Blue Sea Systems PN9010 User Manual

Page of 3
Installation
(continued)
]
 
Test Shore Power
 
Connect the shore power cable to the shore power source.  Turn 
on the shore source to make power available to the boat.
a.  Turn the selector switch to 
SHORE. No Reverse 
Polarity lights should be lit, and power available should 
be indicated. If any red Reverse Polarity lights are on, 
turn off the shore power circuit breaker and disconnect 
the shore cord at the shore source.  Either the hot and 
neutral or hot and ground wires have been reversed.  
Starting at the distribution panel, trace the connections 
as far back as necessary to locate the error.
b.  If there are no indications of reverse polarity, check to 
see that power is available.  If the electrical distribution 
panel has a meter, verify that shore power is available 
and at the proper voltage.   If there is no meter, turn 
on the load circuit breaker for an AC circuit powering 
a convenience outlet and use a voltmeter to verify 
that power is available from line to neutral at the plug.  
Verify that there is no voltage between ground and 
neutral.
]
 
Test Generator System
 
Turn the circuit breaker at the shore source to 
OFF.  Set the 
selector switch to 
OFF.  The shore power available lights should 
all be off.  Start the generator and turn the generator breaker to 
ON.
a.  If there are power available lights for the generator 
output, they should light.
b.  There should be no power available indication at the 
shore power circuit breaker.
c.  Set the selector switch to 
GENERATOR.  Power 
should be available at the power distribution panel.  If 
the electrical distribution panel has a meter, verify that 
power is available and at the proper voltage.
d.  There should be no power available lights indicating at 
the shore circuit breaker.
]
  Test the third source in a similar manner. 
The Purpose of the AC Source Selector Switch
Alternating Current (AC) power changes polarity 60 times per second in the 
US, Canada and Latin America and 50 times per second in Europe. This is 
the frequency of the power and is referred to as Hertz (or the now outdated 
term “cycle”). Because of this alternating nature of AC power, two live 
sources of AC power, such as shore power and inverter power, or shore 
power and a generator, cannot be electrically connected. The AC Source 
Selector switch is designed to connect two sources of AC power to a 
common circuit while preventing both sources from being connected to the 
circuit simultaneously.
Useful Reference Books
  • Calder, Nigel (2005). Boatowner’s Mechanical and Electrical Manual 
    (3d ed). Camden, ME: International Marine / McGraw-Hill.
  • Wing, Charlie (2006). Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook 
      (2d ed). Camden, ME: International Marine / McGraw-Hill.
Other Innovative Products from Blue Sea Systems
    • 360 Panel System
    • Battery management solutions
    • AC and DC circuit protection devices
    • WeatherDeck™ waterproof panels
    • BusBars, fuses, and fuse blocks 
    • Analog and digital meters
It is possible to verify most connections using an ohmmeter before 
power is applied.  These procedures take a little time, but are 
recommended, especially if some elements of a previous installation 
might not have been clearly or correctly labeled or follow the expected 
color codes.
There are many possible sources that may be selected using this 
switch, and they may be arranged in any order.  The following test 
instructions are generally suitable for shore and generator installations.  
The third source may be another shore power inlet
or an inverter or other specialized source. 
]
 
Test Shore Connection to Switch
 
Disconnect the shore power cord from the shore power source 
and bring the shore plug aboard to a point close to the switch 
panel.  Connect the other end of the shore cord to the boat’s 
power inlet.  Turn ON the shore power circuit breaker between the 
inlet and the selector switch.  Set the selector switch to OFF.
a.  Use an ohmmeter to check for continuity from the shore 
ground plug to the green wire at the electrical panel.  
b.  Check for continuity from the power cord plug neutral 
pin to the neutral wire (white typically in US, light blue 
typically in Europe) at the selector switch.
c.   Check for continuity between the line pin of the shore 
plug and the line wire (typically black in US, brown in 
Europe) at the selector switch.
d.  Check that there is a high resistance between (>1000 
Ohms) the neutral conductor and the grounding 
conductor.
e.  Verify that there is a high resistance between (>1000 
Ohms) between the shore cord plug neutral pin and 
line pin.  There may be indicator lamps in the circuit, 
but no more than that with the selector switch in the off 
position.
]
 
Verify Switch Selects Shore Input
 
With the shore cord still disconnected from the shore and 
available onboard, and the generator set not operating, set the 
load circuit breakers to off, so there is no load at the output side of 
the selector switch.
a.  Verify that the there is a high resistance between the 
line and neutral of the load side terminals of the 
selector switch.  There may be indicator lamps still 
attached, so it may not read open circuit.
b.  Set the selector switch to SHORE.  The ohmmeter 
should still indicate a high resistance.
c.  Short the line pin to the neutral pin of the shore cord 
and verify that the line and neutral at the load side of 
the selector show a low resistance when these are 
shorted and a high resistance when they are not.
]
 
Verify the Generator Wiring
 
Turn the generator circuit breaker to OFF and set the selector 
switch to the generator position.  All load circuit breakers should 
still be off.  Leave the shore input circuit breaker in the on 
position.
a.  Verify that there is a high resistance (>1000 Ohms) 
from the line to neutral.
b.  Verify that there is a low resistance from the neutral to 
ground at the load connections.
c.  With the generator still not running, close the generator 
circuit breaker at the generator.  Verify that there is a 
now a low resistance from line to neutral where the 
generator windings are now connected across the 
circuit.
d.  Verify that there is still a high resistance from neutral to 
ground and neutral to line at the shore power plug.
]
  Test the third source in a similar manner. 
]
  Set the Selector switch to 
OFF, turn the shore power breaker 
to 
OFF, and leave the load panel circuit breakers in the OFF 
position.  Complete the mounting of the switch.  
]
Set your multimeter to volts.
Page 2 of 3