Shore power configuration

Pour Excuse

Pour Excuse

Member
SILVER Sponsor
Aug 24, 2021
39
Bayview Idaho
Boat Info
1997 400 sedan bridge
2x Cat 3116
Engines
Twin Cat 3116 Turbo Diesels
Hello All
Our 1997 400 sedan bridge has 2 30 amp input receptacles.
Currently this is supplied buy a single 30 amp cord with a splitter at the boat supplying 110 ac to both receptacles on the same phase. This puts a large load on the single 30 amp cord and connection often times these are warm to the touch.
Is it possible to run a 50 amp cord to the boat that splits into 2 30 amp cords that plug into the boat.
My concern is that there will be 220 vac potential on the boat that is currently not present
The 2 amperage meters are never displaying the same current in the panel so I can assume that these two circuits are not interconnected.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank You
 
I do this with my boat. I have a 50a 250v shore power connection connected via a 50a cable to a 30a 125v splitter at the boat end. You can also do it the other way with a 50a to 30a splitter at the supply end and connected to the boat via 2 30a cables.
 
Regardless of the load, there is a denger
Pour Excuse said:
Hello All
Our 1997 400 sedan bridge has 2 30 amp input receptacles.
Currently this is supplied buy a single 30 amp cord with a splitter at the boat supplying 110 ac to both receptacles on the same phase. This puts a large load on the single 30 amp cord and connection often times these are warm to the touch.
Is it possible to run a 50 amp cord to the boat that splits into 2 30 amp cords that plug into the boat.
My concern is that there will be 220 vac potential on the boat that is currently not present
The 2 amperage meters are never displaying the same current in the panel so I can assume that these two circuits are not interconnected.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank You
Click to expand...
Regardless of the load, if the connections or inlets or the splitter are getting warm, they are failing and the potential for a fire is very real. You should take apart those shore power inlets if they are getting warm. Each one will only be flowing the current it is rated for, so regardless of the shore power before your splitter, everything after that should never be generating heat.

Oh another thing. I have your exact setup. 30amp cord to a splitter at the boat. Nothing gets warm. Ever.
 
BlueYonder said:
I do this with my boat. I have a 50a 250v shore power connection connected via a 50a cable to a 30a 125v splitter at the boat end. You can also do it the other way with a 50a to 30a splitter at the supply end and connected to the boat via 2 30a cables.
Click to expand...
Thank you for the quick response looks like I need to purchase a cable and splitter. Any recommendations for manufacturers?
Creekwood said:
Regardless of the load, there is a denger

Regardless of the load, if the connections or inlets or the splitter are getting warm, they are failing and the potential for a fire is very real. You should take apart those shore power inlets if they are getting warm. Each one will only be flowing the current it is rated for, so regardless of the shore power before your splitter, everything after that should never be generating heat.

Oh another thing. I have your exact setup. 30amp cord to a splitter at the boat. Nothing gets warm. Ever.
Click to expand...
 
Thank you for the heads up.
The cord and connections get warm and the source breaker often trips when I have heavy loads on both legs totaling over 30 amps.
Range, microwave, water heater ,both heat pumps, and inverter charging batteries that are down.
All supplied from one 30 amp cord.
 
Hey there, I don’t have the dual setup but wanted to show you what can happen over the years.

1BA9B527-7179-4C4C-A62E-2696DF31D21F.jpeg
568DD4E7-0BCE-48A4-85E6-D2F41DBA6C1B.jpeg


Be careful and pull the boat connections to inspect the back.
 
Pour Excuse said:
Hello All
Our 1997 400 sedan bridge has 2 30 amp input receptacles.
Currently this is supplied buy a single 30 amp cord with a splitter at the boat supplying 110 ac to both receptacles on the same phase. This puts a large load on the single 30 amp cord and connection often times these are warm to the touch.
Is it possible to run a 50 amp cord to the boat that splits into 2 30 amp cords that plug into the boat.
My concern is that there will be 220 vac potential on the boat that is currently not present
The 2 amperage meters are never displaying the same current in the panel so I can assume that these two circuits are not interconnected.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank You
Click to expand...

So the fact that you have twin 30a connections means that you WILL have 220v potential and should if the boat is wired or connected to the dock correctly. Using a Y adapter is fine, but not a 30amp adapter. That 30A adapter is now feeding 60 amps. Using a 50A cord and a 50A to twin 30A is the right way to do this.

Do not be alarmed that there will be 220v volts potential at the panel. It should be there anyway as the twin 30A feeds should not be on the same phase to begin with.
 
What power options do you have at the supply end? You may be able to use a "50A 125V Male to 2-30A 125V Females" or "50A 125/250V Male to 2-30A 125V Females" Y adapter connected to two 30A 125V ShorePower Cordsets of the appropriate length to hook up at the boat. I think you will find two 30A cords are significantly less expensive than one 50A cord. Either way, the 400 Sedan uses far too many amps for a single 30A cord.
 
