Okay, need an electrical guru NOW!!!!!!!

[nyrussell]

One of the mechanics in the marina who also lives here was helping me get a breaker out of the dc panel and when replacing the breaker stuck a screw driver into the panel and threw lot's of sparks... Long story short, No Engine room lights, no water pump No vacuflush pumps going, bilge pumps....

Now WHAT? I sorta feel like Randy... LOL sorry Randy. I owe you a steak. If a person can get out here to help it would be a blessing and a case of Sapporo on us too. And if it takes awhile a bottle of Glenfiddich i have held for 20 years too.

Thanks,

Noel

 

[Pascal]

well, "long story short" doenst' work too well when troubleshooting a problem.

you mention a few things that are no longer working but does anything DC work?

how about

Cabin lights
electronics
engines (do they start?)
nav lights

If nothing works, you need to go to the source (batteries) and trace from there with a voltmeter to see where you loose power. My guess is that you have fuse somewhere or a master breaker that tripped.

If only the stuff you listed work, then the issue is in the panel. damaged wiring, etc...

so, the "electrician" damages your panel and leaves you hanging??

 

[captddis]

Check the ribbon fuse behind the panel where the battery switches are.

 

[nyrussell]

Nav lights out, blowers out, depth sounder good, paddle wheel speed good. dial lights out, compass light out. vberth dc light works, aft cabin works, in saloon: aft and forward lights out, starboard and port work.

"electrician" will be back after noon tomorrow.

We pulled the panel off the bottom of the battery dials and the fuses looked good (so far). Battery charger went green then red then green flashing after I played with the breaker on the dock... He thinks it might be the charger (possibly until I got back from dinner (IHOP was okay, too many worries to enjoy dinner with the kid (dammit!!!)).

Offer still stands.... And if necessary a free dinner at your place....

Noel

 

[nyrussell]

It is also possible you shorted to an AC line if one is in that panel, and toasted the 12 volts dc stuff.

UMMMMM YIKES!!!!!!!!!

 

[Trojan]

Use your meter and check the breakers in your DC panel. See if you have the proper voltage where you are supposed to have it. There should only be one DC feed to your panel. If you lost half of your DC panel one of the jumpers in the panel is gone. I don't know what panel you have so I'm only guessing, but it should be similar to the panel in a 43. The problem will most likely be in the panel. You should have 2 banks of DC breakers check the feed in the panel that joins the 2 banks of breakers. Look for a burnt wire in the panel. You can't have a half powered panel and have battery trouble. You were a little vague on the panel as to what was lost. It doesn't sound like a major problem. Next time kill the panel before it kills you.

BILL

 

[fissioneng]

Nav lights out, blowers out, depth sounder good, paddle wheel speed good. dial lights out, compass light out. vberth dc light works, aft cabin works, in saloon: aft and forward lights out, starboard and port work.

We pulled the panel off the bottom of the battery dials and the fuses looked good (so far). Battery charger went green then red then green flashing after I played with the breaker on the dock

I am surprised that the mechanic (not an electrician) was replacing a breaker with the panel powered up! Make sure he doesn't do such a thing again.

I think your boat is close to the same year as mine, so the wiring may be similar. I have a Ship's Service Guest battery switch (next to the engine switches) that powers the FB electronics and the Ship's Service Panel (your DC breaker panel). Since you appear to have electronics live, I would guess you have power to this switch. You could try turning this off and see if the things that still work go out. That at least tells you that things are okay up to this switch and that the ANL (ribbon) fuses to the DC electronics and Ship's Service panel are good, validating your visual observation.

If this is the case, you have some problem in your Ship's Service panel. Did any of the breakers trip? Look at something that doesn't work and make sure the breaker is on, if you turn it on and it trips, you have short in that circuit or breaker. I once had a bolt vaporize inside a 480 volt AC panel and it sprayed a bunch of breakers and shorted them out. I doubt this would happen in a 12 volt DC panel, but you did get a spark.

One other thing, are the items that don't work located on the same buss? I have two busses. If the dead items are all on the same buss, most likely that buss is dead. Check with a meter. The busses are in the center and the breakers screw into them.

What type of charger do you have? Hard to determine what the lights mean without knowing.

 

[REBrueckner]

Fission has it right: "I am surprised that the mechanic (not an electrician) was replacing a breaker with the panel powered up! Make sure he doesn't do such a thing again."

that's a "newbie" mistake and now you know why....

some systems also have a fuse between a battery bank and the electric panel for appliances...located in the vicinity of the battery bank....

