10x Power Consumption at Pedestal

[Rocky Lou]

Since I got my C302c in 2019, my electric bill has been less than $10 per month with all the same devices left on: 3 fridges: Main, Bait and Wine. I also have two small dehumidifiers with no fan that draw almost no power.

Last month, I got my slip bill and was amazed that the electric bill was roughly 10x. The harbor attached a Meter Maid and gave me the following report:
The meters were checked last night by our team. Attached are the photos. This is what I gather:

Original pedestal read 8/28/24: 43798.6
Pedestal read 9/5/24: 43815.3
Difference= 16.70

Original Meter Maid read 8/28/24: 442.5
Meter Maid read 9/5/24:459.9
Difference=17.40

The difference between the two readings varies by .70 with the Meter Maid showing the slightly higher read.
According to this test, it looks like your boat is drawing some power.

I'd like to know if anyone has had similar experiences when the power consumption rises 10x and you have not changed anything on the boat...very puzzling.

 

[Brian John]

1st I would use an amp clamp/amp-probe, shut off the refrigerators, and unplug the dehumidifiers. Amp the main and see if you are drawing any power.
2nd check to see if the fridges are running excessively was a door left open, a bad gasket.
3rd wait and see what next month's bill brings.

 

[Full_O_Fish]

Would also check if the water heater breaker has been left on by mistake, the heating element draws a fair amount.

Have also seen a dead or failing battery bank cause the charger to run continuously trying to maintain the voltage while it internally discharges.

 

[Rocky Lou]

1st I would use an amp clamp/amp-probe, shut off the refrigerators, and unplug the dehumidifiers. Amp the main and see if you are drawing any power.
2nd check to see if the fridges are running excessively was a door left open, a bad gasket.
3rd wait and see what next month's bill brings.

Thanks, let me confirm that I understand the steps:
1. I buy an amp clamp. Hopefully, a cheap one like (since I'll likely never use again): https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Mult...-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

2. Shut off: Main, Wine and Bait refrigerators along with duhumidifiers.

3. Turn on Main fridge and check amp draw with amp/clamp. Repeat for other fridges.

4. Insure seals are all solid (unlikely a problem, since I use all three fridges regularly).

Do I have this right?

 

[Rocky Lou]

Would also check if the water heater breaker has been left on by mistake, the heating element draws a fair amount.

Have also seen a dead or failing battery bank cause the charger to run continuously trying to maintain the voltage while it internally discharges.

I'll double check all AC panel switches, but, do that regularly. I'll also check that the inverter panel shows Full, rather than constantly Charging. Thanks.

 

[Rebel112r]

If the meter reading went from 440 to 44000, that is 100x. If that is kWh, that would be a spendy power bill.

 

[Rocky Lou]

If the meter reading went from 440 to 44000, that is 100x. If that is kWh, that would be a spendy power bill.

LOL, I took their word for the interpretation of the MeterMaid that reads kWh...terrible name IMO.

 

[Brian John]

LOL, I took their word for the interpretation of the MeterMaid that reads kWh...terrible name IMO.View attachment 23869

A better name for a product made in England would be "Lovely Rita"

 

[Rocky Lou]

My clamp meter arrived, however, a friend told me that, "You need to isolate the wires" so it may be useless as I have no idea how to do that.

 

[Mastercraft]

I bought these on Amazon 4 years

1. Amprobe ELS2A AC Line Splitter​

2. Fluke 323 Clamp Meter For Commercial/Residential​

3. RV Cable Electrical Locking Adapter Converter Plug Socket Connector 15A Male to 30A Female 3-Prong 125V

4. Marvin's Cable Shore Power 30 Amp L5-30 Adapter (15M/30F, 30M/15F) 15 Amp Household Regular Inlet with Heavy Duty Construction & LED Indicator

The splitter is no longer available on Amazon. You can find a similar one.

I need one more adapter to split 30 amp shore power. These adapters are priceless. I can check shore power at pedestal if it has led. I can hook a Honda 2000w generator into 30amp boat plug using a regular extension cord. Don’t buy adapters with pigtails. Pigtails break and are bulky. Buy adapters and powere cords with led built in lights if possible to indicate power is on.

I normally don’t buy fluke yet I wanted a reliable good toy!!!

 

[Rocky Lou]

I bought these on Amazon 4 years

1. Amprobe ELS2A AC Line Splitter​

2. Fluke 323 Clamp Meter For Commercial/Residential​

3. RV Cable Electrical Locking Adapter Converter Plug Socket Connector 15A Male to 30A Female 3-Prong 125V

4. Marvin's Cable Shore Power 30 Amp L5-30 Adapter (15M/30F, 30M/15F) 15 Amp Household Regular Inlet with Heavy Duty Construction & LED Indicator

The splitter is no longer available on Amazon. You can find a similar one.

I need one more adapter to split 30 amp shore power. These adapters are priceless. I can check shore power at pedestal if it has led. I can hook a Honda 2000w generator into 30amp boat plug using a regular extension cord. Don’t buy adapters with pigtails. Pigtails break and are bulky. Buy adapters and powere cords with led built in lights if possible to indicate power is on.

I normally don’t buy fluke yet I wanted a reliable good toy!!!

Hi Mastercraft,
Thanks for sharing. I'm not sure how this helps my problem. I don't need any power adapters. I do need to split the shore power 30amp cord in order to measure it, I believe, with the clamp meter. I'm just trying to determine how much power each of the devices on my boat (3 fridges, 2 dehumidifiers and inverter) are consuming.

The AC line splitter looks like interesting, but, it's not for a 30amp cord.

Cheers,
Paul

 

[watson1987]

You should be able to find a single wire split apart from the cord right before it goes into the breaker panel, where you will be able to use a standard clamp to test draw.

 

[Rocky Lou]

You should be able to find a single wire split apart from the cord right before it goes into the breaker panel, where you will be able to use a standard clamp to test draw.

Thanks, regrettably, anything that involves pulling my AC panels likely translates to 'call an electrician' for me...unless I get desperate. This issue, while annoying, has a workaround for me to measure kWh consumption roughly by using the pedestal meter and selectively plugging/unplugging devices. It's very slow and primitive.

Too bad the CW didn't put an amp meter on the panels, like many boats have.