Am I missing something? I'm reading the original post as saying his pedestal is only a single 30 amp plug. He comes off of that and then "splits" it to two 30 amp plugs going into the boat. I inferred that he has to manage his power draw as his boat is capable of two 30 amp sides, and the pedestal is only delivering a single 30 amp. Did I mess this up?

Jaybeaux
 
Jaybeaux said:
Am I missing something? I'm reading the original post as saying his pedestal is only a single 30 amp plug. He comes off of that and then "splits" it to two 30 amp plugs going into the boat. I inferred that he has to manage his power draw as his boat is capable of two 30 amp sides, and the pedestal is only delivering a single 30 amp. Did I mess this up?

Jaybeaux
Click to expand...
That was my takeaway also. You can't expect to operate the entire AC power system on a 400DA with a single 30 amp source and/or cord. The fact that the pedestal circuit breaker is tripping and connectors are getting warm should have been a clue.
You can, however, shed loads to limit the boat to less than 30 amps and be good to go. The 400DA has no 240 volt appliances so you can feed both legs in phase or out of phase; it doesn't matter. You must, however, feed the boat from separate power sources on the dock.
 
That was my take away as well, to my understanding is that Sea Ray put two 30 amp panels in the boat because one wasn’t sufficient to carry all the load. So in my mind you can’t load two 30 amp distribution centers with one 30 amp feed to the max, something’s gotta give. My evidence of this is more house related, I installed a pool, and hot tub at the house, power from the street was more than adequate but the house distribution center was lacking so needed a new DC with breakers and heavier wire for the big draw items.
Tounge in cheek comment, ever pull the meter out of your house then be scared to push it back in? :eek:
 
Nater Potater said:
That's just downright scary looking!
Click to expand...
Right!?! Super electrician was called when power would not come back on, not sure what the post # is but it’s when twin 2A had her accident with the car and things went into a tail spin. He came out the next day and took pictures and texted me “this is not good” all repaired but just something else to keep track of, like we need more.
 
Pour Excuse said:
Hello All
Our 1997 400 sedan bridge has 2 30 amp input receptacles.
Currently this is supplied buy a single 30 amp cord with a splitter at the boat supplying 110 ac to both receptacles on the same phase. This puts a large load on the single 30 amp cord and connection often times these are warm to the touch.
Is it possible to run a 50 amp cord to the boat that splits into 2 30 amp cords that plug into the boat.
My concern is that there will be 220 vac potential on the boat that is currently not present
The 2 amperage meters are never displaying the same current in the panel so I can assume that these two circuits are not interconnected.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank You
Click to expand...
It’s pretty straightforward (and obvious) that one 30 amp cord to the boat won’t work, ot there would only be ONE input connection! We had the same setup on last SeaRay, we used two 30 amp cords, or a 50 amp cord with 30 amp splitter at boat, depending on the hook-ups available at the docks we tied up at. Never had any issues, always used A/C.
 
More than once I've run my boat for a night or two on a single 30A connection split to both sides. For me it's usually based on the pedestal distance from my boat. If I can't reach the plug with two 50' 30A shore power cords I'll double them up and run a single. Critical to boating happiness is having two AC units running all night long :)

If judicious with your load, it can be done without issue. Both air conditioners can be run, but not with the water heater on. The microwave can be run, but surely not with the aft AC running. Those kinds of things.

Warm cords seems concerning for sure. I've never noticed warm cords when running both sides off a single 30A...
 
Here is what can happen when connections start to fail. Quick explainer. When we had our pool put in the contractor didn't fully tighten the breaker that fed the pony panel in the pool equipment shed. About 2 years later, I noticed a slight "electrical" smell in the room where the main panel was in the house. I put my hand on the panel and it was ever so slightly warm to the touch. I called an electrician and he said "I will come immediately".

He told me we were a couple days from a major house fire. The slight micro arcing over the 2 years was slowly eroding the contact area. Over time it was getting more eroded, and the arcing more severe, and more heat. It was getting exponentially worse and rapidly progressing to a fire. That is exactly what happens in a shore power inlet that is degrading.
DSC_0215.JPG
 
Hello All
Thank you all for the responses.I did not make it clear at the beginning that I am new to this boat and the system I described was existing. There is a 30 and 50 amp receptacle at the post but as mentioned was connected to the 30. I was wary of the way it was arranged. I have managed the power and did not have any issues with boat connection only the connection at the cord to splitter.
I will be reconfiguring this to be able to not have issues at my dock and manage my power when away to other locations.
Thanks again to all of you your advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Pour Excuse said:
Hello All
Thank you all for the responses.I did not make it clear at the beginning that I am new to this boat and the system I described was existing. There is a 30 and 50 amp receptacle at the post but as mentioned was connected to the 30. I was wary of the way it was arranged. I have managed the power and did not have any issues with boat connection only the connection at the cord to splitter.
I will be reconfiguring this to be able to not have issues at my dock and manage my power when away to other locations.
Thanks again to all of you your advice is greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
As mentioned there are two ways to do this:
A 50 amp to two 30 amp Wye adapter to two 30 amp cordsets
or
A 50 amp cord to a 50 amp reverse Wye adapter
Both are acceptable but the first is the most common with the Wye adapter being more available.
 
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