Electrical work - reference book and tools

[pschauss]

I have ordered an new Blue Seas 8082 panel. I am thinking about installing it this fall while the boat is still in the water so that I can fully test everything. I am hoping that I can simply pull the old panel out and connect the existing wires to the new one. If I have to make any repairs, however, I want to make certain that I follow proper standards. Can you recommend a good book on the subject?

In addition to an assortment of butt connecters and ring terminals, what tools will I need? I see that West Marine sells a butane mini-torch for activating the heat shrink tubing on the connectors and terminals. Is it safe to use that tool on the boat?

Thanks,

[Rawleigh]

A ratcheting crimp tool to get proper crimps. I have used a small butane torch from Harbor Freight for years. Obviously don't use it if you can smell any gas fumes or are near the tank. Ventilate the bilge before hand and you should be OK.

[bob lico]

you could also bang your head against the wall and refocus than go out and buy a heat gun. that is what a pro would use. 100% better job, heat is applied evenly and you can put the heat gun down on the provided flat holding side of gun than pick up and work again.do you really want to go in there with a torch?????????????

[pschauss]

Do I need 110 V shore power for a heat gun?

[CamB25]

for some reason my original reply did not post...probably operator error.

I use a heat gun with a tip that wraps around the wire. Directs heat right where you need it. I never had good luck with butane torches. Yes, you need 110v for a good heat gun.

Ancor strippers and ratcheting crimper are must have items.

Nigel Cadel's book is good, but probably way overkill for your immediate project. It's a good reference manual.

Labels! I love the heat shrink labels! I have a cheap Dyna label maker.

Good Luck!
Cam

[pschauss]

West Marine also lists a butane fired heat gun made by Ancor. Is that one any good?

[CamB25]

I'm sure they are all about the same. If you do not have access to 110v, use a torch. Just have some sort of shield to keep the heat/flame from ruining something nearby.

[Tony Meola]

Peter

When I can not use a heat gun do to lack of power, I use a small butane torch. Easier in a tight space and safer than a big propane torch. If you need connectors and wire etc. Do not buy from West. Too expensive.

I use Dell City who used to own Anchor so most of the stuff you get are from Anchor. I also use Genuine Dealz and Gregs Marine Wire. Much much cheaper and all the same grade as Anchor.

When I did mine, I did a couple of things:

First you need figure out what wires are run that are not in use. If I did not need them they were gone.

Second, those I thought I might use, I made sure they were ok and left them in place. Always can use them later to pull new wire if needed.

Third, unless you are adding a house battery, you will need to make sure you have the right breakers for the engines, and I believe the Head. I added a house batteries so my engines do not run through the panel. They are on their own and set up through the battery switches and the parallel l switch so I can bring them all online if needed. You can and should fuse the batteries at the battery. Blue Seas makes a fuse for that function.

Other than that it is easy peasy. Pull the old panel and label all the wires as to what they belong too. The wire direct to the panel and that is it.

Now for tools, like everyone said, a good pair of crimpers. You can purchase them through Dell City but not cheap. I had a pair of Harbor Freight, worked for while now not so good. I will say for crimping big terminals, the Harbor Freight hydraulic crimpers are sweet.

You can get a lot of information on line, but Nigel Calders book is pretty much the bible.

[PeterPalmieri]

Peter I have a small portable Honda generator you and a heat gun you are welcome to borrow either or both.

Pete

[pschauss]

Peter,

Thanks for the offer. My boat appears to be wired for 120 and it is available where I dock if I absolutely need it. I have not hooked up to shore power because I didn't know for certain if I had a properly functioning isolator.

I am hoping that I can just to a one-for-one swap with the new panel but I want to be prepared in case I run into issues.

[pschauss]

I have the Blue Sea 8082 panel in hand now and it looks like it has no provision for a feed from the second battery. For those of you who used this model did you simply feed the panel with one battery? My existing panel has a separate breaker for each engine. The way this one is set up, I would be running the ignition systems for both engines from one battery. (I assume that the starting and charging circuits go directly from engine to the battery via the corresponding master battery switch.

