Newbie here, need a little help

[Bill Cupler]

Hi All, Just took delivery of our first Sea Ray. She is a 2008 240 sundancer. My question is while at the dock on shore power. Where do i put the battery selector switch? I am new to the cruiser world. I thought if i plugged in the boat all would function ( lights, outlets , fridge ect..) with the battery switch "OFF". Any and all help would be appreciated
Thanks Bill

 

[MickT]

Depends how the boat is wired....


But, generally speaking, wth the battery switch off, nothing will be powered but th battery charger will still be able to charge the battery.

 

[Sublimetime]

And of course the shore power main circuit breaker has to be on for any of the 110-120 ac devices to work.
Being new to boat, be sure the water heater has a full tank before energizing it or it will blow the element in minutes.

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

The 12 volt and 120 volt systems are completely separate. Your going to want your battery switch on so your 12 volt accessories work. lights, radio, etc. I put a separate switch down on my water heater so someone can’t accidentally turn it on and blow out the element. Which has happened.

 

[Little Ducky]

Most interior boat lights are 12v only so you must have at least your house battery turned on to use.

Just be sure to leave the "AC converter" or "battery charger" in the ON position so all your batteries stay topped off.

 

[MonacoMike]

At the dock, keep the boat plugged into shore power, the main breaker on, the individual breakers you want on to power AC items. (Big things like, Air conditioner, charger, water heater, stove, microwave, outlets, etc.)

Keep battery on to power all the DC systems. (Most of the items in a boat are battery powered, lights, vacuflush, head fans, shower sumps, music system, etc.)

Be sure battery charger, often labeled AC Converter, is on to recharge batteries.

MM

 

[WV 320 Dancer]

Just an FYI you need to keep an eye on the water levels in your batteries. I am going to assume that you are going to have two. I always switch between my house battery and my starter battery to keep them both active.

 

[MonacoMike]

Where did he go?

MM

 

[Maggieiscrazy]

Where did he go?

MM

He was messing with the electrical on his boat and was electrocuted!

 

[NZSHARKS]

Don't worry about him, keep going cos i'm learning stuff too,

 

[MonacoMike]

Don't worry about him, keep going cos i'm learning stuff too,

Welcome aboard.

We will be here.

MM

 

[The Unicorn]

Hello everyone, We are kinda new to this also. We just bought our boat in time to winterize and haven't used it yet aside from sea trial/survey, now its shrink wrapped along side of our house. On board the other day I accidentally left the batteries on, and now they are run down. I have two battery charger switches in that panel up on the deck. Do I just simply plug in the shore power turn the switches on and it will charge all 3 batteries(one batt is for the gen)?
Thanks

 

[Seapig]

Yes but......

2 battery charger switches seems unusual to me.

 

[WV 320 Dancer]

Dual batteries were an option on the 240 so someone may have just added another battery and did not fork out for the dual position switch.

 

[The Unicorn]

I just looked again. Actually there are 3 switches. So I'll plug in the shore power later on today after I get the adapter to hook it up to 120v. Maybe better off charging one battery at a time?

 

[Seapig]

Those switches/breakers are on the 12V side of the system. I've never seen the charger's output switch-selectable. Not 100% sure what each switch does. I'd guess that there's one for each battery and one for the boat's 12V supply so you can manage the charger's output when the batteries are switched off.

You could experiment by switching the batteries "off" or disconnecting them and see if the 12V system becomes live with either switch (I'd guess #3) on.

When I've been away from the boat Ive always left my batteries "on", shore power master "on", and the battery charger's 120V switch "on".

 

[The Unicorn]

SeaPig, thanks for your info, but....
I got the shore power hooked up and now that I actually stuck my hand on that panel I see they are not switches at all, actually not sure what they do. You can't switch Ithem on or off, or

reset them like a breaker in the house. I have a lot of reading to do over the winter. Time to dig out the manuals. We had a 230 Dancer that was pretty basic, lots more to learn about this 280.
So I turned the breaker in the cabin to shore power so I'm hoping the batteries automatically start charging.

 

[NotHerDecision]

They are actually breakers. See the little rectangle on the “off” side? If you stick a pin in that side it will trip them.

Josh

 

[The Unicorn]

Thank you!! Another question if you don't mind. I have the shore power selected on the panel in the cabin. So do I need to switch the AC/CONVERTOR switch to the, "on" position in the panel in order to have the batteries charging. I'll be digging out the owners manuals this wind, but until I dget a chance I'm trying to top off my batteries and not sure how

 

[sbw1]

Thank you!! Another question if you don't mind. I have the shore power selected on the panel in the cabin. So do I need to switch the AC/CONVERTOR switch to the, "on" position in the panel in order to have the batteries charging. I'll be digging out the owners manuals this wind, but until I dget a chance I'm trying to top off my batteries and not sure how

Yes.