Troubleshooting Boat Electrical Problems Using a Multimeter | BoatUS
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- Опубліковано 2 сер 2024
- Your brand-new bilge pump blows a fuse every other trip, and your VHF goes dim whenever you try to transmit. An easy way to find the source of your problem without shelling out a lot of money to an expert is to get out your multimeter for troubleshooting boat electrical problems. A multimeter is one of the most versatile electrical tools you can own. BoatUS Magazine editor Mark Corke shows how to use a multimeter to save yourself money by tracking down faulty wiring, testing battery voltage, and calculating power consumption on your boat.
A multimeter can be used to measure three things on a boat: DC current (amps), resistance (ohms), and voltage. Current refers to the rate of flow of electricity running through the wires in your boat. Think of it like a garden hose, where current is the amount of water coming out. When a current is interrupted by something like a bad connection or improperly sized wiring causing a device to stop working, or at least stop working as it should, this is known as resistance - like a kink in a hose. And voltage is somewhat similar to the amount of water pressure in the hose. The more pressure, in theory, the more power the current can produce.
For more on using a multimeter for troubleshooting boat electrical problems, visit www.boatus.com/expert-advice/..., www.boatus.com/expert-advice/..., or www.boatus.com/expert-advice/...
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#multimeter #boatus #boatelectrical #electricaltroubleshooting - Авто та транспорт
great simple video on how to use a multimeter thank you for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Excellent .. simple and now off to buy one..
well documented . Fair play sailor !!
Thanks for watching!
Very informative and good😊
Thanks for watching, Bernt!
Quest i already have 2 buzzers 1 for each inboard. I want to wire a warning 12v led to the 2 terminal buzzer. It has 12v across both term. key off when turned on buzzer sound and oil pressure switch activates the buzzer until started then turn to ground on 1 term.. I wired the light between the 2 term and works great. Should i use a diode or inline fuse for 1 side of the 2 term buzzer? These are tiny leds.
Thanks for the question, John. Unfortunately, without seeing your setup in person, we are unable to give you a suitable (and safe) answer. We recommend reaching out to a qualified mechanic for additional guidance.
Hello sir, can I ask you question please, I have boat has single inboard engine mercruiser 5.0, and I have two battery bank for the engine need to replace with new one, I wonder can I mix two type of batter one flooded acid as jump starting 90Ah and the second is AGM deep cycle 100Ah, is that safe if they connected with my engine to charging and support power for the boat?
Thanks for your question, you raise an interesting point. It is a bad idea to connect different types of batteries together in the same battery bank. AGM and flooded batteries required different charging regimens. Essentially, AGM batteries can charge faster and will accept a higher charge voltage from the engine alternator than flooded batteries. If you were to run an AGM and flooded battery on the same bank there is a good chance that the flooded battery will be overcharged and be ruined in a very short time. So, the short answer is that where two batteries are in the same bank they should be of the same type, the same age, and of the same amp hour rating.
Thank you sir 💐
I believe the OL means Open Line not Overload.
You are indeed correct, I should have referred to the OL on the multimeter as "open loop" or "open line."
I had wondered whatever happened to Mike Myers.
Nah. Not even close. 😆 Though he'd like to think he's that funny.
Just a suggestion. It would be helpful to the uninformed to describe the amp meter that a black wire is connected from the “negative” battery terminal to the black wire (or common wire) of the LED light and the “red” amp meter probe is touched to the “positive” battery terminal and the black amp meter probe is touched to the positive (red) wire of the LED light.
Thanks, Gary. Appreciate your comments.
I found the cure for all boat problems. Get a friend to pull you out to deep water after making sure all the oil is drained from the engine and the batteries are removed, the use a heavy duty rechargeable saber saw or drill with a hole saw and cut several holes in the hull.
That's certainly one effective solution. And we appreciate that you are being environmentally conscious about it! Not sure how your insurance company would feel about it though ... 😂
Si, it would have been helpful to me if at first you showed which holes in the multimeter to plug the probes in. I have more than two and am afraid to quess.
Thanks for the comment, mountaingem. Do you mean the holes the cables go into in the multimeter itself, or how to connect them to the wiring you're troubleshooting?
You really didn't explain how to isolate a boat problem.
Sorry to disappoint, Brian. Here are some additional resources you might find helpful: www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2016/december/electrical-troubleshooting-using-a-multimeter and www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2013/november/five-ways-to-use-a-digital-multimeter and www.boatus.com/expert-advice/expert-advice-archive/2020/september/what-can-you-do-with-a-multimeter
No boat accessories work, brand new batteries
Just to clarify, Gary: Are you saying that you just installed new batteries on your boat but none of your accessories work?
Mine also.
need a good ground
this should be renamed. testing a battery.
I'm going to beg to differ with you, MD. If you watched the whole thing, Mark shows you how to use a multimeter to help isolate electrical problems. One of those uses is to check the battery, but he also shows you how to use it to check for bad switches and amp output.
@@boatus he skips even the basic settings in the first few rambling minutes and then tests the battery outside of the craft. it seems I'm not the only one who thinks so and it would be wise to update the video for brevity anyway.
Thanks for the feedback. We'll certainly keep it in mind.
Junk video. Virtually no useful info. No attention to detail. Too many assumptions. If we knew the answer, wouldn’t be asking the question.
Thank you for your feedback and sorry to disappoint. We will look at doing a new video on this topic in the future.