Unplug before you dunk?

[109jb]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

You guys can do what you want, but I have been backing trailers into the water for 30 years now and have never unplugged the lights and have never blow a single fuse or bulb from putting one in the water. Sure I have blown fuses and bulbs, but not from putting one in the water. I also do check my lights every time I pull out. It is habit for me to pull out, put the flashers and parking lights on and then check the lights while prepping the boat for travel. Same thing after I hook up at home and before getting on the road. To add to this debate, I am not fanatic about LED's either. My father has a utility trailer with LED tail lights and one unit has about 1/3 of the LED's that don't light. It still functions but obviously it isn't going to last forever. It will also cost him $30 to replace it. My standard lights on my boat trailer cost about $2 to replace a bulb and I have never had a problem with them.

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

EDIT: jb, you posted while I was typing.... this wasn't pointed at you or ANY one in particular, just an FYI for all

electrolysis is always fun too..... we have cathodes on our boats to protect them from current that accidently leaks into the water but we dunk copper wires in the drink and put a 12 volt current to them and figure all is well.... true you CAN seal everything but the FACT is that probably more than 90% of the boat trailers out there have electrical connections that allow water to reach bare energized metal.... This will accelerate corrosion of the connections .... do whatever you like but MOST folks who post up as experts have no clue...... sure you can dunk em and sure it usually works most of the time but blanket statements only based on limited experience just have no place here.... Last winter my plug and outlet got destroyed in one round trip of 1900 miles from road salt snow rain and sleet..... The saltwater and electricity caused enough corrosion in 2 days to destroy them.... some folks who read here have very well sealed wiring with waterproof connections and sealed led's and boat in clean fresh water and others have simple butt connectors, wire nuts or worse yet twitsed wire and black tape and boat in brackish or salt water..... wanna have some fun? drop a couple wires ina test tube of salt water and put a balloon over the top... hook em to a battery and when the bubbling stops tie off the ballon tape it to a yard stick. Hold the other end and pop it with the flame of a candle.

 

[cuda71]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

EDIT: jb, you posted while I was typing.... this wasn't pointed at you or ANY one in particular, just an FYI for all

electrolysis is always fun too..... we have cathodes on our boats to protect them from current that accidently leaks into the water but we dunk copper wires in the drink and put a 12 volt current to them and figure all is well.... true you CAN seal everything but the FACT is that probably more than 90% of the boat trailers out there have electrical connections that allow water to reach bare energized metal.... This will accelerate corrosion of the connections .... do whatever you like but MOST folks who post up as experts have no clue...... sure you can dunk em and sure it usually works most of the time but blanket statements only based on limited experience just have no place here.... Last winter my plug and outlet got destroyed in one round trip of 1900 miles from road salt snow rain and sleet..... The saltwater and electricity caused enough corrosion in 2 days to destroy them.... some folks who read here have very well sealed wiring with waterproof connections and sealed led's and boat in clean fresh water and others have simple butt connectors, wire nuts or worse yet twitsed wire and black tape and boat in brackish or salt water..... wanna have some fun? drop a couple wires ina test tube of salt water and put a balloon over the top... hook em to a battery and when the bubbling stops tie off the ballon tape it to a yard stick. Hold the other end and pop it with the flame of a candle.

Another good reason to unplug before dunking, I know when I replaced the tail light on my trailer I didn't care for the connectors that the manufacturer used and spliced the wires together and used heat shrink over the joint, much better than the cheap 0.05 connectors that were there before. I've always have unplugged before "dunking" and its just habit now.

 

[109jb]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

EDIT: jb, you posted while I was typing.... this wasn't pointed at you or ANY one in particular, just an FYI for all

electrolysis is always fun too..... we have cathodes on our boats to protect them from current that accidently leaks into the water but we dunk copper wires in the drink and put a 12 volt current to them and figure all is well.... true you CAN seal everything but the FACT is that probably more than 90% of the boat trailers out there have electrical connections that allow water to reach bare energized metal.... This will accelerate corrosion of the connections .... do whatever you like but MOST folks who post up as experts have no clue...... sure you can dunk em and sure it usually works most of the time but blanket statements only based on limited experience just have no place here.... Last winter my plug and outlet got destroyed in one round trip of 1900 miles from road salt snow rain and sleet..... The saltwater and electricity caused enough corrosion in 2 days to destroy them.... some folks who read here have very well sealed wiring with waterproof connections and sealed led's and boat in clean fresh water and others have simple butt connectors, wire nuts or worse yet twitsed wire and black tape and boat in brackish or salt water..... wanna have some fun? drop a couple wires ina test tube of salt water and put a balloon over the top... hook em to a battery and when the bubbling stops tie off the ballon tape it to a yard stick. Hold the other end and pop it with the flame of a candle.

