99 Fixtures of Lights on the Wall...

[VT Fitz]

Earlier this season, the DC light fixture in the head on our '07 Hunter 27 got a little finicky. Sometimes it worked, other times not. If we tapped on it, often it would come back. If it didn't work but we left it in the on position, it would suddenly go on at some future point. Eventually, I popped out the bulb, cleaned up the connections, and put it back in. It went on, but shortly thereafter became finicky again. Then the fixture in the galley started acting up. Since Labor Day, between stagehand work finally coming back online (ironically, I'm a lighting guy) and a porch construction project that needs finishing before winter sets in, I haven't been down to the boat but for one very brief time in more than 6 weeks. My son has been living onboard all season while he works at a local marina, so the boat hasn't been sitting unused. Anyway, I'm back down this weekend and now another fixture is out!

I don't think it's a bulb issue, though I haven't had time to pursue that easy fix. I'm wondering if the wiring connections are becoming corroded from life in salty conditions on our 15 year old girl. I can remove the fixtures and clean up the wiring contacts and/or the fixture itself, but that's obviously a much less-easy fix.

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Also, attached is a picture of one of the fixtures. It's a PIA to pop off the lens. Does anyone know the trick?

 

[chip veres]

Sorry to say, you answered your own question. Remove the fixture, clean off the corrosion, and solder the connections where possible.

Chip V.
S/V Sand Dollar

 

[Rich Stidger]

Also, attached is a picture of one of the fixtures. It's a PIA to pop off the lens. Does anyone know the trick?

View attachment 199475

IIRC, the entire white base rotates and disengages from a mounting plate.

 

[Ralph Johnstone]

Clean the contacts on the bulb (once again) but this time before replacing the bulb, coat the terminals of both the fitting and the bulb with a light coating of non-petroleum based grease to prevent corrosion. Look for switch contacts which may also be suffering from corrosion problems.

 

[Head Sail]

Add more ventilation and/or dehymidifier. Excess moisture may be the cause of your problems.

 

[capta]

Sounds more like a wiring problem. Is there someplace the positive or (most likely) negative wiring for these lights meet? Possibly a buss bar? Check the connections there.

 

[FastOlson]

Boating fixtures often are sourced from the large vendors in the RV world. You might find a replacement with some Google-ing.

 

[LloydB]

Sounds like you've got a pretty easy problem to troubleshoot since you have two sets of eyes. Find out if all the lights are on the same circuit first. With two people you can have one person watch the offending light(s) with it turned on and see if doing something to another light fixture causes a fault. Find out voltage available at each fixture when all lights are turned on using a meter. Make a DC extension cord so you can measure whether you got a negative or positive drop when the light is out at the fixture. Clean the light switch with contact cleaner and check its connections.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

It's good to see a fellow LD/stagehand on the forums! This definitely sounds like a connection issue. Corrosion may or may not be the root cause