Shore Power Not Working - 1997 Maxum 3000 SCR - Maxum Boat Owners Club

kt_maxum · 01-19-2021, 12:34 AM

Hi All,

I'm new to cruising and just bought a 1997 Maxum 3000 SCR. I've discovered that the shore power isn't working. The boat is currently stored on land in a boatyard, and there's 30amp power from the yard panel. The yard's power is working (the marina tested the panel by connecting it to another boat) and the breaker on the panel is on. I've tried another cord that is known to work and still no power, so I don't think it's a cord issue.

Where the cord connects to the boat there's a breaker, and it's "on". On the AC panel inside the boat there's a main breaker switch that I also set to "on" but there's no power to the panel (there's a green light that would indicate when AC power is working).

Not sure if it's relevant or not but the batteries are brand new and DC power is working fine.

Anybody have ideas on what I might be missing? Some sort of GFCI hidden somewhere?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Ken

mmwjr · 01-19-2021, 01:07 AM

The green light may be out. Have you tested with a meter to see if power is at any of the receptacles with the breakers on? You may need to pull the panel and start measuring for power at the main breaker to see if power is getting to it. Is there a built in voltmeter and if so does it show power?

kt_maxum · 01-19-2021, 01:20 AM

Thanks very much Mike. I didn't test for power at the receptacles but I did try turning on the lights with the shore power connected and the breaker on (and the batteries in the "off" position) and they didn't work. I'll try the receptacles as well.

I think you're right that I need to see whether power is getting to the panel in the first place. Unfortunately there's no built in voltmeter on the panel.

Thanks,
Ken

mmwjr · 01-19-2021, 02:06 AM

If you’re referring to the cabin overhead lights they are 12VDC only and don’t work on shore power.

kt_maxum · 01-19-2021, 02:48 AM

Thanks I wasn't aware of that. It sounds like I need to properly test the receptacles to see if I'm getting power but the AC panel light is simply out. It would be great if it's that easy a fix!

Thanks again.

Cheers
Ken

shrew · 01-19-2021, 02:46 PM

You should have an AC volt meter on the panel along with the indicator light. I assume you also have 2 shore power connectors. One side will be for the Heat/AC, the other side should be for all the other AC circuits.

Determine whether shore power 1 or 2 handles the AC. Plug into shore power one and turn the meter indicator to 1 and see if the needles shows between 110 - 130 volts. Then plug into shore power 2. Turn the meter to 2 and see if it shows between 110-130 volts.

Also, once the mains are on, the individual breakers will also need to be on, such as Outlets, for the outlet to actually work.

The battery switch only controls DC. The lights are all DC. The battery switch is not at all connected to the AC side.

mmwjr · 01-19-2021, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shrew

You should have an AC volt meter on the panel along with the indicator light. I assume you also have 2 shore power connectors. One side will be for the Heat/AC, the other side should be for all the other AC circuits.

Determine whether shore power 1 or 2 handles the AC. Plug into shore power one and turn the meter indicator to 1 and see if the needles shows between 110 - 130 volts. Then plug into shore power 2. Turn the meter to 2 and see if it shows between 110-130 volts.

Also, once the mains are on, the individual breakers will also need to be on, such as Outlets, for the outlet to actually work.

The battery switch only controls DC. The lights are all DC. The battery switch is not at all connected to the AC side.

I looked at the manual we have and what shrew says is true if you have 2 shore power connections but if you only have 1 the manual says there is no meter.

kt_maxum · 01-19-2021, 04:17 PM

Thanks very much. Yes, I only have one shore power connection and unfortunately no meter on the panel. I am going to make sure I properly check the outlets today and will post an update.

Thanks!

kt_maxum · 01-21-2021, 01:16 AM

I checked the receptacles and it looks like the shore power is working and the issue was simply that the panel light isn't functional.

Thanks again for all the help - given my lack of experience with the boat's systems I'm certain I'll be back with a bunch of other questions!

Thanks,
Ken

mmwjr · 01-21-2021, 02:13 AM

Ken don’t be shy and ask all the questions you have.

Phillbo · 01-21-2021, 02:22 AM

Never approach a dock faster than you want to ram it