Camanos 31 Owner's Handbook Manual - page 8
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Two lights on the AC side of the panel indicate correct or incorrect polarity when the system is
attached to shore. After plugging into shore power, check and make sure that the green light (correct
polarity) is on. If the red light (incorrect polarity) is on, yo u should check the dock side power
connection to make sure it is properly in place. If, having done this, the red light is still on then the
dock side power is incorrectly wired and should not be used.
DC Power
The very early Camanos had a two-battery system consisting of one starter and one house battery. This
quickly changed, however, and now the majority of Camanos have a three 12- volt battery system. In
these instances, two are house batteries and the third a starter battery. Some boats have a five-battery
system (four house batteries and a starter). In all boats, the starter battery is kept separate from the
house batteries either by a battery combiner or a battery separator, which despite their names, do the
same thing. Suffice it to say, the starter battery will not be affected by continuous use of the DC system
while the boat is without shore power. Even if you run your house batteries flat, the starter battery will
still be charged and will get you going. The battery switch has been changed to a simple "On/Off'
configuration. The switch operates the house batteries as a single bank and is not connected to the
starter battery.
If your boat has the optional four-house battery system, the shore power battery charger will be 40 amp
instead of 20 amp and there will be an extra alternator mounted on the port side of the engine.
Useful Tip: Always carry battery jumper cables to enable a start from the house batteries should a
starter battery fail.
AC Power
AC power is brought into the boat through the exterior shore power inlet located just above the
starboard side decks in the proximity of the helm station. Power is distributed to the battery charger,
AC outlets, refrigerator, hot water heater and any other 110-volt appliances installed in the boat.
Useful Tip: When you are out cruising it is a good idea to have the refrigerator's AC and DC breakers
in the "on" position. In this way, the fridge will automatically switch between AC and DC depending
on whether you are connected to shore power or underway to yo ur next moorage.
Be careful, however, if you leave the fridge on for long periods of time with the boat unattended. If the
boat loses its shore power, the fridge will automatically switch over to battery power and then run your
house batteries down to about 10 volts. At this point the fridge will sense the voltage drop and switch
itself off. Unfortunately, if the batteries are left in this discharged state for an extended length of time
they will be ruined. For this reason, if you must leave the boat for a few days with the fridge on, switch
the refrigerator's AC breaker to the "on" position and its DC breaker to the "off' position. Obviously, if
you do lose power, the refrigerator will defrost but this is probably better than having the refrigerator
defrost and the batteries run down if the boat is unattended for a few days.
Domestic Water
The Camano carries approximately 67 U.S. gallons of fresh water between two tanks located forward
of the fuel tanks on both the port and starboard sides. Each tank is equipped with a shut-off valve that
allows for water to be drawn from either tank, which is helpful when trimming the boat. Fresh water is
circulated throughout the boat by a single water pump whose circuit breaker (labeled "Water