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GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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4275 Posts

Initially Posted - 02/07/2017 : 19:44:08

Well... this could be a short (no pun intended) post or could turn into a long running post.

A year or so ago I started noticing when I turned on my nav lights it would take 3 - 10 seconds for them to come on.

At approx. the same time I began to notice that during the evening the cabin lights would dim occasionally for a few seconds then slowly return to normal brightness over a few seconds. This might happen 3 or 4 times over the course of the evening (this while on shore power).

I've only been down to the boat a couple of times during the last 6 months. This past weekend I spent the night on the boat and the cabin lights were dimmer than normal because the batteries haven't been getting charged. I turned on the shore power and began charging the batteries (or at least I thought I was).

Once again the cabin lights started dimming and getting brighter. As the evening progressed the time between the cabin lights dimming for a few seconds got closer and closer together.

Despite being cold I decided to turn off the shore power while I slept. A couple of times during the night I woke up and turned on the heater for a few minutes. One of the times I laid down for a couple of minutes and noticed the battery charger was cycling every 5-7 seconds (by cycling I mean the three lights would cycle from max charge to intermediate charge to trickle charge).

BTW... When I turned off the shore power the lights stopped dimming and getting brighter.

As it stands now I don't feel comfortable using the shore power.

Any ideas?

Association Member

GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 02/07/2017 19:46:27

hewebb
Admiral

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761 Posts

Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 04:39:11

Gary
I would disconnect the battery post from all electrical and check the voltage to insure that they are fully charged. Then I would connect up everything but the charger and see what happens with the lights. Then connect shore power and turn on your heater. If all works well I would think the charger was the cause of the problem. Assuming you have two batteries check each with lights on through the battery switch. Another cause could be corroded or loose connections. How old is (are) the battery(s)?

Howard

1988 WK/SR w/inboard diesel Joe Pool Lake
Hobie 18 Lake Worth

Life is not a dress rehearsal. You will not get another chance.

OLarryR
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 04:39:13

Gary,

I assume the heater is directly on the shore power AC. If the heater seems to be working fine, then it seems likely the shore power is okay. You may want to double check with a voltmeter with probes into one of your AC outlets.

The AC-DC battery charger seems the likely culprit but first I would check to ensure your battery charger wiring connections input and output are making good contact. I am assuming your charger AC connections are hard wired to the back of one of your AC outlets or soldered. If connected to the AC outlet, I would undo the connection, sand/scrape the wire ends and then re-connect. Then I would do the same thing to the output leads from the charger at both ends (charger and battery wire ends).

If after doing the above, the charger still seems to be charging erratically - Going from the max charge light to the trickle charge light, then it would seem to me your charger is defective. Before replacing the charger, the only thing else that I believe could be wrong is that you have a dead or weak cell in the battery. So, you may want to have the battery checked out before replacing the charger. The easiest way I can think of doing that considering the battery is probably already in a weakened state if the charger is defective is to use another charger that perhaps you have at home for your car batteries (or you can borrow from a neighbor) - That would plug directly into your boat's AC outlet and you can then see if the battery charges satisfactorily. If the battery does not get or hold the charge and your AC outlet and alternate battery charger are working satisfactorily, then it is the battery that needs to be replaced.

You did not say how old the battery is but even a relatively new battery can suffer from a defective cell. You could bring the battery into an auto store and have them run it on their battery checkers, just that if your battery charger was not charging it properly, the battery is going to indicate it is weak - That's why I would try and charge the battery onboard using another charger before before messing around with removing the battery.

So - First check out the shore power to boat AC outlet - If the heater seems to work okay, then the power and cabling to the outlet are probably okay. Then check wire terminals to the charger, from the charger to the battery including the terminals connected to the battery. Then the problem still persists, utilize an alternate battery charger. If the battery charges back to normal - Replace the onboard charger. If battery does not hold charge properly using an alternate charger, then offload the battery, have it tested and probably replaced based on the testing results.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

Edited by - OLarryR on 02/08/2017 04:41:50

glivs
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 06:41:36

Gary ... good ideas but I would go further in separating the DC and AC problems. Your boat has not seen much use so suspect corrosion in the system. You don't note which nav lights you had issue with but start by cleaning the deck-to-mast fitting and go from there.

