Passage 42- Electrical Panel A/C light indictors - wires - burnt

Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
Anyone have a thought as to what may have caused this? I am not finding any other electrical issues. Various circuits working. Only noticed this as I was starting to trace wires to the hot water heater - not heating using electric. Other breakers from this panel are working fine.

Any idea where to get replacements for these?
 

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Feb 21, 2013
4,638
Hunter 46 Point Richmond, CA
You need to hire my marine electricians. They repaired all that on my sail and power boats.
 
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Feb 14, 2014
7,400
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Burnt wires is not a good sign.

You need to find out what happened.
Jim...

PS: Looks like a Resistor exploded too.
 
Oct 1, 2007
1,857
Boston Whaler Super Sport Pt. Judith
To me, from the pics, it looks like your 12 V source (1 or more batteries) shorted to ground, the yellow wire......this is very serious...
 
Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
Burnt wires is not a good sign.

You need to find out what happened.
Jim...

PS: Looks like a Resistor exploded too.
Yes two of them
To me, from the pics, it looks like your 12 V source (1 or more batteries) shorted to ground, the yellow wire......this is very serious...
agree on serious. All the wires in the pics are tied to the main 110V line source. Except for black / white that goes to air conditioners when generator running.
 
Jun 1, 2009
1,737
Hunter 49 toronto
Yes two of them

agree on serious. All the wires in the pics are tied to the main 110V line source. Except for black / white that goes to air conditioners when generator running.
You’re lucky you still have a boat. But a lottery ticket dude. These connections just smoulder until you decide to leave the boat for a few hours
 
Feb 14, 2014
7,400
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
All the wires in the pics are tied to the main 110V line source.
Check your shore power cables for burn marks.

Wild guess...
Shore lightning strike near the marina's main power meters ... ground wire.

Feed back surge on the 110 Volt system to your boat.
Jim...

PS: This happened to our boat. Had to replace all breakers in that AC circuit, etc. $800.
 
Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
Its hard to tell from the photos, but THESE DO NOT SEEM TO BE AC LEVEL wires/components! All AC wiring should be 14/2 etc. covered wires with a ground. One photo seems to have a resistor in it which seems designed for low voltage DC circuits. If these wires are tied to your AC circuits then someone has been playing with fire. I agree get a certified marine electrician asap!

But, your DC circuits can easily burn up wires if shorted. If these are going to your water heater, they maybe 12 v DC temp sensors? Our water heater can run on shore power or engine cooling water, but not a 12 volt system.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
You need to hire my marine electricians
It's either that, or kiss your boat goodbye :yikes: !

1620488446455.png


You have electrical components in there that have no business being in there. And given the hopeless electrical workmanship, the life expectancy of your boat is a couple of years at best.

Admit it, your electrical skills are not your top qualification. You can't solve this problem so get a certified electrical expert. I doubt you are responsible for this electrical mess but someone, at sometime, has turned your boat into a potential floating funeral pyre.

Sorry for being so brutal. Just hoping we can keep a fellow boater from an electrical fire .................. the number one cause of fires on boats.


These connections just smoulder until you decide to leave the boat for a few hours
Except for the one that decide to burst into flames, at 03:00, while you and your family are fast asleep, ON THE BOAT.
 
Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
It's either that, or kiss your boat goodbye :yikes: !

View attachment 193835

You have electrical components in there that have no business being in there. And given the hopeless electrical workmanship, the life expectancy of your boat is a couple of years at best.

Admit it, your electrical skills are not your top qualification. You can't solve this problem so get a certified electrical expert. I doubt you are responsible for this electrical mess but someone, at sometime, has turned your boat into a potential floating funeral pyre.

Sorry for being so brutal. Just hoping we can keep a fellow boater from an electrical fire .................. the number one cause of fires on boats.




Except for the one that decide to burst into flames, at 03:00, while you and your family are fast asleep, ON THE BOAT.
Interesting to assume that one does not understand electricity. So far have spoken with 2 certified marine electricians and they are also perplexed. General thought is that an electrical surge from a lighting strike near by. Will require replacing a number of components incase there is unknown/obvious damage.

This board is "as is" from the manufacture. No modifications have been made to the boats electricity (had previously spoke with prior owners of mods to the boat. only new electric was a second DC power panel and moved location of inverter / charger given concern about a prior Passage 42 issue)
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
had previously spoke with prior owners of mods to the boat. only new electric was a second DC power panel and moved location of inverter / charger given concern about a prior Passage 42 issue
If you are quoting from a previous answer, all bets are off. There's your major problem right there.

