Reverse polarity trouble

C

Capt. Wanabe

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 9, 2009
Messages
64
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2721H010
Non-Fluid Motion Model
River King
Vessel Name
My Precious
When connecting the shore power the red reverse polarity lights come on. The boat is on a trailer for winter storage. What is the process that you all follow to see where this is coming from?
 
The short answer is to flip the reversing switch on the electrical panel at the helm and don't worry about it...
You are up on the trailer so electrolysis is not an issue...

The longer answer is that some genius has reversed the hot and neutral wires somewhere on the shorepower...

The first issue there is the question: Is there a shock hazard?
Best way to answer that is to get a VOM, run a separate wire from a ground connection, over to the boat (off the metal case of the shore supply or stick a screw driver into the dirt and use that for ground)... The using the meter check the AC voltage between that ground and exposed metal on the boat - the anchor winch is a good spot for that - also the metal on the electrical panel at the helm... Check the railing before you stick your arm through the rail to touch the probe to the winch... Check it with the reversing switch set both for Normal and Reverse...
Obviously if there is more than 1 or 2 volts showing from the exposed metal to ground, then the shore power MUST be disconnected and repairs made because it is a shock hazard...

Edit:
I erased a lengthy treatise on how to rewire shore power/plugs/etc.
I'm trying to learn to inconvenience fewer electrons...
But basically, if you don't already know how, best to get some help...

cheers
 
You may also want to make sure that the problem isn't from where you are getting your power. The outlet you are plugged into may very well be incorrectly wired and that is why you are getting the reverse polarity reading.
 
Get a polarity tester for ten bucks from any hardware store.
Unplug the extension cord going to the boat and plug the polarity tester into the outlet.
If the problem is in the outlet the extension cord is plugged into, the polarity tester will tell you exactly what the nature of the problem is.
If the polarity tester says the outlet is o.k., plug the extension cord back into the outlet, and plug the polarity tester into the extension cord.
If the polarity tester says the extension cord is o.k., then the problem is in the boat.
 
Ahhh common, bbrh842... REAL men don't use a hardware store polarity tester... Real men wet their fingers and put one on the boat and one on ground...posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=2356#
 
Levitation.
No kidding. I saw an electrician at work do it that way once. Not for me though.
 
My father-in-law, before retiring, was an electrical contractor. My wife and I had bought a new house and were having problems with the circuit breaker box. His solution was to bring a replacement box one weekend when he came to visit. He decided to change the box; it being a weekend the power company wasn't about to come out and shut off the power.

A long story shortened: I still have some hair on my body standing straight up. :shock: There's a bunch of electrical force in the field around those cables, I'm glad he knew what he was doing and kept me out of trouble. 😀

Cured me of all my previous recklessness around electricity. 😉

gene
 
Thanks for the great advice. My "day job" unfortunately took me out of the loop for the past week. Now I feel like I have a much better handle on the reverse polarity thing. I, however, am disappointed at missing the treatise on rewiring shorepower, etc. May next time.
Frank
 
I experienced the reverse polarity problem when usung a Honda generator as the "Shore Power" source. Checks using a plug-in polarity tester showed that hot/ground and neutral were correct ( on both the boat and the generator). On further checking I discovered that the Honda neutral (AC outlet) is not grounded to the generator frame (floating stator). To solve the problem I connected the ground terminal of the generator's AC outlet to the generator frame.
 
There are alot of good responses on this post. I see reverse polarity on a missing ground or improperly connected shore power cord on a regular basis. If you would like some help in troubleshooting, I would be happy to spend some time on the phone with you while you are on the boat. You are welcome to call me anytime on my direct line of: (206) 249-4225. Talk with you soon.
 
I used to run into that problem years ago with my old motor home. The polarity tester is a good idea. It is better than using a multimeter. Most folks don't know how to use a multimeter. I used to carry a short adapter cable with me where I reversed the black and white (power and neutral) wires on one connector. If the R21 had a reversing switch like the bigger tugs have, I would not have to make another cable for my tug (That is called a hint Andrew).
 
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