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DISCOVERY OPERATING MANUAL
NW Explorations
Remember the important note above under “Connecting/ Disconnecting Shore Power”: The inverter, if on, will draw a
lot of current when bulk charging, so be careful not to overload a shore power circuit. If “PWR” and “CHG” are both lit,
you will want to monitor the AC Ammeter by the lower helm and possibly reset the “Shore” setting!
In summary, the inverter should be on whenever shore power is present or the generator is running, and it may also be
left on when underway. It is a good idea to turn the inverter off at anchor (when the generator isn’t running), turning it
on only when you want to use something briefly, as above; in this way, you will avoid running down the house batteries
just because someone left some AC appliance plugged in and forgotten.
Digital AC Meter
The boat is fitted with a digital AC monitor on the overhead electronics panel
in the salon. This is an especially accurate way to check your generator or
shore power.
V
Read AC voltage in volts
A
Read AC current in amps
Hz
Read AC Frequency in Hertz
The Generator System
The ship’s Northern Lights Generator provides 8,000 watts of AC power to the
vessel and is mainly used for battery charging, heating hot water, operation
of the washer/dryer, and incidental heat using the small portable electric heaters (although using the Diesel furnace for
heating is more common).
The generator itself is in the engine room, and its oil and coolant levels are checked before each charter by the NWE
staff. Access to these is by unlatching and removing the starboard side panel on the generator’s sound-shield cabinet.
More important is checking the sea strainer (see previous section) to be sure is has not accumulated substantial debris
while the generator was run for extended periods, particularly at anchor.
Starting the Generator
1. Hold down the “Preheat” switch in the AC control panel by the helm for 15 seconds (this energizes “glow plugs”
to warm the engine’s cylinders).
2. While still holding “preheat”, press and hold the “start” switch until the engine starts.
3. Check the generator exhaust at midships on the port side, or listen for it to confirm that cooling water is being
pumped from it.
4. After a brief warmup of a minute or so, switch the shore power switch in the AC power panel to “Gen”. You
should see the “AC Present” pilot light go on!
Stopping the Generator
1. Switch the Shore Power switch to “Off”. This removes the load for the generator and allows it to cool down.
2. After at least a minute to allow the generator to cool down, press and hold the stop switch until the generator
comes to a complete stop.
Generator Problems
The generator monitors its own operation! It was two fault-detection systems: one of these will detect any loss in oil
pressure, the other detects overheating. If either condition occurs, the generator will shut itself off, and it then will not
keep running when you try to restart it.
If this occurs, you can confirm that the cause was such a fault by looking on the aft starboard side of the generator where
you will see a “fault”button. If a fault has occurred, the button will be out; it is normally flush with the panel if there is no
fault.