This board is "as is" from the manufacture.
What you show in your photos is someone's home made mess. This would be the PO I presume. The person who did that didn't know a wire from a halyard. And you're showing your complete lack of electrical knowledge by insisting that it's "as is" from Hunter. Hunter did not put out crap like that at any period. Forget your lack of electrical knowledge ............. admit it and get over it. You've got plenty of other boating strengths elsewhere, I'm sure.

Forget the lightning theory and other stories. You've got an electrical wiring mess in your boat that nothing to do with lightning. PERIOD.

The point I'm trying to make here is that you don't know enough about electricity to realize you're sitting on an electrical horror story and it just might cost you and your family big time. Time to grow up if not for yourself, then for your family. We hear enough about fire victims every year. Don't be another one. !
 
Jan 22, 2008
309
Hunter 34 Herrington South, MD
As an electrical engineer and someone who has done major rewiring on my own sail boat I would repeat what has been said before. Someone has done some things that don't look safe. Immediately get a qualified electrician before you do anything else. Do not leave the boat plugged onto shore power or with the batteries left on.
 
Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
Got a bunch of associates available for backup @Mike Oldak ?

I have to wonder how many people it will take to make @Puesta del sol realize he's living on borrowed time with his electrical disaster.
Thank you for the insight. It is amazing that from looking a a few 110V panel light wires you are able to have so much insight. Amazingly enough if you look at a new paneltronics board they look just like this one looked when these wires were not having issues. Also amazing that for the 10 years of owning this vessel and running the 100, DC, inverter, and gen - no issues. So I will take it you have no real suggestions, other then find an electrician (which I am doing) of something may have caused this. Feel free to PM and give me a call if you actually have something helpful. Being disparaging and rude is just ignorant.
 
Jan 4, 2006
6,444
Hunter 310 West Vancouver, B.C.
other then find an electrician (which I am doing)
In all seriousness, thank you. You've just reduced your chance of becoming the victim of an electrical fire to near zero.

give me a call if you actually have something helpful.
Sorry, but without being there, it's impossible to diagnose the problem with just a few pictures. I'm sure a certified marine electrician will be able be able to throw some light on this problem. He will definitely be able to bring the wiring up to code. Hell, you've already got some free consulting from an electrical engineer (@Mike Oldak ).

Being disparaging and rude is just ignorant.
Absolutely true but I'm no longer worried about you and yours becoming front page headlines in your local rag.

Take care and best of luck with the work.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,760
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
It is amazing that from looking a a few 110V panel light wires you are able to have so much insight. Amazingly enough if you look at a new paneltronics board they look just like this one looked when these wires were not having issues. Also amazing that for the 10 years of owning this vessel
In your third picture, 8906, there is a red wire connected to a green wire. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that ANY panel manufacturer would have produced this product with this color mismatch. I believe you have simply been very lucky so far.
As far as your new electricians scratching their heads, all I can say is that they are joining us in our amazement.
I think you may be in a completely unwarranted state of denial.
From all the comments so far, ALL based on your OWN three photographs, everyone seems to be more concerned about your health and safety than it appears you may be.
I wish you all the best, but echo their comments about disconnecting the source of power of whatever kiind to those wires, immediately.
Good luck.

 
Dec 25, 2000
5,704
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
No certified electrician here, Keith, but I just sent you a private message that contains several pictures of our back panel AC side. I do hope they are helpful. Our back panel is pretty clean and could spot anything like what you show in your pictures. Good luck and be safe.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,704
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
When we took possession of our boat in 2002, the DC amp gauge did not work. When I checked it out found that something had fried the back of the gauge and heat sink. Unclear what caused the damage, but replaced the gauge and have had no electrical issues with it since, well, other than a neglected shore power cord; my fault.
 
Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
No certified electrician here, Keith, but I just sent you a private message that contains several pictures of our back panel AC side. I do hope they are helpful. Our back panel is pretty clean and could spot anything like what you show in your pictures. Good luck and be safe.
Thank you
 
Jan 1, 2014
180
Hunter 42 Upper Chesapeake
In your third picture, 8906, there is a red wire connected to a green wire. I find it difficult, if not impossible, to believe that ANY panel manufacturer would have produced this product with this color mismatch. I believe you have simply been very lucky so far.
As far as your new electricians scratching their heads, all I can say is that they are joining us in our amazement.
I think you may be in a completely unwarranted state of denial.
From all the comments so far, ALL based on your OWN three photographs, everyone seems to be more concerned about your health and safety than it appears you may be.
I wish you all the best, but echo their comments about disconnecting the source of power of whatever kiind to those wires, immediately.
Good luck.
Thanks.