GFI (Ground Fault Interrupter) issue on R-25

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KentSidel

Member
Joined
May 7, 2009
Messages
19
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Vessel Name
Sarah Grey
Hello, Tugnuts,

I returned from a month cruise to discover my local marina had "upgraded" the dock wiring. Gone were the standard 30 amp marine power boxes. Installed were simple 15 amp outdoor house outlet boxes.

A $70 adapter to convert my 30 amp R-25 cord to a 15 amp household plug produced these results:

When plugged in, the R-25 AC panel showed green light power.
When switched on, the GFI circuit on the marina dock pole immediately blew. Multiple tries; multiple blows of GFI circuit.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can get a household outlet 15 amp box to power my R-25 without tripping the GFI on the marina dock service?

Kent
KentSidel
Sarah Grey
 
If there is an R-25 Owner's manual or wiring diagram on line, I can give a better set of "guesses" but so far I have not located one. Point one out to me if you can.

Have you tried putting a simple load directly into the 110 VAC outlet to see if it holds then? Preferably, use something with a 3-prong plug like a power tool or vacuum cleaner. It is possible the shore power device itself is defective. I recently replaced a GFCI for a neighbor which would trip at random but could be "fixed" by wiggling it.

Are you certain it is the GFCI part of the shore power that is tripping and not the 15 amp breaker associated with it? Sometimes they are a combination device and it is difficult to tell which really is opening. I don't know how much load the boat may be trying to pull.

Can you drop off all loads from the panel and start bringing them up one at a time to see if a specific circuit is involved? It should be a 110 VAC circuit on the boat that is causing the fault, so I would concentrate on the battery charger and any other 110 VAC devices that might be on board. Make sure there is no moisture where current could find a path, such as condensation on a plug.

It is possible that there might be a ground fault in the boat which would not be enough to trip a breaker, but which might trip a GFCI. When I bought a previous boat I used to read a 4 or 5 volt difference between various circuits and ground. It had to do with the way the neutrals were bonded to ground (we had multiple 50 amp circuits).

(Little Lady's new owner once "Made Bathrooms Safe for Democracy" working on a contract to rewrite the FHA Minimum Property Standards. My only claim to (in)fame(y) is that I am the one who recommended that all those GFCIs be installed in everyone's bathrooms and other places around their homes. So it is probably me that caused your current problem, no pun intended. We all have to earn a living somehow, and things were sometimes rough in the '70s in aerospace. You don't even want to know what I know about toilets. 😱 )
 
Been there, done that. We have GFI and 15 amp service here. The cure is very easy and costs nothing and takes about 5 minutes.

First -- turn OFF all power, both 12 and 110 or you'll have an unpleasant time.

There is a wire, about 6" long, that is connected to both the 12 volt and 110 volt panel below your throttle. Take the screws out of the panels and you should be able to spot the wire and see where it is connected at each end.

Remove it, tighten the screws and reinstall -- and that solves the problem.

Apparently what is happening is that the grounding wire has a bit of resistance and the GFI reads it and trips. Removing the wire stops that.

Dave
"Lobo"
 
Wow! This topic may top the Exhaust Riser Time Bomb message count now. The DC/AC ground debate rages any place boat owners congregate. From what you say, I take it they leave the factory electrically connected. Not to confuse AC ground with the AC neutral, but that happens too. I'm only going to observe........
 
Also, make sure you have not chained GFI outlets if you added more. Only one GFI outlet is needed per circuit. Adding more can cause GFI to fail when needed and can cause other outlets in the chain to trip.
 
Go back up to been there done that by Lobo.
Ignore all other posts regarding this topic.
It has been explored extensively in a previous thread.
What worked for Lobo also worked for me.
 
Lobo is correct on this one. Here are some steps to follow.

1. Disconnect Shore Power from the vessel.

2. Turn off all 12 volt cutoff switches. (3) total.

3. Remove Shore Power panel (4) square head screws.

4. Remove the wire from the back of the 120volt meter going to the 12volt meter above it.

5. Call Andrew @ Ranger for questions. 253-839-5213.
 
This was the exact same cure for RT tug as well remove one wire and all better.
 
Hello, Andrew, Lobo, and All,

My thanks.

I disconnected the black wire which ran between the 110V meter and the 12V meter.

I now have 15 amp 113V power to Sarah Grey.

Kent
Sarah Grey
R-25
 
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