Shoreline Wiring

[CaptTripps]

Hi Guys,
If one of you could please take a look at the pic of the back of my A/C panel and answer a question for me you might keep me from burning Pure Pleasure down! Here is the back of the panel:


I am trying to run the three wires from the shoreline where it comes into my boat (white/black/green wires) into the correct areas on this panel. As you can see, there are two wires coming out (blue and red) and a "bar with a silver screw (lone ranger's white horse?). I do not know which of the shore line wires mentioned above should go...um...for sure. Any ideas??>><CaptTripps

 

[sailingdog]

Do you have a photo of the front of that panel??? Also, have you checked the various wires to see what they're connected to? Is the brown wire coming off the top breaker connected to the other brown wires?

If you have any doubts of the quality of the panel, I would highly recommend replacing it.

Generally, the hot and neutral (black and white) wires will go to two of the breakers which are ganged together on the panel. The ground will go to a separate AC Ground bus bar.

Here's an image of the front of an AC panel:

In the case of this panel, it has a bus bar for each of the three connections—hot, neutral and ground.

 

[Ron20324]

Those are not very beefy wires for a 30-amp panel. In present ABYC practice, they call for a double circuit breaker (hot/neutral) located within (10 feet?) of the shore power entrance, then to your breaker panel. You should have a 10-guage wire in the boat for the shore connection.

Otherwise, it looks like the shore hot (black) would go to the position at the top of the middle black section. The neutral would go on the second screw down. (In some cases the hot/neu would be on the two screws on the right section. It can vary.) The 4 brown wires should be for indicator lamps when the breakers are 'on'. On the black section on the right side of the panel (looking from the rear, as in your picture) the top would have a short jumper down to what looks like a tapped hole on the top of that triple buss bar- or onto that silver screw already there..... Now the second screw down would have your neutral output (or input), but there is no buss to wire it to (like that triple buss). There are problems with this panel- it's old-school. Without a neutral buss and ground buss, you have no place to properly connect your shore ground and ALL the wires to your on-board AC outlets/appliances. AND, as you said, you don't want to burn your boat to the waterline. Sure, you could use separate buss power posts for the neu and grd, but they may cost you as much as a new panel. I'd say get a new one with the proper parts. ANd put a plastic cover over the back of the panel to cover all the hot AC.

In your picture, I'd GUESS the red/blue may be for a polarity reversal light, and whatever color the third one is may be a ground for the indicator lights. On your panel there are a few ways it could be wired, but a matter of personal preference, and I'm sure someone will brings those up, but not me. But that's all just a guess.

 

[CaptTripps]

Thanks! I think I am going to have an electrician take a look before I precede. This was installed by a PO and I have no idea who he was or what he was trying to do. Launching Spring break with or without AC! Gotta do some sailing!>><CaptTripps