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Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 4:03 pm
by darylann
I’m at my boat, with shore power connected and both gauges looking good, but I have no power to anything on the boat… No bilge pumps, no freshwater pump, no navigation or cabin lights, etc. The only thing that works is the fridge, because that’s on a converter. Where do I begin looking and for what? Someone at the marina suggested maybe a faulty transfer relay…? We’ve gone through the manuals and can’t seem to find a clue. The circuit diagrams seem to show two individual transfer relays (two circuits) prior to the main breaker. But these diagrams also include a generator output, and I have no generator.

Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 4:13 pm
by Rocketman
All the stuff that is not working is on your DC power side. Check you DC power panel for a main and/or all the breakers.
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 4:41 pm
by km1125
Check your main battery switch too, because (as noted above) all that stuff you mentioned runs on D.C. Also check your battery charger and make sure it's getting power from the A.C. system and that the breakers on the circuits going to your batteries are not tripped.
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 4:46 pm
by CaptDenny
All the things that are working are DC things. Running off battery power. If your shore power hookup gauges AC show POWER then it has to be in the breakers on YOUR AC side power panel.
Are you sure all are flipped to ON?
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 5:00 pm
by km1125
CaptDenny wrote:Source of the post All the things that are working are DC things. Running off battery power. If your shore power hookup gauges AC show POWER then it has to be in the breakers on YOUR AC side power panel.
Are you sure all are flipped to ON?
I think you misread his post... " I have no power to anything on the boat… No bilge pumps, no freshwater pump, no navigation or cabin lights, etc"
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 5:12 pm
by darylann
DC main and breakers are all good, nothing tripped. All the breakers are in ON position (other than things like water heater). I assume the battery charger is getting power from the AC system, as it’s humming and the gauge is at zero. How do I find if the breakers on the circuits going to my batteries are tripped?
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 5:51 pm
by bud37
Heh there....go down and put a volt tester ( DVM ) on your batteries and see what numbers you get....
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 5:54 pm
by tomschauer
you should have two breakers near your battery switch. Salon main and bridge main. Turn them off and back on.
You should also have breakers at your 12v panel, one main and all your individual circuits.
Also a main on the bridge
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 5:56 pm
by tomschauer
you should also have battery charger breakers near the battery switch, if they are off or tripped, your batteries won't charge.
Re: Connected to shore power, gauges look good, but no power
Posted: September 1st, 2021, 7:33 pm
by denders
Hmmm - our old boat ( Mid 80's marinier ) had a "Master" 12 volt breaker at the bottom of the panel. It would occasionally blow and all the other breakers would be in position but all 12 volt power would be off. It was an odd looking breaker, it would pop out rather than flip side to side. The only way to tell was it had a little white ring at the base - white showing meant reset the breaker.