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New Shore Power Pedestals sensitivity

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by 993RSR, Jul 24, 2020.

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  1. 993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    So I cannot plug in to any "new style" shore power pedestals without tripping the pedestal breaker. If I turn off my inverter than the 50amp power works fine. Problem is my outlets with my refrig units plugged in run through the inverter.
    Any simple fix for this?
    Afriends boat with no inverter could not plug in at all without tripping the breaker. He may have had a shore cord issue. We moved him to a old style pedestal and his dock power was fine.
  2. MBevins

    MBevins Senior Member

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    Down and dirty.
    Turn everything off on the boat.
    Plug in shorepower.
    Sequentially turn loads on one at a time until it trips your shorepower.
    Now you've found the circuit that is causing the issue.
    Should I assume that the inverter is Marine rated and installed by a professional?
  3. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    If you have a Marine inverter it will only bond N to G when in inverter mode. If your inverter is not marine, the N and G will be permanently tied together and it will trip the new pedestal with GFI
  4. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    If your inverter ties green and white wires (ground and neutral) as in a house, It will trip the GFCI breaker in the dock power pole.
    Also tied green and white on the gen-set will cause this.
    Un-like a house, where green and white are tied at the breaker box, on a boat it is tied at the dock power pole and must not connect on the boat,,,,, until off the dock. Then & only then are fault and neutral are tied. A proper transfer switch provides this for the gen-set.
    A relay provides this in the marine inverter.

    Then some way, some how, somebody tied green & white together or backwards.
    Last edited: Jul 24, 2020
  5. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    actually not always. Some appliances like ovens, stoves, fridges, washers may tie G and N inside the appliance. When you turn off the single pole breaker, you turn off the most Hot not the Neutral which remains tied to G
  6. 993RSR

    993RSR Senior Member

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    None of the ac power components trip the pedestal.
    Master volt 2015 inverter
  7. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    If your north of Boomer, I'll be down there soon.
  8. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Double and triple pole breakers are the most help on shutting the lines down, That way, you know the white wire is turned off. Single pole breakers just turn off the hot wire.

    There was a customer that had white and green tied in a clothe dryer for house hold use. Rite on the back was the wire diagram and notes to remove that strap when needed, like on a boat or RV. I had to run a white wire to that 230 device, the dryer timer runs in 115Vac.

    On our own Bertram we had an intermittent bug. Every time we visited a new dock with these fancy new dock breakers, plug in, turn on the A/Cs, no trip all, was happy. Later when cooking dinner, sometimes that breaker would trip. All always worked well until you plugged something into the 115Vac outlet on the oven face. We started to realize the oven & stove lights on at the same time may have something to do with our GFCI problem also. Finally found the lights and outlet's white wires were tied to the green for return current. Figured Bertram got cheap one day and did not hook up the white wire to our 230Vac oven/stove.
    Once that was fixed, our 42 year old Bertram has never had a problem with one of those new power poles.

    I did get a laugh on that last line; inverter is Marine rated and installed by a professional.
    Rare and far between; a professional and correct inverter install.
  9. Pascal

    Pascal Senior Member

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    And that’s why I prefer anchoring out... no worry about power !! Even here in the Exumas whenever we dock at Staniel I end up juggling loads and usually during the day end up running half the boat on shore and half the boat on genset. The 100amp is never quite a 100amp. Couple of day ago I started the convection oven and could hear right away it didn’t sound right. Sure enough... 204 volts.
  10. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Another reason, we usually do not touch docks unless we really have to, like an extra 200 gallons diesel at Marsh or Spanish, to make it further up the east coast on our way home.
    We don't charter. Just family at times. In/out was usually Treasure or Marsh on a dink or ferry.
    Inverter and gen-sets do us very well. Sadly, long over due to check on our friends face to face. So far, all are good.
    When the new docks are in, not sure if they will be GFCI since they really do not want to chase anybody away, like state side docks..
    Last edited: Jul 25, 2020
  11. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Are you in the witness protection plan or something? Anti-social? I like staying in marina's and being tied to a secure dock with shorepower and calm water at night, and a restaurant if I want one......and people to talk to........
  12. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Yes we are.
    Been burned to many times at Boat Harbor. I could sense they did not want to serve us. Frak them.
    The kids at Spanish and original Green Turtle resort luv us.
    Bless them.
    We are anti social and they, our friends and better vendors, understand.
  13. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Last time I was at Boat Harbor was before the Hurricane but everyone was nice and we had no issues with service. Green Turtle and Hope Town were also very nice to us. Didn't visit Spanish......
  14. Capt Ralph