 

[bigbill]

check your fuses with a meter, dont just look at them. sometimes they look good but are not. did you check your main dc breakers?

 

[Genesis]

One of the ANL fuses in the main DC panel is probably open, as noted by others.

They're behind the panel where the main rotary switches are. Go hunting there. BE CAREFUL IN THERE - the feed back from there to the battery bank is UNPROTECTED and shorts in that panel can, if on the feed side of one of those fuses, be EXCITING (and not in a good way either!) Realize that while you may think of it as "low voltage" the issue is the current delivery capacity when it comes to electrical burns and similar fun stuff.

If you're not VERY comfortable working around energized high-energy stuff play safe and DISCONNECT THE BATTERIES - all of them - before you open those panels up.

 

[fissioneng]

BE CAREFUL IN THERE - the feed back from there to the battery bank is UNPROTECTED and shorts in that panel can, if on the feed side of one of those fuses, be EXCITING (and not in a good way either!)

YES, YES, YES. In particular, if checking those ANL fuses when the panel is hot, if you slip with your meter probe and cross the hot side fuse connection to the aluminum case...SPARKS will fly and probably burn the tip off your probe. There is only about 1/2" of space between the fuse end and the case.

As Genesis said, I recommend disconnecting the batteries especially since your mechanic has already shorted one panel!

 

[nyrussell]

Okay, t6ook a bit, but found the breaker that popped (this time) BTW, I will be putting in the circuit breaker now... Had a blast finding it. not fun on a boat with half the lights plus out. Now, I get to figger out where to kill all the power to the panel. I Hate Electric!!

OK, now a good book on marine electronics is?

And thanks. I owe Pascal et al a beer when I see ya's

Noel

 

[fissioneng]

If you are talking about your main DC panel, it is probably labeled Ship's Service. There should be a large Guest switch between your engine disconnects that kills that panel. See Photo. It is the one in the middle.

 

[nyrussell]

That's the main panel... To install the the breaker, kill all three?

Also, one of the screw in fuse holders is loose and when touched sparks... this is fun, but first the bilge and heater....

 

[nyrussell]

No, he popped one on the panel itself (scary). I just got time to deal with this and will only try to fry myself instead Wife was actually flipping out quietly an wans n s or a paid person doing this now... Makes her feel better.... So, now i get to buy me a new book.... Calder on Marine Electrical? or 2 books... I am too old to be an apprentice....

LOL

Noel

 

[fissioneng]

You should just need to turn off the center one labeled "Ships Service" and that should kill your DC panel. Turn on some DC lights, then turn the center switch to OFF, and they should go out. Your DC panel should be dead now, but check with a meter to make sure.

The screw in fuse holders are a pain. Which one is it? Some are powered by the Guest engine switches.

I like Calder's "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual", it is in the 3rd edition now. Lots of diagrams and photos.

 

[nyrussell]

Will be in the engine room later today to look at it again. Now off to work for a few...

 

[Pascal]

rule nr one... always shut down power before messing inside a panel. that means...

DC: battery switches shoudl be turned OFF
AC: rotary swtiches off, main breaker on the dock off, and ideally shore power disconencted.
If you have an inverter, turn it off too so that it doens't kick in, ideally turn off the inverter batt. switch too.

a "pro" should take these precautions, no excuse.

as an owner we've all skipped some of that at least once, but you'd better know what you're doing, what is off and what is no. couple of weeks ago I had a bad breaker for the master AC, I swapped the wire to an used breaker with only that leg off (at the rotary) because i had people on board. It's a calculated risk and i was extra careful, with what i was touching, using insulated tools, etc...

many people are intimidated by electrical work even though it's very simple. most things require two wires to work, as long as you dont' mix them up and you trace your wiring, you'll be fine. it's not rocket science. as a live aboard, I'd recommend that you familiarize yourself with your system. read the diagrams, see how things flow, it's really easy compared to some of the other things we deal with.

I dont' think i contributed anythign to deserve a beer, but i will be passing thru NY aroudn oct 18 on the way south from Nantucket... not sure where i'll stop this time around, maybe we can have that beer then.

 

[nyrussell]

If not then in Fl. After the Nov. 1st to the 13th

I am, just not at the electrical part yet to a large degree. Right now heater is the push. Bloody cold for Sept.

 

[Trojan]

Who, what an old panel. Did you try resetting the breaker?

BILL