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Battery questions

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Kas
Deckhand

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USA
16 Posts

Initially Posted - 08/13/2004 : 08:33:17

Hello all...

I got the stereo to work and ran the wire from the control panel to the stereo. But I noticed that the wiring looks pretty bad. Here are my questions...

1. Does each wire need to have it's own "O-ring connector" thingy or can 3-4 be crimped into one larger one.

2. There's a "Foreward Battery / Aft Battery" toggle switch with 2 red wires and 2 blue wires all of which are connected to one battery by the large "O-ring connectors" This isn't right is it?? Also will we be okay if I just put a simple fuse breaker on each red wire or do we need to get something else?

3. This final problem is most likely related to the mess with the batteries but I'm not sure. Our cabin lights always work, however our running, steaming and mast lights may or may not depending on how they feel. Help!!!!

Thank you for all your good advice...

Kelly
Adventurous #5553
1987 C25 SR/SK2WK

Edited by - on

Bill Holcomb
Admiral

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USA
769 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2004 : 10:04:33

Hi Kelly,

Here's some thoughts:

"1. Does each wire need to have it's own "O-ring connector" thingy or can 3-4 be crimped into one larger one." 'Have to have' may be too strong a statement. However, each wire should have it's own connector. This allows you to change and/or upgrade the setup more easily if changes are needed. It also allows you to check for corrosion on each individual circuit.

"2. There's a "Foreward Battery / Aft Battery" toggle switch with 2 red wires and 2 blue wires all of which are connected to one battery by the large "O-ring connectors" This isn't right is it?? Also will we be okay if I just put a simple fuse breaker on each red wire or do we need to get something else?" Something is certainly wrong with your battery circuit. A PO did some 'creative wiring' at some time in the boat's past. There have been changes in the color coding for 12-VDC circuits in the past few years to make sure that 12-VDC circuits never come in contact with 110-VAC circuits. But blue isn't part of that system. It also doesn't make sense that there are four wires connected to one battery. An inline fuse IS a good idea.

"3. Our cabin lights always work, however our running, steaming and mast lights may or may not depending on how they feel." The most common culprit with 'on-again/off-again' lights is corrosion. Check the terminal connectins and light sockets. If this doesn't work, you may need to look at the wires themselves. If they are not marine grade stranded, you may have corrosion inside the insulation.

Finally, check out "The 12-Volt Bible for Boats" by Miner Brotherton, and "Boatowner's Illustrated Handbook of Wiring" by Charlie Wing. These are both good books that will show you the correct way to set up your boat's wiring circuits.

Bill Holcomb - C25 Snickerdoodle #4839

Edited by - on

ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 08/13/2004 : 10:12:41

Safety disclaimer...

If you're not familiar with wiring and/or the principles of electric circuits I'd recommend enlisting the aid of somebody with experience before proceeding. While it's not really 'rocket science' to do this stuff, you can cause major problems if you don't really know what you're doing. Most sailboat fires are caused by bad wiring.

Q.... Does each wire need to have it's own "O-ring connector" thingy or can 3-4 be crimped into one larger one.

While most of us have probably stuffed multiple wires into an oversized connector before... this is not a good practice. For sure don't get too carried away with this technique and double for sure don't use it on high-amperage connections. Poor connections create heat, heat creates fires. ;>)

To do a proper job in a marine environment, the connections should really be soldered. Crimped aluminum connections will fail over time around saltwater. The truly 'Bristol' way to do this is to use a terminal strip to make the the common connections. Also, 'tinned' marine wire should be used... regular copper wire will eventually corrode and fail.

Q... There's a "Foreward Battery / Aft Battery" toggle switch with 2 red wires and 2 blue wires all of which are connected to one battery by the large "O-ring connectors" This isn't right is it??

If you have only 1 battery, the PO simply wired the switch so you'd have battery power in either position. It's very unusual to see a toggle switch... and blue wires used for this purpose. I'd be suspicious of this wiring job and be inclined to replace the switch with a proper marine switch.

Q... Also will we be okay if I just put a simple fuse breaker on each red wire or do we need to get something else?

Each hot wire should be protected by a fused connector matching the amperage rating of the wire being used. There are lots of reference tables available on the web that show the amperage ratings of different wire gauges.

Q... Our cabin lights always work, however our running, steaming and mast lights may or may not depending on how they feel. Help!!!!

If the cabin lights are working, the issue isn't with your battery connection, but further downstream in the circuit. Bad connections, dirty/corroded switches, corroded fuse holders etc. Sounds like your system needs some serious TLC.

There are also some basic books on marine wiring that have been recommended on this forum. Googling on marine wiring etc will probably yield some good info too.

Edited by - on

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.