AC source selector switch

wizzer said:
When we are allowed back to work on our boats in the marina, one of my jobs for this winter's ashore period is to fit a Fischer Panda generator. Ive been looking at AC source selection switches & quite fancy the Blue Sea 8359 item. Is it really worth £300?
Blue Sea Systems AC Rotary Switch Panel 30 Ampere 2 positions + OFF, 2 Pole: Amazon.co.uk: Sports & Outdoors
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£300 is a blatant ripoff.

The switch can be found for £16.35, maybe less if you hunt; 20AMP 2 POLE IP65 ENCLOSED CHANGE OVER SWITCH | eBay

The lights are a fivers worth of neons.
 
Agree - you're paying an awful lot for a nice-looking panel (but I think integrating it into a custom design specific to your boat looks even nicer) and a tiny bit of electrical design on their part.

Suitable switches are widely available (just make sure you buy a break-before-make type) and if you want the indicator lights, Blue Sea have kindly published the circuit diagram (which is exactly as I'd expect) on the last page of the manual.

Pete
 
Either the builder or PO of my boat drilled a hole in the RCD unit and installed a switch like this:

irMSKdG.jpg

Would need to be DPDT, I think? And rated for 240v, at least 16A or 32A.

Mine is used to switch between bow and stern shore power.
 
Just as I thought.
I’ve used Blue Sea stuff extensively in the past but it does grate on me to pay £300 for a smart looking switch. Hopefully there’s something in between Toys R Us & Blue Sea Systems.
 
LadyInBed said:
The only other thing that you could say in favour of the expensive one is that it is rated at 100 amps, way ott for the AWB.
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It's rated at 30 amps.

The Amazon listing mentions a 100 amp DC circuit breaker, but that makes no sense for this switch and doesn't appear on the actual product page at BlueSea's site. Presumably it's a dodgy copy and paste from someone listing a load of electrical gear on Amazon.

Pete
 
I have a 3 position + 0ff 2 pols cam switch mounted on a custom panel with mains ammeter, voltmeter and frequency meter. A red and green neon's indicate reverse phase and earth fault.

3 positions are Shore power, Generator and Inverter :giggle:
 
I have a dedicated panel with 3 positions for AC input. OE equipment on our model of Island Packet. Not possible to connect two supplies together as it has a series of sliding interlocks.

Shore power, generator power, inverter power.

I am, however, a firm beliver in the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I made the outlet of the generator as a shoreside shorepower plug. We have no inverter.

I just plug the shorepower cable into that, takes but a moment. The outlet end remains plugged in to the AC input and internal wiring.

I have seen what happens when two phases are not matched and are joined.

Not able to happen with KISS.

We are on shore power or genset power. Can only be one or the other.
 
rotrax said:
I have a dedicated panel with 3 positions for AC input. OE equipment on our model of Island Packet. Not possible to connect two supplies together as it has a series of sliding interlocks.

Shore power, generator power, inverter power.

I am, however, a firm beliver in the KISS principle. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I made the outlet of the generator as a shoreside shorepower plug. We have no inverter.

I just plug the shorepower cable into that, takes but a moment. The outlet end remains plugged in to the AC input and internal wiring.

I have seen what happens when two phases are not matched and are joined.

Not able to happen with KISS.

We are on shore power or genset power. Can only be one or the other.
Click to expand...

Good idea & also not much of a wallet dent
 
wizzer said:
Good idea & also not much of a wallet dent
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Or wiring.

To use the interlock switch panel would have required a heavy cable from the genset to the panel, about 8 metres and two deck height changes.

Two metres of cable directly to the panel in the locker containing the Shorepower inlet was more than enough.A new female Shorepower socket was mounted adjacent to the OE Marinco one that feeds the AC into the vessels wiring.

Easy peasy, and foolproof.
 
KompetentKrew said:
Either the builder or PO of my boat drilled a hole in the RCD unit and installed a switch like this:

irMSKdG.jpg

Would need to be DPDT, I think? And rated for 240v, at least 16A or 32A.

Mine is used to switch between bow and stern shore power.
Click to expand...
That is exactly what I fitted to swap hot water element between mains and inverter. However if the 2kw element is switched on when I use this switch the marina breaker blows.
 
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