Gerry & Leslie; Malletts Bay, VT
"Great Escape" 1989 C-25 SR/WK #5972

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 08:39:53

Was the nav light delay with our without the shore power connected? Is your battery charger rated for charging when the batteries have a load on them (powering things)? Some aren't.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

islander
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 09:41:12

Im not sold on the battery charger being the problem. All smart battery chargers cycle on and off testing to see if the batteries need to be charged. If not they cycle down to the float phase then after a pre set time they do this again. It would be normal for your lights to brighten when the charger comes on because it is hitting your system with 14+ volts then drops down to 12+ when it cycles to float or off and your lights will be dimmer. Most electrical problems are in the ground wire. Your boat has one common ground for all your lights. Cabin, Nav, all work from one common ground. You say that the cabin and nav. lights are dimming then get brighter tells me to look for a dirty ground connection. There is a ground stud/buss bar connection on the back of the panel/Dumpster. I would check that first. The battery and the green and black wire connect to it. Also check the battery terminals and battery switch connections if you have one. A bad connection there will confuse the hell out of your battery charger.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Edited by - islander on 02/08/2017 10:00:30

GaryB
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 21:57:00

quote:
Originally posted by hewebb

Gary
I would disconnect the battery post from all electrical and check the voltage to insure that they are fully charged. Then I would connect up everything but the charger and see what happens with the lights. Then connect shore power and turn on your heater. If all works well I would think the charger was the cause of the problem. Assuming you have two batteries check each with lights on through the battery switch. Another cause could be corroded or loose connections. How old is (are) the battery(s)?

Howard

I'm sure the batteries are low since they haven't been charged lately and with the charger cycling they weren't getting much charge at all.

Batteries are approx. 3 years old.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

GaryB
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 22:00:14

quote:
Originally posted by OLarryR

Gary,

I assume the heater is directly on the shore power AC. If the heater seems to be working fine, then it seems likely the shore power is okay. You may want to double check with a voltmeter with probes into one of your AC outlets.

The AC-DC battery charger seems the likely culprit but first I would check to ensure your battery charger wiring connections input and output are making good contact. I am assuming your charger AC connections are hard wired to the back of one of your AC outlets or soldered. If connected to the AC outlet, I would undo the connection, sand/scrape the wire ends and then re-connect. Then I would do the same thing to the output leads from the charger at both ends (charger and battery wire ends).

If after doing the above, the charger still seems to be charging erratically - Going from the max charge light to the trickle charge light, then it would seem to me your charger is defective. Before replacing the charger, the only thing else that I believe could be wrong is that you have a dead or weak cell in the battery. So, you may want to have the battery checked out before replacing the charger. The easiest way I can think of doing that considering the battery is probably already in a weakened state if the charger is defective is to use another charger that perhaps you have at home for your car batteries (or you can borrow from a neighbor) - That would plug directly into your boat's AC outlet and you can then see if the battery charges satisfactorily. If the battery does not get or hold the charge and your AC outlet and alternate battery charger are working satisfactorily, then it is the battery that needs to be replaced.

You did not say how old the battery is but even a relatively new battery can suffer from a defective cell. You could bring the battery into an auto store and have them run it on their battery checkers, just that if your battery charger was not charging it properly, the battery is going to indicate it is weak - That's why I would try and charge the battery onboard using another charger before before messing around with removing the battery.

So - First check out the shore power to boat AC outlet - If the heater seems to work okay, then the power and cabling to the outlet are probably okay. Then check wire terminals to the charger, from the charger to the battery including the terminals connected to the battery. Then the problem still persists, utilize an alternate battery charger. If the battery charges back to normal - Replace the onboard charger. If battery does not hold charge properly using an alternate charger, then offload the battery, have it tested and probably replaced based on the testing results.

Charger is hard-wired into the system. Heater seemed to operate normally as did the TV. I do need to check all the terminals for corrosion. I don't think it's the charger but I have a car charger that I will try. If nothing else, just to be sure I get the batteries recharged.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 02/08/2017 22:25:33

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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4275 Posts

Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 22:04:43

quote:
Originally posted by glivs

Gary ... good ideas but I would go further in separating the DC and AC problems. Your boat has not seen much use so suspect corrosion in the system. You don't note which nav lights you had issue with but start by cleaning the deck-to-mast fitting and go from there.

