The "polarity reversed" light is lit on my 110v electrics panel. I have 30 amp service at the slip. This happened a few weeks ago and I solved it by replacing the fuse for my battery charger. How do I go about tracing the problem? No one else at the pier has a similar problem, so it sounds like its caused by something in the circuit which starts at the 30amp plug on the pier and extends to my boat.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.
C
Chuck
polarity light
I know this is to simple but when mine comes on. I unplug and plug the power cord at the boat. For some reason it works. Check all connections on power cord and boat. If they are lose the light will come on.
I know this is to simple but when mine comes on. I unplug and plug the power cord at the boat. For some reason it works. Check all connections on power cord and boat. If they are lose the light will come on.
D
Dick McKee
D
Don
STOP!!!
The reverse polarity light is red, because it means danger. If your light comes on, even a flicker, something is wrong! I respectfully suggest that "wiggling the plug" is not the fix. It sounds like your battery charger is incorrectly wired. If that is not the case, the first step in troubleshooting is to ask yourself what have I done lately? Changed slips, changed shore power cord, or worked on your electrical panel. If nothing comes to mind, do the easy things first. Plug into another power plug on the dock. If the light does not come on, your dock plug is wired wrong. Borrow another cord. If it goes away, your cord was wired backwards (not likely unless someone has worked on it). If the problem persists and you know zip about electricity, it's time to call in a qualified marine electician. If you want to press on, there are some checks you can make. Most factory wired boats have 3 wires coming into the electrical panel. Black is hot. White is neutral or return. Green is safety ground. The reverse polarity light should go between white and green. With power on and being very careful not to touch any wires, check for power with a voltmeter or AC trouble light. From black to white you should have power. From black to green you should have power. From white to green you should NOT have power. Good luck.
The reverse polarity light is red, because it means danger. If your light comes on, even a flicker, something is wrong! I respectfully suggest that "wiggling the plug" is not the fix. It sounds like your battery charger is incorrectly wired. If that is not the case, the first step in troubleshooting is to ask yourself what have I done lately? Changed slips, changed shore power cord, or worked on your electrical panel. If nothing comes to mind, do the easy things first. Plug into another power plug on the dock. If the light does not come on, your dock plug is wired wrong. Borrow another cord. If it goes away, your cord was wired backwards (not likely unless someone has worked on it). If the problem persists and you know zip about electricity, it's time to call in a qualified marine electician. If you want to press on, there are some checks you can make. Most factory wired boats have 3 wires coming into the electrical panel. Black is hot. White is neutral or return. Green is safety ground. The reverse polarity light should go between white and green. With power on and being very careful not to touch any wires, check for power with a voltmeter or AC trouble light. From black to white you should have power. From black to green you should have power. From white to green you should NOT have power. Good luck.
A
Andy Howard
How do You test reverse polarity light?
This thread has me thinking, my red light has never come on, but how do test to make sure the bulb is even working. Is there a way to safely reverse the polarity to test this sensor?
This thread has me thinking, my red light has never come on, but how do test to make sure the bulb is even working. Is there a way to safely reverse the polarity to test this sensor?
D
Don
How to test........
I wouldn't recommend changing polarity just to check it. Disconnect shore power by disconnecting the power cord. Don't just turn the breaker off, because there will still be hot wires in the electrical panel. Trace the wiring from the rev. polarity light. It should be connected to the incoming green (ground) and white (neutral). Disconnect the polarity light wire (should be a small wire) from the white wire and connect it to the black. Power up and it should come on. I hope I have explained this correctly. Take a look at yours and see if this makes sense. If you are not sure, don't go swapping wires around and cause even more problems. BTW, most of the reverse polarity problems I've encountered stemmed from some nimrod that wired the dock plug backwards.
I wouldn't recommend changing polarity just to check it. Disconnect shore power by disconnecting the power cord. Don't just turn the breaker off, because there will still be hot wires in the electrical panel. Trace the wiring from the rev. polarity light. It should be connected to the incoming green (ground) and white (neutral). Disconnect the polarity light wire (should be a small wire) from the white wire and connect it to the black. Power up and it should come on. I hope I have explained this correctly. Take a look at yours and see if this makes sense. If you are not sure, don't go swapping wires around and cause even more problems. BTW, most of the reverse polarity problems I've encountered stemmed from some nimrod that wired the dock plug backwards.
