2000 Rinker 340 - AC not working on Shore Power. But works on generator power.

REP

My AC unit on my 2000 Rinker 340 is not working when plugged into shore power.  However, it does work when I run the generator.  The breaker on the panel box is not tripping.  I have switched power supply lines and they both work when plugged into the other electrical input for the boat.  So it is not the power supply lines.  

Does anyone have any ideas on why this would occur?  Thanks for your consideration.

MarkB

Did you turn on the breaker for the A/C shore power input line. It probably is in the cockpit, close to the stern.

REP

Mark - Yes, the breaker is on.   The weird thing is that it was working just fine and then just would not come on after going out one day.  I did not switch or change anything.  And it comes on just fine when I switch power over to the generator.

Handymans342

Do you have any thing else not working? Like Microwave? Outlets? battery charger?

REP

Everything else works just fine.  

MarkB

Handy - the AC shore power is on a separate circuit for the 340. It is not common to the other circuits. So I think the main isolation breaker on the AC shore power is off, and I'm not talking about the one at the breaker board in the cabin.

Handymans342

Where is the other one??????????????

Handymans342

In the cabin there is a breaker for the Airconditioning and main power. Two. 

Handymans342

AC = 120 Volts or it could be Airconditioning. 

raybo3

Check the shore power connector where you plug in to the A/C. I just replaced mine. The wires were so loose that when I removed the "plug" from the side of the boat the wires fell off. 

MarkB

Wait, do you have a port shore and starboard shore power as well, or just port shore power?

raybo3

Its a 2000 most likely just a port shore power I would assume.....

explore7425

I had a simular problem a couple seasons ago. I was luckily tied up to a pretty knowledgeable electrician who diagnosed it quickly. Long story short. The AC breakers on board actually switch both common (White wire) and hot (Black wire) in the same switch (Double Pole). It turned out that the main breaker for my generator on the Air Conditioner side had gone bad and lost the common wire connection. The panel showed good power coming in but the common to the AC unit was broken. If it wasn't for him I'd probably still be scratching my head. He got me thru the weekend by putting a jumper from the ground to the common on the AC unit itself. That week I replaced the bad breaker (A real PIA) and all was good. I would have never thought of that because in a typical AC Power situation there is no switch on the common wire just the hot. All commons and grounds go to the same bar in the panel. It really fooled me because all things showed good power from the panel to the AC unit. Good luck. Check continuity on everything. A lesson learned. 

REP

Wow.  A lot of great ideas here.  Not sure which one is the problem based on all of the input here.  

Raybo3 - I would like to check the shore power connector on the boat when I go up this weekend.   How do you take it apart?

MarkB - Just to clarify, there are two 30 amp circuits going into the port side of the boat.  They are side by side.  One is designated only for the AC.  The other covers everything else.   You can see them in my profile pic.  

Explore - So how do you check the breaker?  Get an electrician?  Or can you check it with a volt meter?

Handy and MarkB - is there another breaker somewhere else besides on the main panel?  If so, where is it?  

jaubry

I had the same issue. There is a small panel behind the door to the cockpit from the swim platform. In that panel (looks like outdoor electrical box cover) there are 2 additional breaker switches. Check those

explore7425

When the shore power is connected and the AC unit breaker is turned on. Go to the AC Unit with a multimeter. Put the red lead on the black wire where the power comes into the unit. Put the black lead on the white wire. If you get a good reading then everything is good at the panel. If you get no reading keep the red lead on black then put the black lead on the green wire. If you get a good reading then the common is broke. If you still get no reading then the hot wire is broke. If this is the case then you will have to go down the line. Step 2 would be to do the same procedure at the panel. If you get nothing at the panel then it is the power inlet or cord. I am guessing you have already checked the cord and the outlet at the dock. It is possible that the power inlet on the boat has a problem. That is very easy to check. Just open the door and take out the 4 screws and inspect it. If it looks good then the problem is at the panel. 