I did not try the running lights this time but the last 5 or 6 times I tried them they were not coming on immediately. It happens with or without the shore power connected.

Turn the switch on and wait 3 - 10 seconds and they would come on (most of the time). Sometimes not at all.

When they came on they were bright as normal.

I'm suspecting corrosion and/or a bad ground myself.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

GaryB
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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 22:15:28

quote:
Originally posted by islander

Im not sold on the battery charger being the problem. All smart battery chargers cycle on and off testing to see if the batteries need to be charged. If not they cycle down to the float phase then after a pre set time they do this again. It would be normal for your lights to brighten when the charger comes on because it is hitting your system with 14+ volts then drops down to 12+ when it cycles to float or off and your lights will be dimmer. Most electrical problems are in the ground wire. Your boat has one common ground for all your lights. Cabin, Nav, all work from one common ground. You say that the cabin and nav. lights are dimming then get brighter tells me to look for a dirty ground connection. There is a ground stud/buss bar connection on the back of the panel/Dumpster. I would check that first. The battery and the green and black wire connect to it. Also check the battery terminals and battery switch connections if you have one. A bad connection there will confuse the hell out of your battery charger.

I tend to agree with your thoughts but wanted to get everyone's input.

The normal way my system works is the charger comes on when I turn on the shore power and the battery charger cycles through the various stages then usually settles down on the intermediate charge stage and does that for 4 or 5 hours before hitting the float stage. As mentioned this weekend, it just kept cycling through the stages every 10 - 20 seconds.

My first thought was it was acting like there was a power fluctuation, not like the charger was acting up. Then again, I'm usually wrong when troubleshooting things. :)

When I say the lights are dimming they are very dim as in almost no light then coming back up to full brightness like they do when the charger is operating. When I turned off the shore power they were dim like the batteries were not fully charged (which they are not) but they never went very dim. Just a steady dim light.

The nav lights coming on after a delay plus the dimming of the lights does make me think there's corrosion or a bad ground wire.

Thank you all for your suggestions. I will try all of them and report back after the next time I'm down at the boat. Whenever that is!

Edit: Forgot to mention, when the charger is in-between the "cycles" it's charging at the intermediate stage for a few seconds before it starts the "cycling" again.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 02/08/2017 22:43:36

GaryB
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 22:30:24

quote:
Originally posted by Stinkpotter

Was the nav light delay with our without the shore power connected? Is your battery charger rated for charging when the batteries have a load on them (powering things)? Some aren't.

Happens with or without shore power. Charger is rated for charging the batteries when under a load.

The charger is a Xantrex Truecharge 10TB and I have two Group 24 or 27 Interstate batteries.

http://www.xantrex.com/power-products/battery-chargers/truecharge.aspx

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 02/08/2017 22:44:05

sethp001
Mainsheet C-25 Tech Editor

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Response Posted - 02/08/2017 : 23:43:43

quote:
Originally posted by GaryB

A year or so ago I started noticing when I turned on my nav lights it would take 3 - 10 seconds for them to come on.

I second Scott's opinion to explain this clue. Current draw can overcome resistance in bad connections, but it takes time to build. I don't know the science to explain why, but I've seen it happen.

OLarryR
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 02/09/2017 : 10:08:57

Hopefully it is terminal connections somewhere in the system. As was suggested, maybe having to do on the common ground wire to the lights. The charger may be indicating full charge, occasionally, if indeed there is nothing wrong like a bad battery cell and the charger is just occasionally reading that the batteries are indeed fully charged which then point more and more to terminal corrosion issues.

The good thing is this is a good time (winter) to be checking these things out and most of the checking is not labor or cost intensive...just investigating and see if there is improvement.

One thing - If by chance you do wind up taking a battery out of the battery well, put plastic on your seat cushion. Flooded batteries, sometimes you can get water/acid mix laying in the bottom of the battery well and if you rest the batteries even for a short time on your seat cushion, it is possible any battery acid will deteriorate the upholstery. I had that experience when I changed over from flooded to AGM batteries and noted some deterioration of my cushion upholstery. But my seat cushions are all being replaced (some cushions had worn spots and decided to change them all out and the exterior ones as well) and I just got the call that the new cushions are ready. They are coming down on Sunday to see how they fit and settle balance due.

