CAPT OF ERJ FAILS TO NOTE AN OPEN BUS TIE BREAKER DURING HIS PREFLT INSPECTION AND CALLS MAINT TO ADDRESS THE RESULTING ELECTRICAL ANOMALY.

Narrative

WE FLEW ACFT XXX INTO ICT AS THE RON (REMAIN OVERNIGHT) ACFT. PRIOR TO OUR ARR THE NEXT MORNING; ICT FOLKS MOVED THE ACFT USING THE MAINT CHKLIST. WHEN I ARRIVED; THE ACFT WAS DEAD ELECTRICALLY AND THE COCKPIT LOCKED WITH OUR OUTBOUND PAPERWORK. I THEN TURNED ON BOTH BATTERY SWITCHES AND PERFORMED A FIRE TEST. THE BAGGAGE SMOKE AND ENG #2 DID NOT TEST; BUT THE APU AND ENG #1 DID TEST. I TURNED ON THE APU MASTER; BUT THE EICAS SHOWED NO PWR TO THE APU AND IT COULD NOT BE CRANKED. NO GPU WAS AVAILABLE THEN; SO I ASKED ICT FOLKS TO GET ME ONE WHICH THEY DID. THE ACFT DID NOT TAKE GND PWR; SO WE TRIED A SECOND GPU. THIS TIME; WITH THE BATTERY SWITCHES 'ON;' THE APU PANEL WAS PWRED AND THE APU SUCCESSFULLY STARTED. THE APU GENERATOR DID NOT COME ON LINE WHEN I DESELECTED GND. MAINT SHOWED UP AND FOUND THE BUS TIE SWITCH OFF; WHICH I MISSED DURING MY ENTERING THE COCKPIT. ALL SWITCHES WERE CONFIRMED PROPER BY MY FO THE NIGHT BEFORE. ONE ICT PERSONNEL ADMITTED THAT HE TURNED THE BUS TIE OFF WHEN HE MOVED THE ACFT; STATING THAT IT WAS THE NORMAL POS FOR THAT SWITCH ON PWR DOWN. I TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR MISSING THE INITIAL IMPROPER SWITCH POS FOR THE BUS TIE; BUT I HAD HONESTLY THOUGHT THE PROB WAS LOW BATTERY VOLTAGE (PERHAPS FROM THE PRIOR PWRING OF THE ACFT THAT MORNING) AND DIDN'T THINK TO CHK THAT SWITCH. I KNOW NOW TO INCLUDE ALL SWITCHES ON THE ELECTRICAL PANEL WHEN FACED WITH AN ELECTRICAL ANOMALY BEFORE CALLING MAINT AND LOSING PAX AND COSTING US MONEY. I ALSO SUGGEST THAT THE BUS TIE SWITCHES BE INCLUDED IN THE NORMAL CHKLISTS; EXTERNAL PWR OR APU PWR FLOWS; SO THAT THIS ANOMALY WILL BE DETECTED EARLIER.