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Post by Mypleasure on Oct 4, 2019 15:46:28 GMT -5
Over this last season I had some issues with shore power on my 2007 3760. Plugging into the shore power it would trip the new GFI circuit breakers on the newer marina power pedestals. Checking with my ABYC electrician he found that my ProMariner Galvanic Isolator test cycle would send a pulse of current down the ground to test the service ground thus causing the GFI circuit breaker to trip. I called ProMariner and explained the symptoms I was having and they told me my electrician was correct and I needed to replace my perfectly good unit with a newer model that didnt have the monitor and test feature of the old.
Old Model ProMariner Prosafe 1 Zinc Saver 60
New Model ProMariner 60 Amp Prosafe Isolator FAIL SAFE
Just thought I would share, Rick
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Post by sgilbert on Oct 4, 2019 16:13:42 GMT -5
You'd think they would give you some kind of credit on the older one.
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 6, 2019 10:18:10 GMT -5
Regarding your ProMariner Prosafe 1 Zinc Saver 60 I would think they would give you a credit for yours as it didn't protect your wet parts so they made some engineering changes and obsoleted your not functioning system?
On a similar subject I have my 4160 on the hard getting props removed, repaired and replaced. Marina Service Manager indicated he wants to check my anodes, he went to the boat on dry dock and said he removed one zinc anode from the stbd rudder and got a shock and saw a spark when removing it? The boat is on the Marinas service center dry dock and on their shore power so how would he get a shock unless he was standing in water while vessel on dry pavement while plugged into their shore power?
PS: We dont have any electronic anode/galvanic corrosion protection systems, boat has been on fresh Lake Lanier water since first built and delivered to the lake in 2001. From my understanding galvanic corrosion is from DC system leaks from boat DC systems to outboard metallic items (props/rudders/ shafts/ bronze thru hulls, etc.)when in water, not AC? Maybe I am wrong here?
Thoughts?
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Post by Mypleasure on Oct 7, 2019 9:36:21 GMT -5
My Zinc Saver 60 still works, its the test module that makes the GFI breaker on the dock trip. I called ProMariner about getting a new unit at a discount and they agreed to do so because I was a good customer not because the marinas are making changes to their equipment. ProMariner is allowing me a discount of 30%. FYI the test module was sending a single 6 volt (pretty sure that is what the electrician said) pulse down the ground wire to test for earth. ProMariner said I could un-plug the test module for a temp work around.
The new model has an electric cooling fan and turns on when there is a problem with the marina power pedestal, otherwise you just have to believe its working.....seams odd since my isolator is hidden behind my electrical panel and I would never hear it....perhaps a buzzer should be added.
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 7, 2019 10:07:16 GMT -5
My Zinc Saver 60 still works, its the test module that makes the GFI breaker on the dock trip. I called ProMariner about getting a new unit at a discount and they agreed to do so because I was a good customer not because the marinas are making changes to their equipment. ProMariner is allowing me a discount of 30%. FYI the test module was sending a single 6 volt (pretty sure that is what the electrician said) pulse down the ground wire to test for earth. ProMariner said I could un-plug the test module for a temp work around. The new model has an electric cooling fan and turns on when there is a problem with the marina power pedestal, otherwise you just have to believe its working.....seams odd since my isolator is hidden behind my electrical panel and I would never hear it....perhaps a buzzer should be added. Are you on freshwater or saltwater? You dont indicate anything in your posts? I was told this weekend that our zinc anodes are only good in salt water and need magnesium anodes even though after 19 years in fresh water no signs of galvanic corrosion on rudders/ shafts/ props etc? Marina Mechanics? At our dock we dont have any GFI breakers on shore power tower or in boat other that 3X 120 VAC outlets which never trip? Have to wonder if things are getting too safe and just cost a bunch of money to replace items that have worked for 19 years (in our case) ? Change is good? |
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Post by Mypleasure on Oct 7, 2019 19:05:54 GMT -5
FYI most of the marinas I dock at are salt water....there are two that are fresh water up rivers above tide flow. That is where my boat is kept....Fresh water to brackish.
Thanks for you input, Rick
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 12, 2019 11:06:09 GMT -5
My Zinc Saver 60 still works, its the test module that makes the GFI breaker on the dock trip. I called ProMariner about getting a new unit at a discount and they agreed to do so because I was a good customer not because the marinas are making changes to their equipment. ProMariner is allowing me a discount of 30%. FYI the test module was sending a single 6 volt (pretty sure that is what the electrician said) pulse down the ground wire to test for earth. ProMariner said I could un-plug the test module for a temp work around. The new model has an electric cooling fan and turns on when there is a problem with the marina power pedestal, otherwise you just have to believe its working.....seams odd since my isolator is hidden behind my electrical panel and I would never hear it....perhaps a buzzer should be added. So being a good customer (just curious) what does a 30% discount end up costing you and what do yu do with the old malfunctioning unit? Thanks? |
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Post by gdotster on Oct 13, 2019 20:40:09 GMT -5
So similar story, my brand new 2020 28 Express kept tripping the new GFI breaker every time I turned on anything of substance (AC, microwave, etc) when plugged into shore power. I finally called the dealer and they sent an electrician up. He tested everything on the boat and could not find anything wrong until finally he checked the shore power itself and we found the power was not grounded properly so it was causing a ground fault and tripping the breaker. Until my marina fixed the ground, that breaker would always trip. I am reading a lot on this, with older marina's causing problems for newer boats. My marina is not going to upgrade the electric just for me so I had the electrician wire around the breaker so I could still use my boat on shore power.
