shore power

[jeff]

hey guys,

i have a honda 2000i portable generator i hooked every thing right i think ,, the green light came on in the shore power panel and i was get a good reading on the meter
but nothing turned on microwave radio, ect ,,is there another switch? do i need to turn the key on? im sure i dont have to turn on the batteries,,might there be something else?

thanks

[jeff]

i have a 2000 scr 2800 by the way

[seaman-recruit]

Were the main breakers on the AC panel turned on as well as the individual breakers for microwave, etc.? I believe the radio may be a separate issue as it is likely only powered by DC. I have the 2000i also and use it while anchored for microwave, AC powered air pump for toys, etc. Also you likely have air conditioning and your panel will have a line-1 and line-2 switch. You may need to throw that over - you'll also need that shore power connection plugged in if you have the dual inlet like I have on my 2500. I can't remember if it was 1 or 2 for the air while the other was for the remaining 120V appliances, outlets, etc.

[jeffmeans]

Jim/seaman-recruit is correct... if the green light is on, you likely didn't turn the MAIN breaker on! I've done the same thing (forgot the main breaker switch). On my 2001 2900 SCR I have two main breakers (one for the heat pump/air-conditioner) and one for all the other stuff requiring 120VAC, and of course BOTH have to be on for any of the other breakers to work (i.e.; microwave, outlets, stove, etc.)

Do you have the analog meter that shows the actual VOLTAGE coming in? Its built-in to the main panel, real close to the breaker swittches. I do on Endless Summer... but then again, if the main breakers aren't on, the meter won't show any power because it measures the input AFTER the main breakers are turned on (or off for that matter----zero voltage then!) I use the Honda 2000i also, works great when on the hook, or buoy or at a dock with no power. I took it one step further and tapped-into one of the gas tank outlets (there's four total on my boat) to build a gas-extraction pump so if the generator runs out of gas I can always "rob" it from my 102 gallon tank. I also use it to put gas in the JetSki sometimes, as we're often away from marinas where we boat to.

[pascavone]

jeffmeans, where do you mount the honda when your boondocking?

[jeff]

Thank for the responces , i turned on the breaker switches, and also the main in the shore power box ,,, and nothing,,,
but i did see the green light on and was getting a strong reading on the meter,, i did all this saturday,, i just took the honda out the box that day , first time ever dealing with hooking up shore power was that day,,,, so i when i saw nothing was coming on after trying this and that i stopped,, i have"nt got round to a mount yet,

[jeffmeans]

I've put it both on the Extended Swim Platform I installed (47" deep") and out on the bow pulpit... it depends if we want to be away from the noise (although it's very quiet, it still makes enough noise to hinder conversation). Of course I've got it tied-down to the bow rail when it's out on the bow pulpit, and its tied to a high-mounted grab-rail when it's on the platform. Although its got the rubber "feet" under it, I'm a little nervous of it jiggling off of the platform due to vibration, so it's pretty well-secured at both spots. I also try to put towel or safety cushion under it to eliminate some of the vibration. It's STORED in the engine compartment, just in front of the batteries to port of the engine (I have a single engine---lots of room in there).

[jeffmeans]

Jeff; this is very peculiar... turning on or off the shore power box's breaker should have about as much affect on your boat as me turning on my breaker for my dryer here at home in Liberty Lake, WA. When you plug in your new Honda generator to your boat, it REPLACES the shore power cord (and source---your dock power) and the boat "can't tell" from where the power is coming. In other words, the shore power has to be completely disconnected from the boat... and THEN you plug in the Honda Generator to your shore power outlet---it is your new power source. Depending on which Honda you bought, you may need an adapter to go from a standard 15amp plug to the 30amp outlet on your boat (about $50 from West Marine). But some of the NEWER Honday 2000i models I've seen have BOTH a 30amp output on them and a 15amp output.

In fact... I plug mine in, in this order (and recommend you do the same): plug in the 15amp to 30amp adapter with the extension cord already attached, turn ON the generator and THEN plug in the extension cord to the generator. This will eliminate arc-ing at the shore power outlet on your boat, a costly and intrusive repair for our model boat. Notice the existing shore power cord has nothing to do with this plug-in process, as it's no longer being used.

Good luck...

[seaman-recruit]

I throw mine on the swim platform since my shore power connection is in the trunk. Just an FYI - those luggage straps you can buy at just about any store are great to secure the genny handle to the grab rail. (see mine in pic) One other thing I did was buy a 12' shore power cable (this had the 30A plugs on both ends since I have that outlet available on the genny) and then a short y-adapter (single 30A to dual-30A) for the shore power connections. That amount of cord takes up a lot less space in the trunk this way and leaves more room for fender storage, etc. I sourced the cords from Defender - check around because the prices for these vary significantly. I never need a 50'er since I use a rack-n-launch facility.