You are correct that I should have mentioned that I have well sealed wire connections, bell jar style taillight housings, and boat in fresh water. I use crimp connectors that have a waterproof gel inside and heat shrink sleeve exterior. I also use dielectric grease on bulbs and connectors. Also, none of my trailers rely on the trailer frame for grounding. Not even my 5' x 8' utility trailer. The frame is grounded, but there are also dedicated grounds from the connector all the way to the lights.The way my trailer is set up I would have no reservations putting it in salt water either without unplugging. If the water can't get to a conductor it can't cause a problem.

I also trailer a lot in the salt and snow having been a snowmobiler for many years. Dielectric grease on the connectors has just about eliminated all corrosion on the trailer connector.

 

[skargo]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

You are correct that I should have mentioned that I have well sealed wire connections, bell jar style taillight housings, and boat in fresh water. I use crimp connectors that have a waterproof gel inside and heat shrink sleeve exterior. I also use dielectric grease on bulbs and connectors. Also, none of my trailers rely on the trailer frame for grounding. Not even my 5' x 8' utility trailer. The frame is grounded, but there are also dedicated grounds from the connector all the way to the lights.The way my trailer is set up I would have no reservations putting it in salt water either without unplugging. If the water can't get to a conductor it can't cause a problem.

I also trailer a lot in the salt and snow having been a snowmobiler for many years. Dielectric grease on the connectors has just about eliminated all corrosion on the trailer connector.

Good point about dielectric grease on the trailer connector, I've had people question me on that, and so far, so good!

No unplugging for me

 

[capt sam]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

I've never unplugged trailer lights but one solution might be Pipe Lights like I installed on my trailer, great for loading the boat at night......

 

[DECK SWABBER 58]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

i have led lights... and i unplug every time.... and i never forget to plug them back in because i have to walk around putting transom straps on anyway.. and i even put the 4 ways on each time i hook the lights to test everything.....

I drive semi truck for a living and know how important lights are on the trailer....

Some people forget to do a proper inspection of their rig each time they drive it.....

JEEEEZ.

Those that don't because their afraid they will forget, HOW???
That means your not checking the lights each and every time
you tow.

I unplug. Working on cars my whole life tells me electricity and
water don't mix.
Their's a bunch of stuff you have to do/check after
retrieving anyway, it takes two sec. to reach down and do it.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Just wondering what all you guys who unplug their trailer lights before launching do about the headlights, taillights, engine wiring, etc on your car or truck when it rains? Do you pull over to the side of the road and unplug those also? Or do you just believe that rain isn't wet??? Down here in New Orleans, my car and trailer wiring probably gets wetter from all the driving in the rain than it does from launching 3 or 4 times a week!

I used to ride 4-wheelers, motorcycles, and 4WD trucks through mud and water up to the air intakes. Never had any problem with wiring or electricals (although I did throw a rod through the side of a Toyota block once when I took it through water over the hood - water doesn't compress!!). Maybe boat trailer wiring is more delicate than other types of vehicle wiring???

(You can probably figger from the above that I don't unplug anything before launching...)

 

[northernmerc]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

It all depends on the temperature of the water and how long the trailer lights have been on. If the water is colder than 26.9 degrees fahrenheit and/or if the lights have been on more than 411.7 minutes, than I definitely unplug. Otherwise, it doesn't matter. I hope this answers it once and for all.

 

[grahamh]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

My boat is stored at a yard right next to the ramp, so I usually don't bother to plug them in at all. Sometimes if I've been driving on the road I don't remember to unplug, but usually it's fine. My bulbs certainly don't last as long as the ones in my truck, but whatever, bulbs are cheap.

 

[Thundra]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

I've been unplugging every time as well and have never forgotten to plug them back in as I'm one of those "checkers" for everything. Plus, I love having the lights on anytime I'm pulling the boat, both day and at night.

 

[rellsun]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

It all depends on the temperature of the water and how long the trailer lights have been on. If the water is colder than 26.9 degrees fahrenheit and/or if the lights have been on more than 411.7 minutes, than I definitely unplug. Otherwise, it doesn't matter. I hope this answers it once and for all.

looks like you have it down to a science. lol

 

[cuda71]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Just wondering what all you guys who unplug their trailer lights before launching do about the headlights, taillights, engine wiring, etc on your car or truck when it rains? Do you pull over to the side of the road and unplug those also? Or do you just believe that rain isn't wet??? Down here in New Orleans, my car and trailer wiring probably gets wetter from all the driving in the rain than it does from launching 3 or 4 times a week!

