Don, I thought I had something at home with the serial # on it, but I don't.(The boat is at the lake, 100 miles away). more
See full version: Engine Circuit Breaker
Don, I thought I had something at home with the serial # on it, but I don't.(The boat is at the lake, 100 miles away). more
Re: Engine Circuit Breaker here
The breakers do go bad sometimes. That's why replacements are available. You should have continuity thru the breaker when button is pushed in and nothing with it out. [links]
You don't have any accessories coming off the engine harness except for the instruments and ignition switch do you?
The fact that the pump first starts ans them stops tells me that it is binding and most likely is shot. It seems to be drawing more current than normal and that is why the breaker trips.
The pump is not very expensive but can be a beat to replace since it is fairly difficult to get to. [links]
The pump has two wires that have connectors. You can unplug the connectors and run wires directly from the battery to test it. If it doesn't start right away and runs slowly it is bad. If it works fine on direct wires but not on the normal circuit, you have a problem with the wiring, connections, switch or breaker.
Remember that if you remove the pump with the boat in the water, you have to close the seacock or else water will flood the bilge.
Correct, and nor should it. Circuit breakers and fuses are designed with trip delays built in based on the percent of the rated capacity of the breaker or fuse.
Overcurrent circuit protection is really pretty simple. These devices are made to sense the amount of current and open the circuit when the exceeds the capacity of the wires. Opening a circuit makes a break – an air gap of very high resistance – which stops all current from flowing through that wire.
In the example above, you can see how each progressive circuit protection device gets smaller and smaller as they go downstream away from the battery. They are protecting a smaller load, using smaller gauge wire… so this make sense. here
Your entire boat’s electrical system is driven by a very powerful source: A battery. Intentionally – and necessarily – this battery can push a huge amount of electrical current (amps) if it is allowed to do so. This allows the battery to do beneficial work, like cranking your engine and pumping lots of water out of your bilge. But it also creates some risks:
The ABYC says that a circuit protection device should be sized no greater than 150% of the rated current of the conductor that it feeds. And no greater than the sum of all next-in-line protection devices. here
With a properly designed system, each circuit protection device, sequentially placed downsteam will always be smaller than the previous. This is important because you want only the smallest circuit protector to trip or blow. Otherwise you’re at risk of losing more branch circuits. here
This diagram shows the required placement of main circuit protection devices. [links]
Overcurrent protection is not required in conductors from self-limiting alternators with integral regulators if the conductor is less than 40 inches long (1.02m), is connected to a source of power other than the battery, and is contained throughout its entire distance in a sheath or enclosure. [links]
If more current flows in a wire than the wire is rated to handle, the wire can heat up, its protective insulation can melt, and the heated wire can start a fire. This overcurrent condition can occur, for example, when a short circuit occurs. Fuses and circuit breakers are used to limit the amount of current that flows through circuit wires. Except for those wires that are intended to carry starting currents, every positive wire in the DC main power distribution system must be protected by a fuse or circuit breaker.
The potential short-circuit current on a DC circuit is related to the size of the battery bank. Therefore, AIC is a function of a battery’s Cold Cranking Amperes (AIC) capacity as shown in the table. more
Overcurrent Protection Placement more