A/C Panel orange lights question (Reverse Polarity Photos)

[RV61]

On the A/C electric panel I have two orange lights that indicate A/C panel is live as well as a red light for reverse polarity. This weekend I noticed that one of the orange lights was flickering and finally went out. All seems well as all A/C outlets are working. I did a search and found one other thread that spoke about this with no real conclusion. I suspect it is just a burned out bulb after all it is original equipment from 1986. Does any one know why there are two orange and does it indicate different things?  Is there anything  else need to be looking for??
Thanks

[Stu Jackson]

See this: http://c34.org/bbs/index.php?topic=2620.0, check reply #9.  A search on "polarity" brings up a half dozen hits.

Sometimes when the voltage of the power from the docks is low the reverse polarity lights dim, flicker or just don't work.  That's why we suggest getting an Ace Hardware tester, it usually works even with low voltage, compared to the built in lights on the panel.

If this doesn't answer your question, please let me know and we'll go further.

[RV61]

Stu Thanks for the reply. I have the same panel as the pictures you posted in the thread. The orange light on the right under normal is the one that flickered and finally went out. The reverse light has not come on. I could not make out the drawings to understand what each light is monitoring for normal power. Question what does the right orange light monitor and  what does the left orange light monitor if the factory in fact wired the boats thec same?
Thanks

[Stu Jackson]

I recommend opening up the panel and following the wiring and then comparing it to the wiring diagram, it's a much better way to understand what's going on.

PS - added a little bit later:  The reason I suggest this is because I looked at the wiring diagram in the Mark I manual, page 33 of 66 at www.c34.org, left side index, manuals.  It only shows two neon lamps, not three as we have installed on board.  So, the wiring diagram is a good start, but YOU have to do the detailed personal research on YOUR boat and maybe edit, correct and/or improve on what is drawn compared to what's been built.  As a result, I personally can't answer your question about what the individual lamps on YOUR boat are measuring.  The diagram shows the green and white legs of the AC being measured.

[Craig Illman]

I agree with Stu that you need to see how your boat is wired. A lot of things can change in fifteen to twenty years. My theory is that one of the amber lights is hot to neutral and the other is hot to ground. One of your lights could be burned out or your ground connection could be faulty. It might not be a bad idea to go to the hardware store and get one of those polarity testers that you'd use in your home to double check.

Also, for everyone, how often do we all check our GFI outlets? In a marine environment, should we be swapping them out every 7 - 10 years or just hope they work when we need them?

Craig