ELECTRICTY IS STILL VOODOO! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !!

SHIP'S LOG:

About 99% of all of the electrical systems on ABISHAG, as with most boats, run on 12 volt DC power, which comes from the batteries on the boat. Even when the engine is running, like the diesel-electric motors on the WWII Submarines, the engine merely charges the batteries from which 12 volt DC power is drawn to run the electrics. There is, however, a provision to to run regular household items and appliances, which use 110 volts AC, and that is "there Inverter!"

"The Inverter" is a magical box which transforms 12volt DC from your boat's battery bank and converts into 110 volt AC. The magical "Inverter" will also take 110 volt/30amp AC power that you find on most commercial dockage and, if you "plug your boat in," will convert it magically into 12 volt DC and charge your batteries. A true miracle of nature . . .sort of.

A year ago. the old inverter on ABISHAG, 32 years old at the time, gave up the ghost and was unceremoniously "deep sixed" for a newer model. It was installed rather easily and took over the job and has performed admirably. Or so I thought, o foolish me! It converted 12 volt DC to 110 volt AC, a service that I actually used only rarely for the microwave or using the computer onboard. But having been tied to the dock the last week, I thought it foolish to not make use of the electrical service supplied by the club to keep the batteries happy and full charge. However, I found that whenever I tried to "draw upon electrical sustenance provided," I would trip the breakers on the dock. It was something that made the other users of the system mildly upset to say the least. Obviously, I had a problem, or I should say ABISHAG did!

Not wanting to delve into fooling around with AC voltage, which ever book on marine electrical systems warns in VERY BIG PRINT can kill you, I enlisted the assistance of one of the club's electrical witch doctors to deal with the voodoo problem. Chuck, God bless him, got down in the "In-law Apartment" of a cockpit locker which the "Magical Inverter" lived and through a long process of trial and error narrowed down the problem. I spent the whole time running down the dock to reset the breakers and jumping down bellow to reset the electrical panel switches every time the got trip which was countless it seemed. The upshot of it all - it turns out that among the three outlets that are used for 110volt AC items & appliances, there must be a short. The Inverter is working correctly in all other aspects but as soon as the outlets are hooked up to the AC bus, breakers trip everywhere. So tomorrow, it is off to HOME DEPOT to buy three new outlets with GFI (Ground Fault Interceptors). On Thursday, Church and I will wire them in and if the fault was there, it will be fix. If not, then the old wire will be remove, new wire will be run and all will be right with the world.