with the DC. I epoxied wood behind the panel against the upper hull side, then screwed the buss to that. With the AC and the potential of touching it while working on the system, I will probably cover the busses with clear Tupperware.
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Old 02-08-2012, 19:52   #14
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Always good to protect them from the hot side. In a normal world its safe to touch the neutral and ground. On a boat, your never sure if the neutral will get hot with a reversed shore outlet. Its the hot legs that will light up your life if your in circuit.

BTW the reverse polarity led runs from hot to neutral, well really neutral to hot, so when the hot leg is on the neutral side the led lights.
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Old 02-08-2012, 20:43   #15
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Re: Calling all AC Guru's

Quote:
Originally Posted by Celestialsailor View Post
Great...I feel more confident now. Any recommendations on busses for neutral and ground? I"m thinking something enclosed the way I end up slithering around the boat.
The Neutral (White) wires will not have a charge as long as the connection isn't broken between the buss and the power supply. So a neutral buss doesn't need to be covered.

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