A lesson (re)learned.

[Dave Neptune]

Just before the 4th I was getting the Volador ready for a possible night trip to Catalina and when checking lights I found my "steaming" light to be out. As I could not get up the mast myself I checked the connections I could and played with the switch. I got nowhere and after spraying wiggling and cleaning still no light. Well as my trip to Georgia's Hartwell Lake approached it wound up that I was not going to make it to Catalina. When I returned to the boat yesterday one of my dockmates said that I had left my "steaming light" on. I opened the boat and the house bank (a pair of 5 year old 6V golf carts) were way dead. They were so dead that I had a bit of trouble getting enough voltage in the batteries so as not to trip my "automotive" plain old battery chargers overload.
Lesson~~"The hurrier I go the farther behind I get" (one of my my grandfathers sayings)~~. In all the fussing around I left the switch in the on position and eventually the voltage got through after I left, not sure why though~Neil? The boat sat for 10 days and my dockmate said that the lite was on a "couple" of days ago, so the juice didn't flow for a few days after leaving and once flowing did a nice job of COMPLETELY draining my house bank~ouch.
This is sort of like trouble shooting the ignition and getting nowhere and leaving the switch on~I should and do know better butt~~~.

Dave Neptune

[ndutton]

No specific help here Dave but you'll find the problem is a loose or otherwise compromised connection. It's making contact sometimes and not others. Boat motion , temperature or atmospheric conditions could make the difference in working or not.

You have two difficulties in tracing it down. The first is it could be anywhere from the battery to the light bulb. A methodical approach is best.

The second is more troublesome. You can't trace to a problem if it's working and the intermittent nature of this is the issue. For logical troubleshooting you need it in a failed state. If it's working you'll need to inspect the entire circuit from start to finish.

Don't be bashful about calling for reinforcement. I'm available.

I hope once the offending connection is found it's the only one.

[timkb]

Don't forget to suspect the ground.

[thatch]

"Helpful Hints?"

Dave,
Since I am getting older and more forgetful by the day, I made a short check list of "musts" before leaving the boat. It is laminated in plastic and sits on my chart table. The 4 items are, close the hatch, intake water off, batteries off and fuel off. Just looking at it has saved me from forgetting one of the above on several occasions. One last tip, If you should need someone to go up the mast to fix the steaming light, I know a guy in San Pedro that is really good at that sort of thing.
Tom

[joe_db]

My steaming light was always going out. Banging on the mast would usually fix it. I eventually put dielectric grease in the fitting and it seems to be much better now. I suspect something like that in your case.

[Dave Neptune]

Lesson learned

Thanx for the hint's however I was posting the "lesson" of making sure what you are trouble shooting is done!

I did just get done re-doing all of my grounds with new wiring and connections in May. It did quicken the starters spin and brightened up the cabin lights as well. The positive side is next.

I have a trip up the stick planned to replace the anchor lite and install another windicator. The help comes from a fellow A-4 owner whose engine I got running and a couple of other guys who share this sort of thing. We've hauled each other up many times and it is good to have readily availble compitent help. An osprey removed my last one the day after it was replaced. It had set up shop using my mast head as his "chomping block"~messy. It has since disappeared.

I suspect and suspected the switch as it was a bit stiff from lack of use. I did spray with WD-40 and did not crawl into the laz. to check with a meter~just l to lazy that day.

Tom, I never leave my boat without leaving the house batteries on to keep the bilge pump activated, In the past I have wired the BP directly to the batteries so it was always "hot" just incase. Now I leave it tied to the main power and leave the "house set" on. My cockpit drains to thru-hulls and I want the pump live just incase, all other thru-hulls are closed. I store my ignition key on the water valve for the engine as a reminder. I also do not do any battery charging (unless something is left on) during the cruising season. I do charge a couple of times during the winter when they drop a bit. I do tend to exercise my "house" batteries and when they won't turn the engine over when I do my monthly spin and spritz of WD-40 into the cylinders I get the charger out of the dock box. My batteries usually go for 5~6 years operating in this manner and they do get completely drained over their lifetimes more than once!

Dave Neptune

[sastanley]

Dave...why don't you wire the bilge pump switch to the batteries again?

I even have a hot bypass for mine on my fancy panel..it lights up to indicate if the pump is running, and its breaker is wired directly to the battery, but the rest of the panel goes thru the main battery switch. I would always be killing my batteries if I forgot to turn off my main switch.

I replaced all my mast wiring and fittings a couple years ago, and wouldn't you know it, the darn steaming light wouldn't work when I came motoring into Oxford at 1:30 in the morning. But after that trip, I told my wife, I'd take the ticket if the DNR or Coasties stopped me at that time of night..I was just glad to have made it.

[Dave Neptune]

Good point

Shawn, at least when hooked to the power panel I can switch to the start battery to get the pump going if need be. I do have my VHF wired in as you suggested with a 3 way switch, fusses and connected directly to both batteries. Now everything else including the bilge pump is on the power pannel.

Dave Neptune

[toddster]

Another suggestion, if you're going "up the stick"anyway... replace those bulbs with LEDs. They're a bit precious but at 0.06 amps, you can burn them a long time without recharging the batteries.

[sastanley]

toddster, I left my steaming light as incandescant. It will only be on with the engine running, so the battery is always under a charge condition anyway. Those 180° festoon bulbs are $$$$$ too.

However, I agree with it in almost all other cases. The only one I haven't found a suitable replacement for is the halogen deck light...the LED's just down seem to "penetrate the night" and light up the deck as well as a good old amp sucking halogen bulb. Those are the only two non-LED bulbs on my boat (as soon as I get off my butt and finish replacing the stern running light, but I have the stuff to do it.)

[toddster]

Two other advantages to an LED: 1. Not having to climb the mast to find out whether the bulb is burned out or not. 2. Maybe something was wrong with my boat but ALL of the plastic lenses over the incandescent bulbs were partially melted and some leaked water because of this.

I sprang for some pretty expensive LED spreader light assemblies, but they have yet to be tested, since the mast is not yet up. They certainly are bright in the shop!

Sorry for getting off-topic again.

[tenders]

Over the last three years I've replaced almost all of the incandescents on my boat with LEDs from here:

http://www.ledlight.com/

Recently, in looking for a replacement for a burned-out incandescent spreader light, I discovered that the bulb is actually a sealed unit originally designed (or at least used) for tractor headlights.

http://www.perko.com/catalog/category/lighting_fixtures/product/50/

As best as I can tell there is no LED fixture made that includes the sealed assembly, so these with their anachronistic-sounding 35 watt draw (and the windex illuminator at the very top of the mast) will remain incandescent on my rig as well.

[thatch]

"Speaking of bilge pumps"

What started out as a thread on lighting has raised the question in my mind about how others have their electric bilge pumps connected. Mine, like Shawn's, is fused and connected directly to the house batteries ahead of the battery select switch. Any comments?
Tom

[ArtJ]

Hi Dave

IF you have one of those West Marine lighted rocker panel switches they
are prone to fail,possibly could fail on. If this is the case, I have
a part# and mfr for replacements for around $3 per rocker switch.
Best Regards

Art

[Tar34]

What started out as a thread on lighting has raised the question in my mind about how others have their electric bilge pumps connected. Mine, like Shawn's, is fused and connected directly to the house batteries ahead of the battery select switch. Any comments?
Tom

My bilge pump is wired and fused directly to a house battery and to a Auto/Manual switch. When sailing the switch is on auto. When away from the boat it's in the off position. My boat doesn't leak and it's checked most everyday.