[jeff]

thank you guys for all your help, im gona take your advice
jeffmeans

[shrew]

Keep in mind you have a 12VDC and a 120VAC sides on your boat. Unlike a car that is DC only or a house which is AC only. There is only one item in your boat that is dual powered (both AC and DC) and that is the fridge.

Dual 12VDC/120VAC: Fridge

12VDC ONLY: Lights, Guages, Pumps, Radio, Starter

120VAC Only: Electrical Outlets, A/C, Battery Charger.

If you have A/C installed on the boat you should have 2 shore power plugs and two sides of your panel. There should be a dedicated Main breaker for each side. There will be a dedicated shore power plug for each side. Each side will have a dedicate main breaker. Typically the entire house goes on one Main and the A/C goes on the other main.

When you're on shore power, the 12VDC items on the house side (Lights, Pumps, Radio) will run off of your battery, with the battery charger recharging as amps are drawn down. The 120V items (outlets, Fridge, battery charger) run directly off of shore power, provided the plug is plugged in, the main for that side of the panel is on, and the individual breakers for each circuit are also on.

For example, if the shore power is plugged to the House side, the Main on the house side is on and all the individual breakers on that side are also on, then those items should be working. The fridge has an internal sensor switch that will go from 12DVC to 120VAC as soon as it detects power on that circuit (provided the fridge circuit breaker is also on).

In your case you report items which are 12VDC not working, such as the radio. You also mention the Microwave not working which is 120VAC only and plugged into an electrical outlet. These may be unrelated issues. For the 12VDC items, make sure your battery swich is also turned to ON on the house side. Even if you are pushing power to the panel, and to the battery charger, the 12VDC will not work if the battery switch is turned off.

Also make sure you're plugged into the house side and not the AC side. Finally, can you reproduce this with direct shore power not on a generator? Keep in mind that the Honda models will go into SAFE mode if more than 13.3 AMPS are drawn from it. However, it does not stop running or give an alarm, it keeps running but stops pushing AC power. The only indicator is a red OVERDRAW light on the genny. To fix, you need to shut the generator down and resstart it again.

I have a honda 2K and it WILL NOT run everything at once. I can run the fridge and battery charger. If I want to turn the hot water heater on, only that can be running. If I want to use the electric stove, then only THAT can be running. I am wondering if you turned on everything including the hot water heater and simply put the genny into protection mode.

[kenpo262]

Shrew, you have me guessing now I have a 1998 SCR 2800 and I have A/C and heat but I only have one shore power conection. Did they change this in different years on the 2800 ?

Mitch

[oldno7]

I have a "98" 2800 also.

2 connections on the port side, I use a "y" cable to hook both up at the same time.

I'll see if I can find a picture.

[oldno7]

Found one

[seaman-recruit]

They probably changed to dual connection to provide the separate feed to the AC unit and not cause a single breaker to trip when consumed power in the boat hit 3600W. (120V x 30A = 3600W). With the dual you can nuke that sub, have the fridge keeping the beer cold, and have the AC on at the same time.

[shrew]

I have a 97 with 2 shore power connections. The shorepower connection is only a 30 amp connection, if I remember correctly. The Heat & A/C create a tremedous amount of draw. I wouldn't want to try to draw that much through a 30 amp shore power cable into a 30 amp connector. Even if it is split on the panel in teh boat. Did someone install after market AC and just tie it into an empty breaker slot on the house panel? That would not be the correct way to do things.

Kep in mind, you're probably using a 30 amp cord to a 30 amp connector. How many amps are being drawn if EVERYTHING is on a the same time? I can assure you the 13.3 amps put out by a honda 2K will not keep up. Even on shore power, I'd be concerned about hte potential draw with this type of setup. I would expect the Heat & A/C to have a seperate circuit with it's own main breaker and a seperate shore power connector. The Heat and AC itself should have a dedicated breaker on the panel after the main as well.

[seaman-recruit]

You're correct Shrew - I wasn't clear in my post but my example was for dual (individual) 30A shorepower inputs from your favorite utility company / marina. When on the hook with the little 2K genny it's the old game of "which appliance do I want to run now while the others are all off".

[jeff]

Thanks a million guys,,,,, your gona make me a pro with all this indepth info, thank you again

[Gr8ScottK]

Jeff,
Did you get the Honda 2000i to power the boat correctly? Was it enough juice to power your Air Conditioner? I have a 2003 2500 SCR and was thinking about purchasing the same Honda. Your insight would be greatly appreciated.

[tjwieseler]

I have a 1997 2400 SCR that has a 7.5K BTU air-conditioner and the Honda 2000i will power it. You have to turn of the economy switch and allow the generator to start the air-conditioner at full throttle.

I just went to Menards and purchased the correct 30Amp end and made a 16' power cord that will reach from the swim platform over to the 30Amp socket on the side of the boat.