D
Dave
Electric
Hi to Don and all: Similiar question; On my Catalina 30 MkIII, everything is normal, but last fall when I used my portable generator (5000 watt Coleman)the reverse polarity light just flickered slightly. I drove a long metal screwdriver into the dirt and attached a ground wire from generator to ground and it made no diference. The light was not steady, but just a faint flicker. Everything on the boat worked ok. Will anything be harmed if I use the generator again? Thanks in advance, Dave S/V Westwind
Hi to Don and all: Similiar question; On my Catalina 30 MkIII, everything is normal, but last fall when I used my portable generator (5000 watt Coleman)the reverse polarity light just flickered slightly. I drove a long metal screwdriver into the dirt and attached a ground wire from generator to ground and it made no diference. The light was not steady, but just a faint flicker. Everything on the boat worked ok. Will anything be harmed if I use the generator again? Thanks in advance, Dave S/V Westwind
R
Rodney Kidd
Reverse Polarity Light Explained
Rich, This is can be a very dangerous situation, I'll try to explain. The light (a 110 volt neon light) is wired between the ground (green wire) and the neutral (white wire) of your shore power inlet. The neutral and ground wires should be at the same potential voltage wise. In other words, A voltmeter attached to the ground and neutral wires should read no voltage. If for some reason, the dock outlet, shore power inlet on the boat, or the shore power cord is miswired and reverses the hot (black wire) with the neutral wire, the light will come on to warn about the "reverse polarity. Reversed polarity connects the hot side of the shore power to the wrong side of various appliances you may have on your boat. For example, if you have an electric drill with a metal case, normally the case is connected to neutral, and the hot runs the motor. Reverse it, and now the case is hot! If you were holding the drill and contacted anything grounded, mast, keel bolts, engine, etc., ZZZAAAAAAAP! You become the conductor which is not good for your health. The bad part is that most appliances will work properly. This situation is like a snake waiting to strike. In this scenario, the reverse polarity light would be lit brightly. If the polarity light is lit only dimly, the problem is either a broken or bad ground or neutral wire. The problem could be as simple as a worn out shore power connector. That is why wriggling the connector will sometime correct the problem. If reseating the connector makes the light go out, the shore power connector (either the receptacle or the plug) is worn and needs to be replaced. Make sure you check both ends. This is dangerous as well since any fault in the tool or appliance will once again cause you to be the conductor if the right circumstances are present. The polarity could truly be reversed especially if the marina has had electrical work done recently, you've changed the shore power inlet on the boat, changed either end of the shore power cord, and less likely, bought a new shore power cord. Rodney Kidd C-38 #297, Flying Bear
Rich, This is can be a very dangerous situation, I'll try to explain. The light (a 110 volt neon light) is wired between the ground (green wire) and the neutral (white wire) of your shore power inlet. The neutral and ground wires should be at the same potential voltage wise. In other words, A voltmeter attached to the ground and neutral wires should read no voltage. If for some reason, the dock outlet, shore power inlet on the boat, or the shore power cord is miswired and reverses the hot (black wire) with the neutral wire, the light will come on to warn about the "reverse polarity. Reversed polarity connects the hot side of the shore power to the wrong side of various appliances you may have on your boat. For example, if you have an electric drill with a metal case, normally the case is connected to neutral, and the hot runs the motor. Reverse it, and now the case is hot! If you were holding the drill and contacted anything grounded, mast, keel bolts, engine, etc., ZZZAAAAAAAP! You become the conductor which is not good for your health. The bad part is that most appliances will work properly. This situation is like a snake waiting to strike. In this scenario, the reverse polarity light would be lit brightly. If the polarity light is lit only dimly, the problem is either a broken or bad ground or neutral wire. The problem could be as simple as a worn out shore power connector. That is why wriggling the connector will sometime correct the problem. If reseating the connector makes the light go out, the shore power connector (either the receptacle or the plug) is worn and needs to be replaced. Make sure you check both ends. This is dangerous as well since any fault in the tool or appliance will once again cause you to be the conductor if the right circumstances are present. The polarity could truly be reversed especially if the marina has had electrical work done recently, you've changed the shore power inlet on the boat, changed either end of the shore power cord, and less likely, bought a new shore power cord. Rodney Kidd C-38 #297, Flying Bear
R
Rich
Possible Explanation for the Problem
I submitted the original post about the reversed polarity and I think I've got an explanation. The light came on after a heavy rain. It went out after the weather dried, in about a day or two. I suspect a short in either the pier system or aboard my boat. I believe it's the former, since the boat's well sealed at the 30 amp connector and there have been complaints from other slip renters about the shore power. Thanks for all the useful replies about this. Rich in Annapolis BTW Yesterday was a wonderful sail on the Bay north of the Bay Bridge...wind out of the SW to SE at about 10-15 kts. Got her up to 8.0.
I submitted the original post about the reversed polarity and I think I've got an explanation. The light came on after a heavy rain. It went out after the weather dried, in about a day or two. I suspect a short in either the pier system or aboard my boat. I believe it's the former, since the boat's well sealed at the 30 amp connector and there have been complaints from other slip renters about the shore power. Thanks for all the useful replies about this. Rich in Annapolis BTW Yesterday was a wonderful sail on the Bay north of the Bay Bridge...wind out of the SW to SE at about 10-15 kts. Got her up to 8.0.
- Status
- Not open for further replies.