Make sure they’re tight!
Yesterday was a big day on the Leopard. We checked a lot of troubleshooting and maintenance tasks off our to-do list, and plan to do more of the same today. I’m going to share a brief but important tip this morning: make sure all of your electrical connections are tight! The image below of a melted terminal strip shows what can happen when connections are not secure enough. And of course, realizing that we’re on a moving vessel, things that were once tight do occasionally vibrate themselves loose. Need I say more?
Are those screw in for covered or exposed wire? Should the wire be tinned? Most ABYC standards call for tinned wire. Just typing out loud… 🙂
Are you expecting a reply then? 🙂
Nope. Had a feeling somehow you would fix it proper… 😉 have a nice swim.
No swimming by the marina. Today though, in St. John.
I hate those kind of connections. I never feel sure the wire
Is correctly seated and tight , even when you are
Hooking them up.
We replaced it with a proper terminal block and crimped ring connectors on the wires.
Which is why marine electricians tend to read the riot act if they find connector blocks. They insist on swaged spade fittings with a waterproof heat-shrink sleeve over them.
That looks to be hefty wire. What were you running on it?
Mike
The wire is the AC input from the gen set.
Hi, myself and my wife are basically trying to do what you are doing on a very limited budget. The pics look great and best to you guys in your travels.
Chuck and Tracey
Thanks, guys. Good luck to you as well.
Yup.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-noEzvXqK-dc/T0AlKFJ_ewI/AAAAAAAAA7M/j6lKU59XV_o/s1600/shore+power+cord+melted.jpg
In industrial settings it is common practice to survey big panels with IR cameras, looking for warm spots.
It can also be corrosion. I coat all high load connections (all connections I remember) with No-Oxid, but any water proof grease is good. I have never had a problem with a connection that was tight and well-coated, even in very wet places. This product won the 12-month Practical Sailor salt spray corrosion test, with water proof grease products second. Corr Block is good for cabin use. http://www.sanchem.com/aSpecialE.html
As always, thanks for the suggestion!