Dock Lights Issue

[BUHurricane]

When I got the boat out this year, i noticed the dock lights arent working. The switch does not light up. Everything else on the panel works and the 1 fuse that i believe is used for the whole panel is fine (it is located at the battery).

The bulbs are not blown and the connections to the light and the connection to the switch are all intact.

There are breaker switches for each device, and when i reset the docking lights, it does not change anything.

Do you think the switch is bad? and if so, do i just need to replace it and not worry about the breakers?

Also, would the switch still light up if there was a problem somewhere along the wires going to the lights? if so, it leads me to believe it has to be the switch.

Thanks in advance

 

[skargo]

Re: Dock Lights Issue

Do you have a voltmeter or simple electrical tester?

 

[BUHurricane]

Re: Dock Lights Issue

Do you have a voltmeter or simple electrical tester?

I am currently searching my garage for a test light but it is pretty messy. If i find it, i just need to stick it to the hot wire for the switch? i think there are three attachments though. One ground and then two other wires going into the switch

 

[Eddie P]

Re: Dock Lights Issue

I just repaired my dock lights a few weeks ago. When turning on the lights the right side light was dim, the left side was not lit and then the dock light breaker tripped.

I started at the lights themselves. Looked good, filament intact. Looking at the wires, there were several areas where electrical tape was placed on the wires. Since I'm the second owner, I was suspicious and took the tape off. Well well... the wires were just twisted on to each other and the metal strands were barely attached and obviously picking up some mild corrosion. Same thing on the other light, but corrosion not as bad. So that explained one light not working, the other being dim, and the breaker tripping due to all the resistance in the system. The fix was to solder on some new wire and heat shrink the connection to make sure the wires were going to stand the test of time. A quality Marine crimp would have also done the trick but I elected to go the way of least electrical resistance and solder.

My point is, check to make sure you have good wiring first. In my case a severely shoddy light change and wiring snafu resulted in a potentially dangerous short in the wire. The repair was very easy in my case, thank goodness.

 

[Eddie P]

Re: Dock Lights Issue

Back to your switch suspicion, I'd suspect the switch as long as the wires are good. You had dock lights and switch lights a few months ago and now you have none. It's a pretty slim bet to think all lights went out at the same time, so I'd say you aren't getting power due to the switch. But a small volt meter bought from Radio Shack may save you hours of work and a few parts that didn't need to be bought if you find yourself digging down an electrical system rabbit hole. The volt meter can test voltage at the switch and the lights themselves and make short work of guess work.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Dock Lights Issue

One of the wires on the switch is the +12 volt feed TO the switch. The other is the 12 volt feed going OUT to the lights. The ground wire is merely the ground for the light in the switch. It has nothing whatsoever to do with the lights themselves as they are grounded separately. Touch the test light to the HOT terminal (INPUT). If no voltage, you have a supply problem and need to work back ward. If voltage is present, turn the switch on and test the other wire. No voltage = bad switch (if you had voltage on the first test).