Larry
'89 Robin's Nest#5820, Potomac River/Quantico, Va
http://catalina25.homestead.com/olarryr.html

Edited by - OLarryR on 02/09/2017 10:10:13

islander
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Response Posted - 02/09/2017 : 11:34:38

Seth you are correct. A degrading connection can still be overcome by applying more power. I would start with the batteries. Disconnect all cables and wires, clean them and reconnect them. Then turn on the charger and see if it goes into charge mode and function normally. If it does and the lights don't dim then problem solved. If not I would move on to the panel/negative buss bar connections. This is assuming your batteries are in good shape.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Voyager
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Response Posted - 02/09/2017 : 11:54:46

What can happen is that once you turn on the lights the corrosion acts as a resistor in series with the lights. This makes the lights run dimly to start. A "resistor" will dissipate power and heat up the connectors. As they heat, they expand, making the connection better and the lights will brighten up. This of course allows the connectors to stop heating, so then the components cool and contract. This then increases resistance which makes the lights dimmer and the heating process begins again.
Back in school I created a cycling circuit based on this principle. Instead of a bad connection I used a bimetallic strip and a piece of blotter paper soaked in brine. Drove my professor nuts.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 02/09/2017 21:32:08

Voyager
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Response Posted - 02/11/2017 : 08:19:07

The way I would try to troubleshoot the problem is to start with charging up the battery.
The next likely culprits are the battery post connections. Look for white crusty stuff, green crusty stuff or dull surfaces on the connections.
Then I'd focus on the black lead from the negative battery lead to the switch panel in the dumpster or behind the galley sink. I was able to open the panel on the galley side and work on it there. Look for the negative or "ground" bus bar. This is a "common" connection typically made of a copper strip (probably badly tarnished) with connection screws that are set every inch or so. All the negative wires should converge here, from the house lights, to the mast lights, to the VHF, to the instruments.
Every negative cable should be tied here. Check all the connectors and take a brass wire brush and shine up the mating surfaces.
If this looks good and you still have the problem then check the red cable coming from the battery to the switch panel. This cable is a bit more complicated.
It probably has an inline fuse on it (check all contacts there and inspect the fuse itself for corrosion), maybe a power on/off switch or 1-2-both-off switch. Inspect the connectors.
Then there's where the positive wire comes to the switch panel. All the power runs through the main on/off switch then from there, the hot side was daisy-chained from switch to switch. At least on mine. Each splice should be checked.
If that's all good then I'd try plan B.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

GaryB
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Response Posted - 03/26/2017 : 12:24:10

Finally got down to the boat Friday night. Started looking into some of your suggestions. Took my battery charger from home, connected it up to the 1st battery after checking the water level and the charger showed zero. I noticed the water looked like it had foam on the surface. Tried to charge it, would not take a charge. Same for the 2nd battery.

I never go out at night and if I did it would be for no more than 3 or 4 hours so I decided to just replace one battery. I went to Walmart to pick up a new one and my options were to replace with another Deep Cycle that had a 1 year warranty or a regular battery with a 3 year free replacement and then the final 2 years are pro-rated. I decided to go with the regular battery because of the warranty.

Hooked up the new battery to one side of the charger and never had any dimming light episodes as before. So I assume the lights were dimming and the charger was recycling almost continuously was due to the fried batteries.

If I remember correctly the two Interstate Deep Cycle batteries are only 2, maybe 3 years old and I never had to add water. The batteries and the wiring look brand new, no corrosion whatsoever so I have no idea why both of these batteries failed at the same time after only 2 or 3 years.

I'm beginning to think my Xantrex charger is a POS. If you remember, I had to replace both of the original batteries in the boat after they almost caught on fire one night while I was sleeping on the boat. The batteries were so hot I could barely touch them after I disconnected and removed them in the middle of the night. It took 2 to 3 hours to cool off to ambient temperature.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 03/26/2017 12:29:21

islander
Master Marine Consultant

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Response Posted - 03/26/2017 : 12:42:44

So if I'm understanding this you are going with a one battery system. That's fine but using a standard battery that I assume is a starting battery isn't the best even with the better garantee IMO. They're just not made to be constantly discharged. It does sound like the charger is kaput.

