Shore power problem

[cardinal_mark]

When I plugged in after returning to our berth on Sunday all of the sockets on board were dead BUT the meter on the pontoon was still happily spinning away racking up a bill!

I tried plugging in various appliances, plugging in to our neighbours supply, and checked all the cable plugs etc but all to no avail. Presumbaly since nothing works but we still seem to be drawing power it must be more than a blown fuse or trip. Like most boat system things this has me stumped so any ideas really would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance

Mark

 

[Evadne]

Damaged transformer or leakage to earth? If its the only thing plugged in to the mains and you're still drawing power then it must be suspect.

 

[steve_cronin]

\"Damaged transformer\"

Wow, that takes me back.

Before the advent of the RCD (or RCCB) I can remember that many south coast marinas wouldn't let you plug in unless you could satisfy their electrician that your installation went through an isolating transformer or unless you were willing to rent a a free standing one (great heavy brute too ) from them and protect it from the weather.

I suspect that our friend doesn't have a transformer which means that his problem could be due to many causes but the fact that the meter is reading IS puzzling

Steve Cronin

 

[Salty John]

Perhaps the fuse or breaker on your socket circuit has blown or become detached somehow. The power you are using could be on your battery charger circuit or maybe an immersion heater.

 

[Guest]

Sounds like a short somewhere ............. disconnect and start checking .... from shore power into boat point moving further into boat .... making sure that all breakers / connections are off.

 

[steve_cronin]

Just a quick thought whilst the security videos are loading....

If your boat has a proper shorepower installation then it probably has a seperate RCD for the sockets from the battery charger and possibly but not likely the immersion heater. If this is the case then the charger will be drawing current even if the RCD for the sockets has tripped. Someone else has metioned this.So look for the distribution box which is probably located in a locker - under the chart table is popular ansd see if a trip has tripped - they point down when off.

I had a boat once which always tripped the RCD when it was plugged into the shore because the pins didn't make contact at precisely the same moment - irritating but there wasn't a fault.

Steve Cronin

 

[cardinal_mark]

Re: Just a quick thought whilst the security videos are loading....

Thanks all - will have another poke around tomorrow (off for a mighty 3 day summer holiday - the joy of being self employed!). Will let you know how I get on...

Thanks again

Mark

 

[DaveS]

Re: Just a quick thought whilst the security videos are loading....

Agree with others that checking through in a logical sequence is best. One thing to try quickly: with your shore lead detached from the pontoon supply does the meter stop? If yes, it's your problem and when you've time check everything through in an orderly sequence.

If, however, it keeps going, the meter's faulty and you should report it to the marina operator PDQ with your estimate of the last sensible reading. This is uncommon, but can happen. An electromechanical meter can "creep" slowly if the braking magnet isn't adjusted right, and an electronic meter can do almost anything if it misbehaves: I once saw one clock up 1000s of kWh in a day while no current was drawn!