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 14, 2019 9:59:17 GMT -5
Thinking you and most likely many other folks with new boats with the same problem should indicate to the marina that if that is the case you all will move? Worth a try vs a electrician bypassing your GFI system on the vessel? You indicated "Until my marina fixed the ground" so now can you have the electrician reconnect the ground correctly as marina "fixed" it?
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Post by Mypleasure on Oct 14, 2019 12:10:30 GMT -5
So, being a good customer they will sell me the ProMariner 60 Amp Prosafe Isolator FAIL SAFE for 280.00 which is a darn good price. I'm going to take them up on the offer. Meanwhile my old unit is residing in my electrical cabinet still functioning as my home marina has not upgraded to the GFI protected circuit breakers yet (sometime this winter, they gave me the warning). I will have a hole to fill in my cabinet since the old unit has a display monitor that will be non function....what to do?  |
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 15, 2019 9:44:58 GMT -5
Good news that your home marina will finally catch up to 2019 electrical requirements. Guess you could sell the older unit to someone who doesn't have the "marina" grounding problem? We still occasionally have the two GFI outlets in the cabin area that trip but just after disconnecting from shore power on the way out to sea (well , lake) . Have to believe that when disconnecting the 2X 3 prong NEMA 120 VAC/30 amp plugs from shore power the boat GFI receptacles sense a ground fault, trip, then back to dock on shore power we just reset them, no problem?
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Post by 3060blue on Oct 29, 2019 19:58:22 GMT -5
Hi Rick - I had a similar issue with my ProMariner monitoring system on my 2005 3060. The technician from ProMariner noted that the monitoring system would fail on the older units and causes the ground fault. In my case as well, they recommended replacement with removal of the monitoring system and just use the ProSafe 60 (which I got on Amazon for ~$300) standalone.
I left the monitor panel in my cabinet, I think it's better than the hole that would be left over, plus it's covered by the cabinet door under normal circumstances.
Funny they admit it's pretty much a junk system and to just buy a new one! Hope in 10 years they don't decide this new system is also junk....
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Post by Mypleasure on Oct 30, 2019 10:41:06 GMT -5
I'm thinking about putting in a USB charging station in its place but its a little weird having it in the middle...or I may just buy a piece of Plexiglas at Tap Plastics to cover the whole bottom of the recess. I contacted a cabinet shop to get a piece of matching laminate but I would have to buy a whole sheet. What would I do withe the balance? Store it like all my other surplus supplies that never see daylight.
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Post by gofast24 on Oct 31, 2019 10:37:36 GMT -5
I'm thinking about putting in a USB charging station in its place but its a little weird having it in the middle...or I may just buy a piece of Plexiglas at Tap Plastics to cover the whole bottom of the recess. I contacted a cabinet shop to get a piece of matching laminate but I would have to buy a whole sheet. What would I do withe the balance? Store it like all my other surplus supplies that never see daylight. When I installed a new head unit ( from Panasonic to Fusion) I just bought a 2X2 sheet of lexan on Amazon, cut the OD to the old opening and cut a opening for the new Fusion head unit (mechless) , then painted the back of the plexiglass with semi gloss black paint to hide everything behind it and installed. Maybe do the same with the opening you have left after removing the old pro mariner? You might want to install a Blue Sea's OLED precision voltmeter in that hole if you have room, a lot more accurate than the boat gauges to monitor house battery/engines charging voltage? I put one on the helm, it reads to within 0.1 VDC accuracy and really indicates the condition of the house battery (a Group  AGM) and what the house battery charger and engine alternators are doing. |
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Post by seasunofthesoul on Nov 27, 2019 19:35:15 GMT -5
Hey Rick, I'm also in Puget Sound, found the same issue at Poulsbo, and believe the problem to be with my original 2007 Promariner Prosafe 30s sending that test pulse causing the GFCI to trip. Since you did the replacement to the Failsafe 60, how was the installation? Were you able to just unmount the old units and use the same wiring to connect the new Failsafe 60? I will likely need to do the same and wonder how complex the swap was for you. thanks!
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AGM) and what the house battery charger and engine alternators are doing.