www.iFourWinns.com

Anybody have suggestions why my AFT circuit breaker keeps tripping? I have a 298 Vista. The breaker is located at the back of the boat where you enter.

Maybe I should know this?? What is a "AFT" breaker? Or do you mean a breaker in the stern of the boat?

As with any breaker, there are only 3 reasons way it would trip. First, is the load pulling too mush current. It could be going bad for what ever reason. Next a short, disconnect one side of the load and use a meter to look for it. Next, the breaker could be bad, possible but not likely.

Good luck!

I would turn off everything in the boat that runs on ac power, connect your shore power and reset the breaker. If it does not trip, begin turning on ac powered things one at a time to try to isolate which exact circuit is causing it to trip (fridge, ice maker, water heater etc).

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Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

I think he means aft in the nautical sense, not some abbreviation meaning something else. Too much 'alphabet soup' in our lives today, eh? Or he could mean 'arc fault interrupter' which is another variation of a 'ground fault circuit interrupter'. Regardless, it's a breaker tripping and I assume he means the AC voltage circuit. The one next to the shore power input perhaps.

If it is the shore power breaker then it could be one of many possibilities. My first bet would be something pulling too high of a drain. I'd start with making sure all AC breakers were turned off down on the interior panel. Hunt them down one by one until the circuit trips. Things like the battery charger and the electric water heater are the first things I'd wonder about. Also note some AC devices don't have a breaker you can switch off (like the refrigerator). For those you'd have to turn off the device itself. But if one in particular trips then you'd check the device(s) on the circuit one by one until you narrow down the problem. Worst case you've got bad piece of wire itself, those are often the hardest to find.

If the main breaker still trips with all interior breakers off then I'd wonder about the shore power breaker itself. It's on a panel that does get more 'exposure' than the ones down below. Could be a simple matter of the breaker having gotten corroded. They're not 'that hard' to replace.

As a side note it's possible there's a wiring problem with your shore power cord OR the pedestal's wiring. Try using someone else's shore power cord AND then a different pedestal to eliminate yours as a problem.

Using a regular home wiring testing widget is a good idea too. It's basically a plug with LEDs on it that will tell you if the wiring is connected properly. But you wouldn't be able to test using an outlet on the boat while the breaker is tripping. If you have a shore power to 110vac outlet adapter you could check it that way. But unless you're very familiar with electrical wiring I would not encourage any additional steps with the pedestal.

Then there's the galvanic isolator. I'm no expert with these so I can't offer much advice. But I'd have to imagine if something was wrong with it that might cause a breaker to trip.

All the above continues to apply if it's the main 12vdc breaker too. One by one checking of circuits. Bearing in mind there are two circuits that always get power and do not go through a breaker. The bilge pumps go directly to the 12vdc main breaker as does the memory circuit for the radio. The radio has it's own in-line fuse for this. The pumps usually have their own pop-out breaker in the transom panel (or may have one down in the engine compartment).

Electrical problems can require a lot of time to debug. It's often a step-by-step, time consuming process.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Just guessing here, but based on some of his earlier posts (below) maybe too many things on at one time, and the breaker trips when the 30 amp circuit is overloaded ???

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

The boat I now have is my first Four Winns and the battery switch is in the stern and below that is the D.C. house breaker. I think he means that one. Oh well, we will have to wait and find out.

wkearney99,

You mentioned the "battery charger". I typically keep my battery charger in the "on" position. I was assuming it was a trickle charger for the batteries.

During the "off season"...I keep my refrigerator(s), battery charger, and heat turned on (a low temperature...say 62). I really don't know why I keep things in the "on" position. However, living in Tennessee we occasionally go to the lake in the Winter. I do know that my A/C unit is sucking water and dispersing it via the side of the boat, however, the air will not blow out except on occassion out of the vent.

I am wondering if the breaker (again..it is the one in the back of the boat. It says AFT and is beside the entrance of the boat. There are also 2 knobs if you have battery failure...you can turn the knobs to give you parrallel power.) has anything to do with the A/C and/or the battery charger?

I certainly appreciate everyones input thus far. I hope I am not too confusing with my illustration.

i think he may be refering to the aft bilge switch which is a white button and will pop and need to be reset. If that is what you are refering to check you aft bilge pump.

ADGPAG,

That is exactly what it is! Now, the ignorant question....where is the aft bilge pump located on a 298 Vista? I suspect it is under the bed somewhere. And what exactly does the AFT bilge pump do?

It is located beneath the rear berth. It is where the generator and ac sea strainers are. If you had a leak there, it would be able to pump the water out.

_________________
Current Boat:
2004 Sea Ray 320 Sundancer "Nauti Luvin'"

Previous Boats:
1999 298 Vista "Seas The Day"
2008 H200SS "Nauti Luv"
2006 Tahoe Q4

Bilge pumps and their activation switches (some are separate from the pump itself) are notorious for failing. Fortunately they're relatively cheap. Yours is probably acting up and pulling too much current, this trips the breaker. It might just need a thorough cleaning. But then again, since they're inexpensive AND important it may be safer to just pull it out and replace it, presumably with the same model.

_________________
-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I have had the same problem in my 268. I don't recall what was causing it to trip in years past, but most recently, my shower sump was doing it. After the winter, the bilge pump in the shower sump just didn't want to hear it. It initially wouldn't come on, so I reached in the hole and shook the whole sump tank until the pump started up. It would run a few cycles and trip the circuit again. I did this numerous times, hoping it would come back to life after the long winter, but it didn't want to hear it. I have a gray system in my boat, so both sinks, as well as the shower drain, go into this tank. I pulled it out amidst dozens of swears and ordered a new one (about $100 delivered). I then re-installed it amidst dozens more swears and it is fine.
I'm not sure how your boat is set up, but if the pump is not working, you may not know it immediately unless you are listening for it. My sump will just overflow into the forward bilge if it doesn't work. My aft bilge is beneath the motor, but my experience is that other things are connected to this same breaker. Good luck. AL