Breaker for 1977 Trojan, Part Deux

[Tuck]

hi all. mr. post-a-ton this week. hehe

g36 and i (i watched) replaced my starboard breaker a few months ago, but unfortunately, i think i may be needing another one soon.

just walked back on the boat, and heard a buzz. after checking, it was one of the breakers. it stopped when i turned off the air conditioner.

i turned both breakers off, then back on and fired up the a/c again, and so far so good.

point is, i want to be prepared for if/when this thing goes kaput again.

anyone have one they can part with?

thanks in advance.

[wowzer52]

One of my breakers was buzzing when the water heater was on and then it would trip off and I was going to replace it about the same time you replaced yours but after investigating I found the wires in the back of the braker panel that were connected to the water heater braker were not connected very well and were arcing and the wires were black and burned, (could have caught on fire at any time). I trimmed the wires back and reinstalled them tight and the breaker works fine. However, I don't leave the water heater on when I don't need it. When I do need hot water I am either cruising or on the anchor and the engine heats the water quicker than the electrical.

[gjrylands]

This is from an earilier post.

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Posted: Mon May 25, 2009 6:37 am Post subject:

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On my last Trojan, a ’69 31’er the main was mounted in a separate aluminum box immediately next to the distribution panel in a locker on the starboard side of the boat. In the main breaker box was the main breaker, a test button, a polarity indicator light, and an AC volt meter. The main breaker is 3 breakers combined together to form, what amounts to a ground fault interrupter breaker. The test button, when pressed, trips the main, testing to check if the main is operating correctly. The polarity lamp lights if the polarity of the dock wiring is incorrect. The voltmeter shows the voltage of the power entering the boat.

If you don’t see the main it was removed when the main failed. Bi-passing the main will still provide power to the boat but it is not protected from an over load.

The main breaker is manufactured by Heinemann Electric model # AM336. I sent them an email asking if they still made the breaker, and got this as a response:

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Mercedes Hermenegildo <mercedes@heinemann-electric.com>
To: gjrylands@att.net
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 11:38:52 AM
Subject: FW: AM336 Breaker
Hi Gerry,
This breaker you have is very old.
That series has been discontinued since the 90's.
It was replaced with the AM/S Series. Please find attached the brochure for this series with specs and dimensions.

I showed your pictures to our engineer, and he came up with the following P/N:

AM3S-A3A3A6-LAA02JDAW-30-250AC-2/115VAC-P.

We manufacture all our breakers to order. We don't keep any stock.
You can buy this through a distributor, or you can buy it directly from us. I must tell you, though, that we ship from Canada.

Some of our biggest distributors are:

Allied Electronics
Newark Electronics
Fuses Unlimited
Wesco Distribution

If you need more help, please do not hesitate to contact us again.

Thank you and best regards,
Mercedes Hermenegildo
Customer Service Manager
Heinemann Electric Canada
T: 514-332-1163
Email: mercedes@heinemann-electric.com


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Keating [mailto:heinemannelectric-steve@bellnet.ca]
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 1:22 PM
To: mercedes@heinemann-electric.com
Subject: Re: AM336 Breaker
AM3S-A3A3A6-LAA02JDAW-30-250AC-2/115VAC-P
----- Original Message -----
From: Mercedes Hermenegildo
To: Steve Keating (E-mail)
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 10:50 AM
Subject: FW: AM336 Breaker

Hi Steve,

I can't find a AM336 in my catalogs. See the pictures attached.
Can you help me?

Thank you and best regards,
Mercedes Hermenegildo
Customer Service Manager
Heinemann Electric Canada
T: 514-332-1163
Email: mercedes@heinemann-electric.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Heinemann Electric Canada [mailto:heinemann@heinemann-electric.com]
Sent: Friday, March 27, 2009 9:12 AM
To: Mercedes Hermenegildo
Subject: FW: AM336 Breaker

-----Original Message-----
From: Gerry Rylands [mailto:gjrylands@att.net]
Sent: March 27, 2009 6:32 AM
To: heinemann@heinemann-electric.com
Subject: AM336 Breaker
Gentlemen,
I am looking to replace a Main 30A breaker in my Trojan power boat. In the attachments are pictures of the breaker. The original breaker is model # Am336. Is this breaker still available? If so, where can I get it? If not, do you manufacture another breaker that would replace it?
Thank You
Gerry Rylands
gjrylands@att.net


Texas Instrument also made that breaker, model # 3MCA-186-114.

You could put in a 30 amp main from Blue Sea model # 8029. It is 3 ¾” x 5 ¾”, but you will need to get or make a box to house it. West Marine sells that breaker, model # 343675.

If you would like to see the catalog that was attached to the email I received send me your email address. I will attach it to my reply along with pictures of the breaker.