Wierd Electrical issue Please Help!

[Highroller63]

Hello, I have a 2020 195 bay, last week took the boat out and everything worked fine, getting the boat ready for a trip to Florida and doing checks I notice 5 out of 8 of my switches on the factory panel didn't work, no horn no courtesy lights, no stereo and no Simrad. Broke out my meter to trace what could be wrong and found all 5 circuit breakers where not power passing between terminals and would not reset, even though they don't seem to be tripped. Before storing the boat from last weeks run, i cleaned up everything and killed the batteries with the shut off switch so there was no power, so how the heck did 5 breaker go bad just setting a week with no power! Its got me confused!

 

[Highroller63]

After further testing I found that if I disconnect the breakers and tie the wires together each item works fine with the breakers bypassed. Also I have power coming into the breaker but none coming out of the breaker, if I push the reset button real hard I do get power through the breaker but as soon as i release it I loose power seems like bad breakers but how did they all go bad at once and with no power on them.

 

[fallguy]

They got a charge that exceeded their rated maximums.

That is all I can tell you on the information provided. So, someone flowed too much current or too much voltage to them and fried them. Current my guess. Lightening? Perhaps. Aliens? Russia?

 

[Highroller63]

Aliens, Everything been working fine, then out of no where breaker are b ad only thing I can think of is the boat set out 8uncovered and it rained for two days, but i would think the breakers are better than that but who knows, been in rain before and never a problem. I could understand over current and on breaker frying but this many. if you look at the wiring diagram the ones that are bad are on the front end of the 12 volt coming in.

The ones that are showing bad are all 4 across the bottm and the top right. doesn't make any sence!

 

[Highroller63]

just noticed something that seems rather odd to me. look at the switch layout diagram, I assume the red wire coming into the horn switch is 12volt coming in. how is it the horn doesn't work unless the circuit breaker under the switch is jumper ed, two breaker wire tied together. Looks as if the horn should have power with or without the breaker.

 

[fallguy]

Help me out here, what is this supposed to be?

 

[fallguy]

Is that an unfused power bus?

or a poorly drawn fuse panel? Like, where is the fusing for the courtesy?

 

[Highroller63]

The fuse for the courtesy lights are a breaker. this is the manufactures wiring diagram not mine, it's confusing to say the least. i understand what you circled, I assume they are on breakers. There are 8 switches each one of them have a breaker below them. all the switches are labled but only a couple of the breakers. the top right hand breaker is labled 5 amp. the bottom switch one over from the right is labled 15 amp. thats all I know at this point trying to firgure the mess out to solve why so many breakers went down at once with out power to them.

 

[Highroller63]

My Simrad is run off the top right hand switch with the 5 amp breaker with a 5 amp inline fuse. The stereo is run off the switch 2nd from the bottom right with a 15 amp breaker not sure about fuse size. my VHF radio is tapped of the cigaratte lighter plug which has a 15 amp inline fuse and the vhf has a 6 amp in line fuse. electric trim tab are run directly from the battery to a control bo and dash mounted led switch, not sure about fuse size or even where it's located. the forward and aft live wells are on switches with breakers, the bilge pump are on switches with breakers, nav lightss the same so is courtesy lights. all this was either factory or dealer installed.

 

[fallguy]

There are 8 switches each one of them have a breaker below them. all the switches are labled but only a couple of the breakers.

So, the proper way to fuse is before the switching.

You are suggesting power, switch, fuse, device.

This means the switch acted as the fuse if switches are shot.

The proper way is power, fuse, fuseblock, fuse, switch, device.

The switches sound like they are unprotected and so if a surge occurred of any type, the current inrush hits the switches first. This is not good because the fuses are supposed to protect all the wiring for each circuit.

All current flowing to a switch ought to be fused ahead of the switches or the switches are unprotected by anything other than their own ratings... At least that is what you have explained or I have ?mis? I terpreted.

If the switches are shot and the fuses/breakers are not; an inrush event occurred where the switches got hit. If the breakers are shot and the switches are not, then the switches may be rated higher.

 

[fallguy]

Oops. I jist looked at the black...the breakers are before the switches as needed.

 

[Highroller63]

so it seems wired right what would have caused 6 of the 8 ciruit breakers to go all at once with no pwer to them or could it of happened when I switched the battery disconnect to ON?

 

[baeckmo]

In the black diagram; the red coming down to the horn switch input (and via the breaker connected to the supply end of the others) , where does it come from?

 

[fallguy]

Check for continuity across the failed breakers, both sides...all of them

expect it on the source side, but look for it on the switch side as it should not be..

u check sw1 against 2-8
2 against 3-8
3 against 4-8, etc

 

[Highroller63]

all the bad breakers are toast tested with a meter they don't pass voltage at all except one you have to push like hell on the button to get a reading and then as soon as you release the button no reading. none of the breakers are latching and passing voltage. what I dont understand is how a current zap happened and got all 6 when the first breaker the horn swith is only 5 amps. how did it not smoke that one and kill the remaining circuit, protecting the rest, so it went though and smoked the 5 amp, then, the next one the accesories it is 15 amp, not sure about the rest except for the top right hand one which is another 5 amp breaker. this is whats got me confused. so again how did it pass a 5 amp breaker and got the next one which is 15 amp, it had too have arched acroos the 5 amp frying it then too the 15 amp taking it out then on down the line..