[Rhodes22-list] The magic of electricity

[jbconnolly at comcast.net]

Disclaimer:  I have the old panel in the location just above the cabin step.  I also have one battery and no shore power.  My wiring runs from the battery forward of the water tank under the vee berth starboard and aft under/behind the counter. 



My panel has lighted switches.  Does yours?  Do the switches light, but the equipment doesn't power up?   If so, check for blown fuses at the panel.  If the switches don't lite, check for a blown master fuse entering the panel or near the battery. 



An inexpensive digital volt-ohm-amp meter is probably the indispensible item in an electrical toolbox.  with it, you can follow the voltage (or lack of it) back to the battery/batteries. 



Good luck 



Jim Connolly 




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "BenCittadino" <bencittadino at gmail.com> 
To: rhodes22-list at rhodes22.org 
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2009 10:12:15 PM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern 
Subject: [Rhodes22-list]  The magic of electricity 


Two great days of sailing this past week. Hit 5.6 knots over the ground and 
buried the rail once (a little scary, are you sure this thing won't 
capsize???). 

Anyhow, the engine starts like a dream (I have electric start and motor 
lift) and purrs like a kitten. HOWEVER, nothing else electrical works on the 
boat all of a sudden. I have a '93, recycled '08 and it has two batteries. I 
have the electrical panel high on the starboard bulkhead inside the cabin. I 
also have two factory installed solar panels. Last summer, and up until 
today the switches on the panel could be switched to energize the depth 
finder, cabin lights, macerator (test only), radio, etc. 

Now to be frank I know nothing else about the electrical system on this 
boat. I have no electrical test gear and will undoubtedly have a marine 
electrician look at it. However I would like to give the tech some 
information about how this boat is wired. Is there an electrical diagram 
somewhere? Which battery energizes which stuff? Where do the wires go when 
they leave the battery compartments? Which battery or batteries are charged 
by the solar panels? I let her sit idle more than a week or two sometimes 
and never have a problem with the lift or electric start, but the dinky 
little items on the other circuit seem to drain that battery pretty readily. 
Are there known issues I should alert the tech to with this set-up? 

I recall now the boatyard where I put my boat up last winter had to replace 
a battery (I don't even know for sure which one) upon launching this summer 
and I think it was the one that has failed now (forward?). 

I guess what I am asking is whether there is an archive entry or another 
document that will start me on the road to undstanding the electrical system 
on this boat. 

Thanks; 

Ben C 
SV Susan Kay   
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