Go Back  Offshoreonly.com > Technical > Do It Yourself, Boating on a Budget
Wierd shore cord issue, HELP!! >

Wierd shore cord issue, HELP!!

Notices

Wierd shore cord issue, HELP!!

Thread Tools
 
Old 11-29-2021 | 11:54 AM
  #1  
Thread Starter
Registered
 
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
Default Wierd shore cord issue, HELP!!

Hello everyone!
Admin, Thanks for the add!
So I am having problems with my shore power. I have a 1986 holiday mansion when I plug in the 2- 30 amp shore cords individually, both circuits operate fine. When I plug them both in, it pops the GFCIs on the dock pedestal immediately even with all breakers off on the boat, (even the 2 mains ). I have recently purchased the boat and have never tried to use both cords at the same time until now.. I have tried a different power source on the dock and there's no difference. All the hardware appears fine, no burn marks etc..



Q- on the boat side sockets (no cords connected), Is the ground to shore cord 1 and shore cord 2 suppose to have continuity? How about the whites?

Any troubleshooting tips would be appreciated..

THANK YOU!!

Last edited by 2Cheap4Society; 11-29-2021 at 06:45 PM.
2Cheap4Society is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-2021 | 03:11 PM
  #2  
Wally's Avatar
Were doomed!
25 Year Member
Charter Member
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 7,099
Likes: 1,397
From: Chicago, IL
Default

if its popping the GFI's even with the mains on the boat turned off i would concentrate on the receptacles on the boat where the cords plug into...something is not wired right. My guess is one of the receptacles has a hot/neutral swapped around. you wouldn't notice it just running one cord at a time from either side.
__________________
-Wally

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower. And I've never seen a sad person hauling a$$!
Wally is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-2021 | 06:55 PM
  #3  
Thread Starter
Registered
 
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
Default

Thanks for the suggestion! I spent the day disconnecting the 3 wires to that go from the each main to the breakers at the panels. Then I plugged in the shore cords and they still popped, There was some ground wiring that was substandard so I removed it but it made no difference either.. Tomorrow Ill pull all the outlets apart and see what there is going on, I wonder why there is continuity between the blacks on 1 & 2... Time will tell.. Thanks again..
2Cheap4Society is offline  
Reply
Old 11-29-2021 | 07:26 PM
  #4  
Wally's Avatar
Were doomed!
25 Year Member
Charter Member
 
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 7,099
Likes: 1,397
From: Chicago, IL
Default

if the mains are off and the cords are not plugged in there should be no continuity between the 2 blacks inside the boat...they should be totally separate lines and should each go their own breaker. two lines...two breakers each its own circuit. The whites can be tied together (common) at the bus bar
__________________
-Wally

Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower. And I've never seen a sad person hauling a$$!
Wally is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-2021 | 07:50 AM
  #5  
Registered
 
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 1,621
Likes: 402
From: Cheboygan, MI
Default

Do you have a generator/shore power switch? My brother bought a boat and that switch was wired wrong. If you're having this problem, I would meter everything out. I used to work on motor homes and travel trailers and we would have to rip them all apart to pull out melted wires and find shorts, not fun.
ThisIsLivin is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-2021 | 08:21 AM
  #6  
Registered
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,198
Likes: 500
From: KY
Default

Sounds like the Black and/or white are connected together, or . Dual cords are setup to run different things like HVAC for one and everything else for the other. All grounds are connected together after the galvanioc isolator



AllDodge is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-2021 | 09:25 AM
  #7  
Thread Starter
Registered
 
Joined: Nov 2021
Posts: 4
Likes: 1
Default

No Generator on board..
2Cheap4Society is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-2021 | 09:42 AM
  #8  
Registered
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 4,198
Likes: 500
From: KY
Default

Originally Posted by 2Cheap4Society
No Generator on board..
wiring is the same just without Gen
AllDodge is offline  
Reply
Old 12-01-2021 | 05:31 PM
  #9  
Registered
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 61
Likes: 4
Default

Neutral and ground swapped in one of the cords??
rer233 is offline  
Reply
Old 12-03-2021 | 10:23 AM
  #10  
Registered
15 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 912
Likes: 57
From: Solana Beach,CA
Default

OK Guys. Years ago all boat manufactures were required to install a GFI grounding fault/ground monitoring system. The system most used was from Pro Mariner. The earlier units sent a pulse to test the neutral and ground. This was before docks began to use GFI protected outlets. THEY ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH GFI PEDESTALS. This is going to be a huge issue as more and more marinas upgrade to GFI systems. I spent days searching the issue on my 400SS with a expensive marine electrician. Pro Mariner knows there is a problem. There was never a problem and their system worked great until GFI's appeared on docks so its not really their fault. I found mine hooked up to a 20 amp gfi circuit hooked to my house. We should somehow post this on this site so boaters don't waste thousands of dollars searching when its a simple fix.
fossil fuel is offline  
Reply


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.