AC main breaker on OEM Newmar panel

[southofvictor]

We have an OEM Newmar AC/DC panel marked E-34 and I can’t find a wiring diagram for this old model panel online. It had been wired to use the AC main on the panel
as an AC main both into and out of the Heart inverter charger, so the shore power cable ran to the 30A breaker before going to the inverter charger, then came back and was re attached to the main breaker.

I added an elci main AC breaker at our shore power inlet, so as I install our new inverter charger I’m bypassing the Newmar panel main breaker on the connection from shore
power to the Multiplus. I’m trying to find documentation that this main gets
wired the same as the current AC main on a Newmar AC / DC panel which I’ve found but is slightly different.

Also there’s a weird connection in the neutral of the two AC loads - outlets and water heater. The neutrals are tied together and pigtailed to the outlet indicator light and not connected anywhere else that I can see. I want to check before changing that but it feels like I should wire them each to the neutral bus.

Additional info - that outlet indicator light would often flicker or glow dimly if there wasn’t anything plugged into an outlet. Once something was plugged in and drawing current it would look normal. Also if our GFCI outlet tripped it would not reset on inverter power only when plugged into shore power.

So my questions are:
1-Does anyone have a wiring diagram for an OEM E-34 or E-38 AC/DC panel with 14 DC breakers and 4 AC breakers plus main?
2-Can I wire the AC main on this panel the way the diagram I found shows to wire and AC main on a current Newmar panel?
3-Is there a reason to leave the two neutral wires on my AC loads wired like they are or can I attach them to the neutral bus like I normally would?

 

[Loren Beach]

Yup. interesting questions. Same marked panel in our '88 boat. I have not modified it except to add a long terminal strip behind it to tidy up several old "y" connections before I pig tailed them to a breaker. I did keep the scheme with separate DC and AC ground/Neg bus bars, while expanding those bus bars to eliminate some doubled wired connections. I also have the main AC status light that slightly flickers sometimes. Rumor is that all of these can be changed to modern LED bulbs, but it sounds very tedious and I have not attempted it.

Note B: you did not ask, but that lovely expanded scale DC voltage mater can be sourced from Newmar. I replaced ours when it quit. It is a great backup information device to compliment my (last generation) Balmar Smartgauge.

I wish I had some useful answers to you questions.
And.... be sure that you unplug from shore power when that panel is open. If you have not protected the back of the AC side, please do so.

AC Panel protection

Nowadays my insurer requires that the backside of the AC part of the power distribution panel be covered to prevent incidental contact when the panel is dropped open for inspection/servicing. I always was a bit nervous about this anyway, and the last survey included a requirement to make this...

ericsonyachts.org

Also, this was pictured before I installed the new terminal strip and tidied up the wiring, some.

 

[southofvictor]

Thanks Loren! Yes I want to get a panel cover made up. Right now I unplug shore power and turn off the inverter and test everything with a voltage tester pen before I touch anything.