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shore power operation
rasbury
Member Posts: 8,254 ✭✭✭✭✭
Working on changing my oil last night and ran into something I did not expect....I have my shore power plugged in at the house and the panel is on and lit. I was trying to use my drill for the pump toget the oil out and plugged it in by the sink but no power...I have lights on the dash and lights in the cabin but the radio would also not come on. I have the battery switch turned off, I have the switch in the battery panel turned on (the switch like a wall switch). I did turn off the genny switch by the genny......why would I not have power for "acc" type stuff? What am I missing? Does some of that power still go through the battery even on shore? Got late and did not have further time to play with it but I figure it should work...
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Rasbury,
There are things on the boat that only run off the battery......the lights, the radio, the windlass, the toilet......to name a few. There are also things that run only on Shore Power/Generator.......the blender, the stove, the Coffee Maker, the Microwave, the Central Vac, AC/Heat and YES your plug by the sink. If you are connected to Shore Power and have the toggle switch (choice between Shore Power and Generator) turned to Shore Power then you have power to the panel but you must "turn on" any of the items you want to use. Each item has it's own switch on the panel. One says "Outlets". Make sure it is turned on. You also have similar choices on the DC side of the panel. These are the items that run off battery only. Make sure your "Radio" Switch is turned on. In other words, you have two sides to your panel......one for AC (Only works when connected to Shore Power or your Generator is running) and one for DC which is everything that runs off the batteries. The DC side works all the time as long as you have battery power but there is a Master Switch on the DC Panel that needs to be turned on. Your set up should be similar but might not be exactly as described.
Good Luck.
Pretty sure the bilge pump and vhf radio bypass the batt selector sw for emergency use. The music radio in the cabin needs the key sw to be in the acc postion but not my vhf. I never leave the dock w/o a secondary handheld radio. Buy one and keep it charged and at the helm for that inevitable day.
Good luck. Mike
Running the boat on a set of muffs secured around the OD foot water intake is a cinch. It's the main way for a saltwater trailer guy to rinse the motor out and I do it every time. Just make sure you have the water from your largest hose turned all the way on and never rev it up beyond 1200rpm. It'll take about 8-10 mins to get it up to 170* and then do your oil change thang.
I use a 12v harbor freight transfer pump drawing from the oil dipstick, pumped into a container(pic). Although I haven't done it, I've read that you can also carefully puncture the top of the oil filter and let it drain before you unscrew it too.
Since we're off topic I assume that you've also taken a quick sample of the OD oil at the foot while the boat has sat overnight to assure that there is no water in there......stop using the boat immediately if there is ANY indication of water in there. That B-III is a great OD but water from a bad seal can kill it. Replace the gasket and gently but firmly reseat the plug afterward, then add some OD oil in the resivoir on the motor.
PC BYC, Holland, MI
OD drain plug.....Didn't you download the manual? The drain plug for the foot for your B3 is on the bottom/fwd/stbd side. Leave the upper vent in so you only get a couple OZs sample instead of a pint. I use the bottom of a white plastic container under the oil flow (like a cool whip bowl) so I can see if there's any serious metal too. Have a helper change the screw gasket while you stem the flow with your finger and DON"T overtighten it (nor under tighten it obviously). Add a bit to the tank and make sure you re-check the oil reservoir after you run the boat in the water for 10-15mins. DONT/NEVER run the drive in gear more than a second or two while on the muffs.
Good luck
mpi motor...also, I have two sea valves in front of the motor...i know now the other two more forward are for the can and the a/c. I need to look at that again. I have not messed anymore with the Gen and have not tracked down that hose attachment yet...so confused a bit again bit will be putting new bats in and changing the oil tonight. I thought there is a real heavy hose off the other sea valve that went to the motor...
Rasbury,
Clarification. You have TWO distinct electrical systems on the boat. They have absolutely nothing to do with each other. One is Direct Current (DC -From your Batteries). The other is Alternating Current (AC - From either Shore Power OR the generator). AC works from Shore Power when at the dock and the cord is plugged in. AC also works while you are not plugged in and the Generator is running. The "light switch" you mention at the back of the boat near the Gate is a MASTER switch that turns power to the helm on and off. That's all it does. The outlets are AC ONLY meaning from Shore Power or Generator. The outlets have absolutely nothing to do with the batteries because they run on the AC System not the DC System. With that said, here are the primary items that run on DC only (your batteries). Bilge Pumps, Fresh Water Pump, Lights, Toilet Flush, the music radio, your Ship-to-Shore Radio, the clock on the dash, your Trim Tabs, Raising and Lowering the Drives. All items located at the helm are turned on/off by the MASTER Helm switch in your panel near the entry gate. The bilge pumps are hard wired to the battery so they are always on and there is NO switch for them. There are switches on your Galley Panel for the rest......Radio, Toilet, Lights, Fresh Water Pump, etc. Mine also has a MASTER DC SWITCH which is the first switch at the top. Now your AC only items......Stove, Battery Charger, Coffee Maker, Blender, Microwave, Heat/Air, AC OUTLETS, Central Vac, Television, etc...You can use these while away from the dock by starting your generator and flipping the switch to Generator and then flipping the switches for each individual items you want on.......or use Shore Power while at the dock.
Make sense?
Oh, I forgot. The refrigerators will run on either one. They run on the batteries (DC) until you hook up to Shore Power or turn on the generator. Then they run on AC Power but only if you turn them on at your AC Switch Panel in the Galley.
Dream 'Inn III -- 2008 400 Express
PC BYC, Holland, MI
PC BYC, Holland, MI
Boat Name: King Kong
"Boat + Water = Fun"
I agree with these guys that there's a switch you're missing. Glad your 1st overnight went relatively well. You certainly had a great weekend weather wise. I assume the boat ran well. More fun heading your way.
Mike