Question on Volt Readings

[urbantux]

I have a 1994 Reinell and I seem to be having some problems with the switch panel. At the breakers where the power comes in I read 12.3 volts but with the switches turned on the terminals heading out to the accessories only read ~9 volts. Is this standard or a problem? It seems to me that I should still get the 12.3V reading, or a little less, on both sides of the switch but I don't. Could there be a short somewhere causing the difference?

 

[TerryMSU]

Re: Question on Volt Readings

When the switch is on, do you still read 12.3 volts on the battery side of the switch? If so you are dropping ~3.3 volts across the switch. That implies the switch is not getting a good connection thru it. If, on the other hand, the volatge on the battery side of the switch also drops, then the problem is somewhere betenn the switch and the battery (or the battery itself) is bad. With the switch on, where in the system (if anywhere) do you find 12.3 volts? That should tell you where the loss is occuring. Then fix that and you will solve the problem. By the way, to drop 3.3 volts would require a major short circuit if the connections are all good. That would blow the fuse right now or quickly burn the wire up. So you do not likely have a short circuit.

TerryMSU

 

[seabob4]

Re: Question on Volt Readings

Your helm switch/breaker panel should be fed from a 40A breaker in the stern, going to the first individual breaker on the panel and then daisy-chaining to feed the remaining breakers. Since you say that that the downtream breakers each show 9.3V or so with a load applied, the problem either lies with the feed from the stern breaker to the helm, or at the first breaker the feed powers up. Probably a loose connection...