    Capt Ralph Senior Member

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    Yes, it's been 4,5 & 6 years trying to stay at Boat Harbor. Fuel dock is fair, unprotected from SE wind and a bear to tie to.
    Restaurant sux and resentment you were there.
    Always tried to schedule BBQ night at the Jib Room. Been hitting there thru 4 owners, near 40 years.
    Yes, we visit our friends, understand quickly who is not.
    We tried that slut bar over from Taloo Cut once years ago, Never again.
    Yes, we pick our landings, very few, but know where are friends are when we do land.
    We always hit Pete's Pub. Always a new face. Always treated well. Just wish other Abaco shops followed suite.
    Now that I think of Elbow Kay, Frak the Frakers in Hope Town.
    Noses pointing to far upward to talk to.

    Yes we anchor out, keeps the tension down.
  15. Worthy vessel

    Worthy vessel Member

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    I am so sorry, but I am writing about a slip up on Long Island where we are considering buying a boat,
    not our 62 foot Neptunus in Sarasota we live on during the winter.
    The marina we want to go to ( Davis Park) on Fire Island has only one 30 amp service per slip.
    We are looking for a 40- 44 foot late model- but they all seem to have 50 amp service.
    I guess I need to find out from the boats we are looking at if the 50 amp service is 120 or 240 volts.
    Our list of potential boats is
    Sea Ray 40 Fly Bridge
    Regal 42 Fly Bridge
    Beneteau 44 swift trawler
    Bavaria R40
    Bavaria Virtess 42
    Cruiser 41 Cantius
    Galean 42 Fly
    Rivolat 4.5 coup

    I am very appreciative of any comments on these!
  16. Worthy vessel

    Worthy vessel Member

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    BTW
    I have a Y adapter two 30's to a 50 and the two 30's have to be out of phase to work.
    And there is only one 30 amp service per slip.
  17. d_meister

    d_meister Senior Member

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    The big question is; Is the need occasional while traveling, or constant at a home slip? From my experience, the fix is often determined by the circumstances. I was at one dock where I plugged a smart Y into the two 30A sockets and still had only 120V. It turned out that the dock was built with one leg of the 240V on one side of the dock, and the other leg on the other side. I had enough kit to make up a 20' 30A shore cord and use it to extend one pigtail of the smart Y across the dock to grab the other leg of the 240. That was in Coos Bay, Oregon, and I later had many opportunities to use that setup in the Caribbean and the US East coast. If nothing else, it saves having to juggle neighbor's shore connections, which should always be a no-no.
  18. Worthy vessel

    Worthy vessel Member

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    This would not be our home slip but for use on weekends at the beach.
    It gets crowded and usually only has one 30 amp per slip
  19. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    There are a few yachts in that size range that have 2 seperate 30 amp outlets. It will depend on the panel on each boat. You won't be able to run A/C and other 220 volt items (stove, possibly hot water) either. BUT, generally a single 30 amp will provide power to 1 side of the panel. You just need to choose a boat that has the items you NEED on the one side of the panel (battery charger, refrigerator etc.). You could always have a marine electrician switch/swap items from one side of the panel to the other side, as long as it still stays somewhat balanced. NOW, a reverse Y will still be of help, but it has to be a dumb one, because depending on which 30 you plug in, will determine which side of the panel has electric or doesn't. Can you run the generator during times you need to cook or need a/c or hot water? You may get lucky and be docked next to someone with a center console that doesn't need shorepower......so I'd still have a 60' 30 amp shorepower cable.
  20. Worthy vessel

    Worthy vessel Member

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    Thanks so much!
    Do you have a preference on the models I have listed?