Scott-"IMPULSE"87'C25/SR/WK/Din.#5688
Sailing out of Glen Cove,L.I Sound

Edited by - islander on 03/26/2017 12:48:04

GaryB
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Response Posted - 03/27/2017 : 19:27:37

quote:
Originally posted by islander

So if I'm understanding this you are going with a one battery system. That's fine but using a standard battery that I assume is a starting battery isn't the best even with the better garantee IMO. They're just not made to be constantly discharged. It does sound like the charger is kaput.

One battery system now, not a starting battery. My Suzuki is manual start only.

I haven't been out after dark in 3 or 4 years and I don't see that happening much in the future. The longest I "might" be out is an hour or two after dark very occasionally. I'm on shore power 99.99999% of the time.

Besides I'm more than likely selling the boat later this Spring.

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GaryB
Andiamo
'89 SR/WK #5862
Kemah,TX

Edited by - GaryB on 03/27/2017 19:29:33

Sailingoldsailor
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Response Posted - 07/27/2018 : 16:54:16

quote:
Originally posted by islander

Im not sold on the battery charger being the problem. All smart battery chargers cycle on and off testing to see if the batteries need to be charged. If not they cycle down to the float phase then after a pre set time they do this again. It would be normal for your lights to brighten when the charger comes on because it is hitting your system with 14+ volts then drops down to 12+ when it cycles to float or off and your lights will be dimmer. Most electrical problems are in the ground wire. Your boat has one common ground for all your lights. Cabin, Nav, all work from one common ground. You say that the cabin and nav. lights are dimming then get brighter tells me to look for a dirty ground connection. There is a ground stud/buss bar connection on the back of the panel/Dumpster. I would check that first. The battery and the green and black wire connect to it. Also check the battery terminals and battery switch connections if you have one. A bad connection there will confuse the hell out of your battery charger.

Sailingoldsailor
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Response Posted - 07/27/2018 : 17:13:51

Gary I apologize for asking a question unrelated to your original responses ; however the C25 schematic that you sent in your response and your reference to 'grounds' being the cause of many electrical issues encouraged me to write. I just replaced the deck plate and wiring for the mast back to the fuse panel but they do not work. However by providing an independent power source to all the mast wires and bulbs they all work individually without using the power from the fuse panel. All fuses are good.
Now the question - I see on the schematic you referenced note #2 talks about two different ground systems (green for the mast and black for the rest of the boat). The schematic appears to show both the green and black grounds are connected together at a buss bar. Is that physically the way they are connected on the boat? I do not understand how we can have two 'separate and independent' grounding systems that are connected together. Can you walk me thru that system? I think that may be the source of my problem - do you agree?

Many thanks,
Paul

Voyager
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Response Posted - 07/27/2018 : 18:43:32

Seeing that the boat is made of fiberglass (an insulator) and there�s no engine block or drive train inside most of our boats, there�s no real concept of a ground in our boats.

In 12VDC battery driven electrical systems, the positive side of the circuit is usually fused and switched.

Multiple positive leads originate from the positive terminal of the battery out to the boat�s switch panel. In the panel, the positive lead is split off to the 7 or 8 panel switches.

From the panel, individual positive wires start at the switches and go out to cabin lights, mast lights, navigation lights, radios, instruments and cigarette lighter outlets.

The negative leads are typically not switched and a wire connects from the negative terminal of the battery to a common negative buss bar near or in the switch panel.

From there, a black negative wire goes to the cabin lights and the red/green navigation light. Another black negative wire goes to the stern navigation light. A green negative wire goes to the mast light. Another negative wire goes to the VHF radio. Another negative wire goes to the instruments and 12VDC power outlets. Whether the negative wires are connected together at the battery, at the switch or somewhere else in the boat, it really doesn�t matter. If it were a car and not a boat, since there is a lot of metal in the car, there�s more of a concept of ground. But on our boats, for the 12VDC system, there is no ground.

For boats with working 120 VAC systems, there�s hot (black), neutral (white) and ground (green). There should NEVER BE ANY WIRES OR CONNECTIONS IN COMMON BETWEEN THE AC AND DC SYSTEMS. Care should be exercised where an AC battery charger is connected to the DC battery circuit. AC circuits should not be worked on by anybody but a licensed electrician on your boat.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Sailingoldsailor
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Response Posted - 07/27/2018 : 19:19:37

Thank you for that very detailed explanation - well done Voyager!!