REP

Jaubry - where is it?  Here is a pic of the back of my boat.  

duane.mosley

jaubry, i hope it's that easy for me. i have a 250ec and my ac was not working this past weekend. i just bought the boat in april and was wondering what that weather proof box with the double breaker was for. i am making a fake a lake tomorrow so that i can check the air conditioning. first thing i am doing now is checking that breaker. my water pump, and fan were working but the compressor wasn't kicking on. i hope that breaker is off and that's what it is, i will find out tomorrow. thanks
 


well, after writing my post it was bugging me so i  went out and got into the boat to look. the double breaker that's in the weather proof box was on. guess that's not the cause for my ac not working. oh well, i tried.

Dream_Inn

Well, it was worth a try Duane!  I've seen someone in my marina have that same issue with that breaker as well.  FYI, that breaker is if you have any issues on the boat and need to leave it in an emergency, it is a quick way to remove power.

MarkB

JEB, I think Jaubry is talking about the isolation switches IF you have shore power on starboard. My boat has Shore Select - which means I can plug in where your boat has it on Port Side, and I can also plug in on the Starboard side right into my transom.

I don't think you have that. So I figure once your AC shorepower is plugged in and the breaker inside is turned on, you should have power. I would do exactly as explore7425 suggests. It's either a bad breaker or a bad wire, given that the AC runs when the generator is on and that you know the power supply lines both work on your house circuit.

Dream_Inn

Mark, Jaubry was talking about the emergency shutoff.  That is what would be behind a panel in the cockpit.  But, you are correct that he would not have the port/stbd selection if he does not have the "power choice".

MarkB

DI, yes main isolation = emergency shut off. We are both talking about the same thing.

jaubry

You're both correct. It is the shut off. 

REP

Mystery solved.  After spending $250 on an electrician.  

I checked the power supply coming into the boat and took the plug in unit on the side of the boat off and checked the wiring - confirmed power at plug in.  
However, when I took the panel off, there was no power coming into the breaker for the AC.  I was not sure if I had a panel issue, junction box or something else.  So I called an electrician.

After several hours, we discovered that there was a snap together electrical conduit connector that is located under the bench seat - and in an impossible place to see or find.

We knew that there had to be a break in the wiring at that point.  But could not pull it in either direction - because we later found it was screwed to the subfloor.   

We pulled the subwoofer out on the speaker system under the bench seat which allowed us to see behind the wall a little bit.  There was a black snap together connector that was screwed to the subfloor.   We unscrewed it from the subfloor and pulled on the wire until we could get enough play in it to work on it.

It seems that the AC draw on shore power was too much for this connector - it gets hot here in the summer in the South.   So the white wire part of the connector melted just  enough to cause a small gap in the connector piece on one of the 3 wires- thus separating the snap connector on just one wire.  The width of the gap that was created was about the width of your fingernail.   It was so small that we had to really inspect it closely to see the melted portion.   That tiny gap allowed for power on the input side but no power from there to the breaker box.  

I will try to post a picture of it later.

Why Rinker decided not to run a solid wire between the plug in on the side of the boat and the breaker box is unclear.  It would have been much simpler to run a solid line between the two.  

Hopefully, if another reader has the same type issue, you won't have to hire an electrician to find it!  

We cut the line on both sides of the snap connector, removed it and reconnected the line with a crimp connector and manually crimped the lines back together.   AC works fine now.  And I am a little poorer and a little wiser!

explore7425

I had a similar failure at my water heater. 

rmrstlmo

I love this forum!  This thread saved me hiring an electrician.  I had no shore power when plugged in at the dock but everything was fine when running the generator.  Power was fine at the receptacle (where you connect the power to the boat) but nothing on the back side of the panel.  After seeing this thread I searched for a connector.  Mine was in the mid-berth area above the a/c unit.  I'm adding a pic to help anyone in the future.

Dream_Inn

That sure makes your day when you can resolve an issue such as this!  This is what the forum is all about!!

Liberty44140

Thanks for posting, glad to know that something like that could be in the line and be an issue. 

Ian

Funny, this is where I was going to suggest to look because these connectors can be a failure mode. I have removed 2 already, mains and hot water service as they can move around and even though they lock together, over the years of subtle movement they will create a hot spot, arc and fail.