I used to ride 4-wheelers, motorcycles, and 4WD trucks through mud and water up to the air intakes. Never had any problem with wiring or electricals (although I did throw a rod through the side of a Toyota block once when I took it through water over the hood - water doesn't compress!!). Maybe boat trailer wiring is more delicate than other types of vehicle wiring???

(You can probably figger from the above that I don't unplug anything before launching...)

Ya I would say that boat trailer wiring is more delicate, if you ever looked at some of the connections on some of the trailers you would realize they aren't top notch quality, not even the same quality as in your truck/car etc, and sure as hell isn't marine grade either.

Oh and just another thing, alot of people on here say they check there running lights and 4-ways its also a good idea to check your brake lights as your fourway could work but not your brakes, and this isn't a trailer issue it's a relay issue on the tow vehicle, as this happened to me last year. All the brake lights on the truck worked but some relay for the trailer hookup on the back of the truck didn't work and I only got one brake light working on my trailer, after much diagnosis I found the problem was the truck.

 

[skargo]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Just wondering what all you guys who unplug their trailer lights before launching do about the headlights, taillights, engine wiring, etc on your car or truck when it rains? Do you pull over to the side of the road and unplug those also? Or do you just believe that rain isn't wet??? Down here in New Orleans, my car and trailer wiring probably gets wetter from all the driving in the rain than it does from launching 3 or 4 times a week!

I used to ride 4-wheelers, motorcycles, and 4WD trucks through mud and water up to the air intakes. Never had any problem with wiring or electricals (although I did throw a rod through the side of a Toyota block once when I took it through water over the hood - water doesn't compress!!). Maybe boat trailer wiring is more delicate than other types of vehicle wiring???

(You can probably figger from the above that I don't unplug anything before launching...)

Great points, I forgot about riding my ATV, my rock crawler, motorcycles, etc.
I unplug, but just because someone here says that it's wrong to do, doesn't mean that is so, nor does it mean I'm not checking my rig, hell, my wife calls me Mr. Safety LOL.

It all depends on the temperature of the water and how long the trailer lights have been on. If the water is colder than 26.9 degrees fahrenheit and/or if the lights have been on more than 411.7 minutes, than I definitely unplug. Otherwise, it doesn't matter. I hope this answers it once and for all.

I use that exact same criteria!

 

[KitchenSink]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

You should just unhook the trailor from the truck before you back down the ramp.

 

[skargo]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Ive always unplugged the lights, you gotta go back there to loosen the wrench anyways. Jeez...

EDIT: not iboats friendly

Peace

Loosen the wrench????

And please, stop with the insults...

 

[cribber]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

My trailer came with submersible LEDs and still going strong after two years of use and we're out every weekend the weather allows us. I do have to add my boat has never seen saltwater and the trailer and boat get rinsed down after each time out when we get home.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Dang it, keep it friendly, no insults. i don't unplug, but mine are up high, part of the guide ons.

 

[BTMCB]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

I unplug only because it is part of my routine and my checklist. Not saying it is the "right" thing, the "wrong" thing, necessary or not. I figure if I start screwing around with my check list and my routine, I am bound to forget something a bit more important! Just like the admiral claims - guess I be a creature of habit! I splash in fresh and in salt. Exact same routine for both regardless - except of course, after salt I do a more thorough rinse / wash of both the boat and the trailer and flush the engine with salt away. I do leave my lights plugged in when washing the boat / trailer off at the launch facility though - damn those habits...........

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Unplug before you dunk?

Just wondering what all you guys who unplug their trailer lights before launching do about the headlights, taillights, engine wiring, etc on your car or truck when it rains? Do you pull over to the side of the road and unplug those also? Or do you just believe that rain isn't wet??? Down here in New Orleans, my car and trailer wiring probably gets wetter from all the driving in the rain than it does from launching 3 or 4 times a week!

I used to ride 4-wheelers, motorcycles, and 4WD trucks through mud and water up to the air intakes. Never had any problem with wiring or electricals (although I did throw a rod through the side of a Toyota block once when I took it through water over the hood - water doesn't compress!!). Maybe boat trailer wiring is more delicate than other types of vehicle wiring???

(You can probably figger from the above that I don't unplug anything before launching...)

being wet and being immersed are not the same.... for electrolysis to occur the annode and cathode (positive and negative) need to be immersed in the same water as to have continuity.... also auto manufacturers use wetherpac connectors for a reason... water intrusion into electrical connections is a real concern....

My point through this whole mess has been the same.... no you don't have to unplug if you don't want too but you look foolish if you choose to laugh at someone who does