No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

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bonapetit2

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

So each switch has two fuses to it? Because apart from this panel of fuses each switch has its own fuse underneath it as well.
The main cable from the battery is coming into this fuse panel, or to the switches first….
 

Silvertip

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

So each switch has two fuses to it? Because apart from this panel of fuses each switch has its own fuse underneath it as well.
The main cable from the battery is coming into this fuse panel, or to the switches first….

Here again we have no idea what other switches your boat has since you haven't shown or told us. The panel you have shown us is simply a fuse panel. Each fuse protects and UNSWITCHED accessory. Those UNSWITCHED accessories would be things like your locator since it has a built-in ON-OFF switch. If you have another panel with switches AND fuses, then that panel gets power from the same source as the one in your pictures. So that brings up the question -- do the accessories controlled by those switches work? If not, then neither panel is getting power and since they are essentially in parallel, the 'FEED" may go the switch panel panel with a jumper over the fuse panel in the picture. So look at that switch panel as well. We can't help much if we don't have details and you don't make the checks we are suggesting. Get a test light rather than waiting for your buddy to show up and in the meantime expecting us to work this out. The test light is just that -- connect the ground lead to ground and touch the probe to the circuit under test. If the light lights, yeah! If not, darn! Move to another point in the circuit. We can help steer you.
 

bonapetit2

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Here again we have no idea what other switches your boat has since you haven't shown or told us. The panel you have shown us is simply a fuse panel. Each fuse protects and UNSWITCHED accessory. Those UNSWITCHED accessories would be things like your locator since it has a built-in ON-OFF switch. If you have another panel with switches AND fuses, then that panel gets power from the same source as the one in your pictures. So that brings up the question -- do the accessories controlled by those switches work? If not, then neither panel is getting power and since they are essentially in parallel, the 'FEED" may go the switch panel panel with a jumper over the fuse panel in the picture. So look at that switch panel as well. We can't help much if we don't have details and you don't make the checks we are suggesting. Get a test light rather than waiting for your buddy to show up and in the meantime expecting us to work this out. The test light is just that -- connect the ground lead to ground and touch the probe to the circuit under test. If the light lights, yeah! If not, darn! Move to another point in the circuit. We can help steer you.

You have all been very helpful, sorry for my lack of knowledge when it comes to electrical systems. Unlike some, I am still learning and appreciate any advice given to me. Hopefully sometime down the road I can be as knowledgeable and helpful to someone with less know-how than myself, as so many of you have been to me and others, especially you Silvertip. I will try and perform these checks as expeditiously as my schedule allows me too, and won't post until they are all completed. Until then...
 

MH Hawker

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Yes it was a sort of a generic wiring diagram to give you a idea on how boat wiring is layed out

I actually used this one in my rebuild it has 14 fuses and 14 ground points

51Cc76tQTzL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
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jhebert

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Thanks for the follow-up. The panel shown in your sketch would be a great panel if a manufacturer were to actually make one like it.

It seems like one always runs out of negative circuits on these power distribution panels before running out of positive fused branch circuits. On my boat I have a 12-circuit secondary power distribution panel. I am using only seven of the fused positive circuits, but 11 of the negative circuits. Two of those branch circuits have their negative circuits returning to another negative bus in the stern. That is a total of 14-negative circuits for only seven positive circuits. A two-to-one ratio sounds about right.
 

MH Hawker

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Then buy a extra neg buss
 

jhebert

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Then buy a extra neg buss. [sic]

Yes, buying an extra bus is the solution. Last time I saw a buss for sale was at a booth at a county fair in the 1950's.
 

jhebert

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MH Hawker

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Smiles
 
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bonapetit2

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Re: No power to accessories bilge, nav lights and live wells

Finally had a chance to dig into some of the wiring today, and luckily figured out what the issues were. After directly connecting both the bilge pump and then the livewell pump directly to battery discovered that the livewell pump is not operating, bilge was good. Tested for power at switches, which tested out good also. While pulling wires out from the helm to get a closer look, nav lights went on and the bilge cut on and off a few times. After closer inspection of switches they seemed to have some corrosion on the inside of the switch housing and on the pins themselves. So I'll be replacing three rocker switches and hopefully be good to go.
 

Ugly Stick

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Iam having the same problem all new pumps in livewell but no power to live wells can find no non conected wires will keep looking thanks for all your inputs hope everyone solves there problem
 

GA_Boater

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Iam having the same problem all new pumps in livewell but no power to live wells can find no non conected wires will keep looking thanks for all your inputs hope everyone solves there problem

Start a new thread of your own. This one has been dead for almost 6 years.

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