Any thoughts about my problem - where all new wire leading up to the mast internal wiring is tinned marine grade wire. and each individual circuits work and bulbs light when an independent 12 volt dc voltage source applied to the mast wires. However when the wires are connected to the boat electrical system through the fuse panel( all fuses are good) none of the mast lights work. I switch them on one circuit at a time.
Thanks for your insight. Paul

Voyager
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Response Posted - 07/28/2018 : 09:14:24

Paul - good question. Here�s the troubleshooting approach I�d take.

1. Start with the common - Use an ohmmeter to check continuity from the negative common lead feeding the connector back to the negative terminal of the battery. (It pays to make a 20 ft jumper with alligator clips on both ends.) The negative wire should run from your negative buss bar up to the deck connector. The negative common socket on the deck receptacle connector is in the 10 o�clock position. This references the key at the noon position. The ohmmeter should read 0 Ohms between the common socket and the negative battery terminal via the jumper.

2. Check the pins on the plug side of the connector. Make sure the common wire in the mast cable connects to the pin in the 2 o�clock position on the plug. The plug is the mirror image of the socket - a �common� mistake. LOL

3. If the common side checks out, then set your voltmeter to 20 VDC. Flip on the anchor light switch and put the black voltmeter lead in the common socket and the red lead in the 4 o�clock socket. Should see +12.5 VDC. If it�s -12 then your pins and sockets are switched. Swap em. If it�s zero, try the bow light or decklight switch.

4. If it�s still zero then trace the wire connected to the 4 o�clock socket back to the electrical panel switch. Check continuity first from the receptacle to the switch using the ohmmeter, then check the fuse, then be sure the switch actually works. Sometimes they eff up.
Also with your voltmeter on 20 VDC make sure the switch has power (red to switch, black to negative). If no power on the switch check the supply from the battery. You may have a daisy chain of jumpers for the positive to all switches or a positive buss bar. Check the daisy chain from the main switch to each switch down the line.

5. Go back to the deck receptacle and check the bow light socket and pin. Repeat the steps for the bow light.

6. Repeat all steps for the deck light circuit.

That should cover all the possible permutations.

Bruce Ross
Passage ~ SR-FK ~ C25 #5032

Port Captain � Milford, CT

Edited by - Voyager on 07/28/2018 09:36:40

Stinkpotter
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Djibouti
9013 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2018 : 11:42:38

I'd be suspicious of corroded contacts inside a 29-year-old switch panel, especially in a salt air environment. I'd check for resistance through each switch. I agree with the "heat" explanation above--a small amount of current can flow through a bulb without lighting it, and that current can generate heat in the corrosion, increasing conductivity until it's sufficient to light the bulb. The switch is a natural place for that to happen.

BTW, I'll go further than Bruce by saying there is actually no such thing as "ground" in a battery-based DC circuit. There's negative (black) and positive (red), period. Catalina apparently added to the confusion by using green for a negative side of a circuit (in common with black from other circuits), where in an AC system, green is ground. I don't know why they did that...

Even in a car, the body and chassis are just a giant negative bus that is connected to the negative terminal of the battery--they don't touch ground and if they did (such as a strap for static dissipation), that would have virtually no effect because the ground has no connection to the positive battery terminal that would allow it to generate current. (The battery is not a current storage device--it's a chemical generator, where charging reverses the chemical reaction.)

The term "ground" is properly used only for AC, where it's role generally is to soak up stray current from anywhere in the system and cause a fuse, breaker, or particularly a GFCI to pop before a person becomes part of the circuit. And I strongly second Bruce's statement that an AC system should only be wired (or at least inspected) by a licensed professional.

Curmudgeon out.

Dave Bristle
Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT
PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired),
Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge

Edited by - Stinkpotter on 07/28/2018 12:36:22

redeye
Master Marine Consultant

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3474 Posts

Response Posted - 07/28/2018 : 16:04:17

I had power grounding from one circuit to another in the wiring to the mast, crushed between the liner and the deck. They would not show a short on testing but I could turn on one light and another would light, or both and I'd look at one light and get completely confused.

pulled those circuits out.

Ray in Atlanta, Ga.
"Lee Key" '84 Catalina 25
Standard Rig / Fin Keel

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