Corrosion Photos

[CaspersCruiser]

I’ve written some posts about corrosion developing in heat shrink butt splices where the insulators were left open during manufacture of my 2012 R27. For the photo, I’ve cut back a portion of the open insulator so you can see what it looks like:

It would have been just a matter of time before that connection failed. Unfortunately, my boat has a lot of these open butt splice insulators. As I find them, I’m going to cut them out and replace them (as I did in the one pictured) because eventually the connections will fail.

I changed all four batteries. In the process of doing so, I checked the ring terminals to the galvanic isolator and this was what I found:

I doubt the galvanic isolator was doing me any good. I cut these out and replaced them.

 

[knotflying]

The rings for the isolator looked like they were shrunk. If there was no sign of corrosion on the interior a cleaning with a small wire brush or emery cloth will work. I also put a dab of corrosion block on each screwed or nut connection after I work on them. Additionally, when I am doing a butt connection I put a very small amount of dielectric grease on the bare wire before I insert and crimp.

I was in need of some heat shrink butt connectors the other day and wound up in NAPA. I found butt connectors that had a solder insert. No crimping required. Clean the wire till shinny, heat where wire is inserted and the solder melts and the plastic seals. It will be interesting to see how long that lasts. They are not cheap either.

 

[CaspersCruiser]

The heat shrink on the ring terminal insulators was shrunk and sealed well. After I removed them from the studs on the galvanic isolator, I decided to lengthen the wiring leading to them because it was under tension as installed. I added six inches on one side and about a foot on the other. It was just as easy to install new ring terminals than to clean up the old.

 

[BB marine]

Thanks for the pictures! The pictures make me more ambitious to inspect connections. Yesterday I removed all the interior panels and the shelf bow V berth area to gain access to the anchor locker to install a anchor wash down spigot and attach the water line coming from the raw water pump aft. I noticed both dock lights heat shrunk on the harness side but not on the light side. Honestly I have found very few accessory related items that have been heat shrunk through out the boat. The area that has been consistently heat shrunk is the engine compartment connections. I have no evidence of corrosion any where I have inspected. I have been proactive in heat shrinking any connections that have not been done. I have added a butane heat gun to my tool box on the boat.

Clean the wire till shinny, heat where wire is inserted and the solder melts and the plastic seals.

While that sounds like a great connection and is a good connection. It is not considered a good connection with the ABYC. In a boat or any mechanical devise that has vibration. When I first started working on boats I thought I would solder all my electrical connections thinking thats next best thing to wire itself. One day one of the Technicians I was working with said your not suppose to solder wiring on boats it makes the connection stiff and it could break. I thought that was BS but it was not(11.14.5.7 ABYC) Solder shall not be the sole means of mechanical connection in any circuit. If soldered, the connection shall be so located or supported as to minimize flexing of the conductor where the solder changes the flexible conductor into a solid conductor. The ABYC will not allow solid core wire in boats it has to be stranded this is do to vibration and connections breaking. When soldering a connection the same thing happens to the wire the solder gets wicked into the strands and the wire becomes solid. ABYC recommends the use of crimp connections only . The only acceptation Battery lugs with a solder contact length of not less than 1.5 times the diameter of the conductor.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

yes a quality crimper is the recommended way to wire on a boat.

I believe you want a double crimper. such as https://www.amazon.com/Ancor-703010...r=8-1&keywords=crimper+marine+ratcheting&th=1

 

[knotflying]

Good info Brian. In my case the connector was at the terminal for a switch for the cockpit lights, not joining two wires, so it is a pretty solid connection with little flex at that point. Worse case scenario, I lose my cockpit lights. I will keep an eye on it to see how it holds up.