Yet Another "Lack of Fusing" Story

[Maine Sail]

Just yesterday I as talking with a customer at the Maine Boat Builders Show who this winter, with his boat in the Bahama's, installed a battery monitor by himself. I think it was on my "to do list" to install it this spring, but apparently he got a little antsy for the data. Unfortunately in the install he neglected to install the fuses that come with the kit.

A few weeks ago while doing an over night passage the positive battery monitor wire chafed through on a bulkhead and caught on fire. Of course we all know boats don't vibrate.... He described the chaos in the middle of the night trying to figure out what was on fire. His description was rather hilarious of he and others tossing cushions around the cabin and digging into every compartment they could until they found the problem.

The jacket of this wire was vaporized in seconds and then the wire got red hot began melting through the jackets of other wires. He had no way to disconnect this wire from the banks, no fuse, no switch and he literally ripped it off the positive battery post while it was red hot. Burned the heck out of his hand, has a nasty burn mark, but saved the boat. The wire actually wound up becoming a fuse and parted at about the same time he yanked on it. He got very, very lucky his BEAUTIFUL boat did not burn to the water line! He lost the battery monitor, the multiple twisted pair communication kit, some other wires and his boat wreaks of electrical fire. He now wants me to install fuses everywhere this spring when the boat gets back home...

PLEASE USE FUSES they can save your life............

 

[Stu Jackson]

RTFM

Sounds good, right?

Then: DO WHAT IT SAYS TO DO!!!!

Please...

 

[kloudie1]

But if the big red wires don't come close to the engine (except for starter) and are not close to the black wires.. the risk of that is minimal? Not like a steel or aluminum boat where anything that touched red can cause a fire..??
Read The Manual? Novel concept, Stu !.. laughing..

 

[Dantodd]

Seems like a good $20 investment.

 

[FastOlson]

Thanks for sharing

Thanks for sharing, Maine.
Confirms that I not only was following "rules" when I upgraded our wiring a few years ago but also Doing It Right when I added all required fusing to the small wires that went from each bank over to the panel bolt meter.
When I put in a new charger I added fuses right at the battery for each feed wire.

All in all, not all that much trouble to add. And peace of mind is a Good Thing.

Best,
LB

 

[Ron20324]

...RTFM...

Oh, great, Stu- next you'll want us to stop and ask for directions:naughty: Oh... never mind. Captain Ron screwed that up for us

 

[Jared1048]

I'm in the process of re-doing my battery configuration and need to add fuses. Any recommendations? I've seen some that are directly on the battery post but I cant find them now...

 

[Charles Erwin]

Jared -

The manufacture MRBF (the battery fuse) is BlueSeas in Bellingham. Easy to find at Fisheries, probably SeaMar, certainly West Marine. Very cheap, Very simple, Very Reliable.

Charles

 

[RobertLangdirect]

More Fusing

I had a friend who was sailing in the Pacific when a short in his wiring blew the main fuse and tripped all his electronics. He tried to trace the fault, but to no avail. He tried to replace the fuse but grabbed the wrong box. He quickly went through five fuses before realizing the error. THen, in the dark, he did it all again, trying to replaced the fuse only to have it burn out as soon as he tried to light up the boat or call for help.

Basically, he was left blinded but for the sun rising and falling each day. So he headed east, eventually in the middle of the night running aground on a very soft bar on the leward side of Isla Coiba, in Panama.

He did not realise that this was an infamous prison island (think Papillion for a moment) or that the majority of the people he saw the next morning were those arrested, tried, and convicted of theft, or murder, or heaven-knows-what. However, a few of the better of the worst convicts actually offered to help him, to refloat his boat with the next tide, and by forming a human link, pass current from his batteries to the radio.

Essentially, using "living cables" he was able to call for assistance.

Implausable as it might seem, he swore the convict-based-chain worked. It is all due to the salinity of the water, makeup of eletrolyes in the human body, and low voltage and amperage for the radio, and their tolerance for the current.

In the end, it is a case where a little con-fusion was a good thing.

 

[Dantodd]

Seems that of he was in that condition for a few days he could have just run a lead directly from the battery to the radio.

I had a friend who was sailing in the Pacific when a short in his wiring blew the main fuse and tripped all his electronics. He tried to trace the fault, but to no avail. He replaced the fuse only to have it burn out as soon as he tried to light up the boat or call for help.

Basically, he was left blinded but for the sun rising and falling each day. So he headed east, eventually in the middle of the night running aground on a very soft bar on the leward side of Isla Coiba, in Panama.

He did not realise that this was an infamous prison island (think Papillion for a moment) or that the majority of the people he saw the next morning were murderers or worse. However, a few of the better of the worst did actually offer to help him, to refloat his boat with the next tide, and by forming a human link, pass current from his batteries to the radio.

Essentially, using "living cables" and their tolerance for the current, he was able to call for assistance.

Implausable as it might seem, he swore it worked, based on the salinity of the water, makeup of eletrolyes in the human body, and low voltage and amperage for the radio.

I found it all, let's just say, con-fusing.

 

[kenn]

. and by forming a human link, pass current from his batteries to the radio.

Essentially, using "living cables" and their tolerance for the current, he was able to call for assistance.

Uh, no. Wouldn't happen. (hint - consider the current @ 12v DC required to transmit). Also... murderers holding hands?

But it has all the right elements for a campfire tale or a great joke.

 

[thinwater]

There's nothing like a fire off-shore to get your blood pumping!

My family never rolls out of bed untill 10am, not underway. Once, about 10 miles off Maryland I recall anouncing "I smell smoke" in a calm but authoritative voice, and I've never seen them move so fast!

It turned out to be a failed fan (Hella Turbo--I had 3 fail, all with smoke, in a 3-week period). Yes, it was fused and no damage was done. Aditionally, it's surprisingly difficult to identify a smoking fan, since it spreads the smell everywhere.

-----------------

My pet peive is exposed terminals on the back of equipment outside dedicated pannel areas. PDQ is a very careful builder, really. The electrical systems are generally faultless. I found this in a locker (windlass breaker). Because of the paint under the mounting, I'm guessing this was a dealer installed extra; because it was listed on the original invoice and because of certain other instalation details at the bow, I'm sure it wasn't PO work, but it is still unimpressive:

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2012/03/windlass-transplant.html

I always asumed there was a box there, and you can't see the back unless you stand on you're head. I wouldn't have seen this unless replacing it. Since then I've combed the boat and found no other examples.

However, my last boat had a ton of these situations and I understand it to be common. Yes, there is fusing near the battery, but that still leaves 50 amps available for stored gear to shift and short out.