4F: Electrical Systems, AC
The AC electrical system is controlled at the AC electrical panel. In addition, there is an AC
voltmeter and AC ammeter to the right of the lower helm.
Note: The panel photographs are taken at an angle to reduce glare from the light
reflections on their high-gloss finishes.
4F1: AC Generator
The ship’s Onan 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 NW Explorations 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) Be sure the “Generator” breaker (shown in the illustration to
right) is “On”.
2) Hold down the “Heater” switch in the AC control panel by the
helm for 15 seconds (this energizes “glow plugs” to warm the
engine’s cylinders).
3)
Release “Heater”.
Press the “Start” switch and hold until
you hear the engine start.
4) Check the generator exhaust, or listen for it to confirm that cooling water is being pumped
from it.
5) 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) Be sure the “Generator” breaker (shown in the illustration just above) is “On”.
2) Switch the Shore Power switch to “Off”. This removes the load for the generator and allows
it to cool down.
3)
After at least a minute to allow the generator to cool down
, press and hold the “Stop”
switch in the AC power panel until the generator comes to a complete stop.
Routine Generator Service:
Generator controls in the AC power panel.
Section 4F: Electrical Systems, AC 4.7
