1990 Carver Santego Issue with electric shore power

Hi,

Is it just the lights and the outlets that don't work when using batteries?

I would assume you need some type of inverter to get any AC Power up and running if your main power source is batteries.

Is there a switch that changes the supply from Shore Power to batteries that needs to be changed over?

Hi,

Reverse Polarity is not the same as a change over switch from Batteries to Shore Power.

Do your batteries have a Charge in them?

Are they connected in such a manner that they can supply a changeover switch or switchboard ?

Is it only the lights and sockets outside that don't work?

Do the sockets inside and everything else except the lights work when on Battery Power?

You either have to have a genset running or a 12v to 110v power inverter to get power to your outlets. Do you have either?

Your lights should be mostly 12v DC, not 110v a/c, although you may have some 110v lights which you will not be able to use when off shore power unless you have an inverter. The inverter is where I would suspect a problem. While at it check your fixtures to determine which are 110v and which are 12v. You may find that the previous owner never replaced the 12v bulbs as they blew and depended on the 110s. Do your courtesy and nav lights work?

It sounds like you have 2 banks of batteries, some of the electronics use 1 of the batteries for power, and some of the other electrical uses the 2nd battery for power. It sounds like 1 of those batteries is bad and has a direct short or will not hold a charge, and while you are plugged into shorepower, the lights and stuff are working from the output from the battery charger. Load test both batteries, if they test ok, there may be an inline breaker that has tripper between the battery and the main panel.

Sounds to me like you only have 110v bulbs. Don't worry about the outlets. They're dead with no a/c power (shorepower).

No, technically, the reverse polarity indicator should never be on. That light is an indicator of shore power wiring done incorrectly. It is to notify you of the hot & neutral leg (of the shore power source) have been wired backward. Your 110v items will still work, but it's incorrect and has the ability to fry sensitive items. The hot leg of the circuit is supposed to go thru the panel, so when you flip a breaker to the off position, it kills the 110v power to that item and the wiring is safe to handle. When the polarity is reversed, the neutral is going thru the breaker and the hot is fed directly. Turning off the breaker will kill the appliance, but there is still 110v power being fed to the device. When you try to work on it, make adjustments, etc., you have the potential to electrocute yourself or at least, a fire hazard. The reverse polarity has nothing to do with your inverter.

Here is a deeper explination of reversed polarity:
http://www.pkys.com/FAQ.htm

Santego Manual

Hi Lionfish;
I just read where you do not have a manual for your boat. I uploaded one here for you:
http://digital-tailoring.com/personal/2767_manual.pdf

About your electric...do you have it figured out now? I also have no cabin lights when on shore power but have a 110v lamp I use that is plugged into one of the outlets. If your outlets are not working when plugged into shore power, check your main power panel to see that 1) the switches are on, and 2) the circuit breakers (or fuses) have not blown.

Also...will post about my cable repairs HOPEFULLY by the end of the day!

S

Unless your boat is equipped with 110V lights you should not have lights unless your batteries are turned on and the 'lights' breaker is on at you DC board. Conversely, your outlets won't work unless you are connected to shore power or an A/C genset, and that breaker on the A/C panel is on. There is a second set of D/C breakers (most likely the pop-out type) somewhere on the boat, most likely near or under the helm.

Hello everyone,
I just purchased a 1988 27' Carver Santego, and know nothing about boats. But after reading all the great information on here posted by all of you, it has really boosted my confidence.
Oh, and FIREMAN431, you are my hero for posting the owners manual.

Hello Sacthesquid, et.al.

I just wanted you to know I posted a new webpage with all the information I have for the 1987 Carver Santego 2767, including manuals, brochures and troubleshooting guides for the boat and also for some of her systems. There is also information there that covers other models and I encourage all to send any additional information they feel would be helpful to others and I will get that posted. I have also created a blog on the site in case anyone wants to exchange information. I may not keep the blog active...we'll see if it gets any use.

1987 Carver Santego 2767 Manuals

I thought this would be more informative than the odds and ends I have on my Digital Taikloring site and so I will be removing those. Any feedback about these pages would be appreciated.

Thanks and enjoy,
Steve