Thanks,

[Tony Meola]

Peter

If I remember right in the original panel the feed to all the accessories was split between the both of the batteries. What you will need to do is either add a third for the house and run all the accessories off of it and then fuse the now two dedicated start batteries right at the battery terminal.

If you choose not to add the 3rd battery, then decide which battery will run both the house and start an engine. You will still need to fuse the wires right at the batteries before the battery switch. You will no longer need the circuit breaker inside to energize the engines, you will just use a Battery selector switch to turn the engines on and off. Then for the one that you decide will act as both house and start, you will need to just pick up the house feed off of the battery selector switch. So you will now only need about a 6 gauge wire running to the panel from the battery switch. You can pull the current battery wires our of the fuse panel, since you will now have them fused at the battery.

You will need something like this to fuse the engines at the battery,

https://www.bluesea.com/products/5191/M ... 30_to_300A

Before I forget, I would probably add a fuse to the line coming right off the battery selector switch running to the new panel.

If someone has a better way of supplying power to the panel, hopefully they will jump in.

[Rawleigh]

Peter: Just run an extension cord for the heat gun so you don't have the house circuit plugged in. That way you don't have to worry about hurting yourself if you accidentally com across a hot 120 wire.

[Marlin]

I see u mentioned butt connectors. I never use them as it’s too difficult to trouble shoot electrical problems . I make every connection with only heat shrinkable epoxy filled ring connectors connected to terminal blocks. U can put a multimeter to measure voltage, check continuity quite easily and make replacements easily. I have a Spencer and a rybovitch and there is not one butt connector that I have ever discovered, lots of 4 pole buss connectors. If u can read voltage at the terminal block, the problem is not upstream, it’s between that point and the device that’s not functioning

[pschauss]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I am working my way through the relevant sections of Nigel Calder's book and starting to plan my attack on the distribution panel replacement, trying to keep the project as simple as possible.

I believe that I have circuit breakers in line on the wires which currently feed my distribution panel from the master switches. Is that what these are?

http://www.ipernity.com/doc/307687/47038604

I still need to check to see what, if anything, protects the feeds from the batteries to the master switches.

If I am correctly interpreting the wiring diagram on page (assuming that it is reasonably correct) on pages 25 and 26 of the B31 owner's manual, it looks like I already have two 6 gauge wires running from the master switch (via the shunts) to the panel. Following Tony's suggestion, I could remove the wire for the port battery (most of the accessories on the boat already run off of the starboard battery anyway. As far as I can tell from wiring diagram, the only thing running through the engine circuit breakers is the ignition circuit.

Does the above make sense? Am I oversimplifying the task?

Thanks,

[pschauss]

Peter

You will need something like this to fuse the engines at the battery,

https://www.bluesea.com/products/5191/M ... 30_to_300A

What size fuse should I use at the batteries?

One other question: The wiring diagram in the owner's manual says that the wires feeding the box from the batteries are #6 AWG. If I add up all of the breakers on my current box ( 8x15 + 2x20 amps ) I get 160 amps) which is more that the capacity of one #6 wire. If I remove the wire from one of the master switches to the breaker box am I going to be overloading the remaining wire? (I do have circuit breakers protecting these wires where they come off of the master switches so I assume that my first problem would be tripping one of those breakers.)

Thanks,

[Tony Meola]

Peter

For the wire running to the panel, 6 guage should be fine unless you plan on running everything at one time. Just figure out what you are using, radar, depth finder, gps etc and see what you get. I doubt you will fry the wire. Otherwise you might need to go up a size but that might get tight in the box. But remember you will be pulling out some wires, like those feeding the engine.

To determine the size fuse for the batteries, you need to figure out what size is the cable and what is the max it will carry. Remember it is not the starter you are protecting it is the wire. See if the Starter has a amperage draw on it. Then you can size it from there. I believe they say you can go 115% of the wire rating. I tend to stay a little smaller. Rather blow the fuse than melt a wire.

[pschauss]

If I use one of my existing #6 wires to feed my new panel I will have to add a ring terminal. The heat shrink/crimp types don’t go beyond #8. What type of terminal should I use?

Thanks

[Tony Meola]

Peter

Use the correct ring terminal and heat shrink tubing to seal the connection.

http://www.genuinedealz.com/heat-shrink ... r-1-ft-red