Transom lights.

[LClifton]

We just had new transom lights installed. 2006 340 Sundancer.
Wiring size is more than adequate. The lights pull 2.5 amps each. There are 3 of them. Limitec is the brand.
They work for about 4 minutes then they trip the breaker. They’re hooked up to run thru the aft accessories switch.
15 amp breaker. Any thoughts on the breaker situation or help with troubleshooting? The breaker is in the engine compartment. Is it the removal of 4 screws to access it then simply replace the breaker ?

 

[JHornsby3]

Is there a way of checking the amperage draw when it breaks? I have seen breakers of all sorts get weak over time. Might be that is your issue. Just a thought.

 

[bbwhitejr]

Be very careful here. I had a friend have a small fire due to the wiring overheating…..

Bennett

 

[LClifton]

I’m asking about the breaker because in some other threads it talks about replacing a breaker if it’s tripped several times because it “weakens” the breaker.
Please chime in with thoughts.

 

[LClifton]

Is there a way of checking the amperage draw when it breaks? I have seen breakers of all sorts get weak over time. Might be that is your issue. Just a thought.

I’m not sure how to do that. I have a volt meter that my father in law left me. Do you clamp each wire separately to check amperage?
The person that installed it was a tech at sea ray for many years. He suggested the same thing you’re saying. I’m not sure how. Only trying to do a little trouble shooting prior to turning in to someone. He’d fix it but we moved our boat out is state just after the work was completed.

 

[LClifton]

Be very careful here. I had a friend have a small fire due to the wiring overheating…..

Bennett

Certainly would like to be super safe.
The wiring is all new. Runs from the lights up to the breaker then to the dash / helm switch. Any thoughts on accessing the breaker ?

 

[LClifton]

Is there a way of checking the amperage draw when it breaks? I have seen breakers of all sorts get weak over time. Might be that is your issue. Just a thought.

How do I access the breaker ?

 

[JHornsby3]

That I'm not sure of. We have different models and years. But I would bet that is the issue.

 

[LClifton]

I didn’t get a great pic of the breaker panel. Do I remove the screws to access the breaker?

 

[JHornsby3]

I’m not sure how to do that. I have a volt meter that my father in law left me. Do you clamp each wire separately to check amperage?
The person that installed it was a tech at sea ray for many years. He suggested the same thing you’re saying. I’m not sure how. Only trying to do a little trouble shooting prior to turning in to someone. He’d fix it but we moved our boat out is state just after the work was completed.

Dad was a civil service electrical engineer for the navy, working on the current missile systems. He said current X power = amps. Now trying to get a non engineers explanation from a 82 year old child is like trying to get a booger off a finger with no paper towel in sight.

 

[JHornsby3]

Open that panel and there should be a thin nut holding the breaker to that cover. Like the old am/FM radios had to hold them in the dash.

 

[LClifton]

At the very least I end up with a new breaker. At the most the new breaker fixes the issue. If it continues then I’ll turn it to someone much more qualified. When we visit the boat again I’ll re post.

 

[LClifton]

Yet another novice question.... Is there a brand of breaker I should buy? One better than another?

 

[techmitch]

Is there a way of checking the amperage draw when it breaks? I have seen breakers of all sorts get weak over time. Might be that is your issue. Just a thought.

I’m not sure how to do that. I have a volt meter that my father in law left me. Do you clamp each wire separately to check amperage?
The person that installed it was a tech at sea ray for many years. He suggested the same thing you’re saying. I’m not sure how. Only trying to do a little trouble shooting prior to turning in to someone. He’d fix it but we moved our boat out is state just after the work was completed.

Here is just one of many inductive amp probes available.

https://www.amazon.com/KAIWEETS-Mul...jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

 

[Creekwood]

I would be very surprised if your breaker failed. Its got to be a wiring issue and likely a short to ground somewhere. It may be a pinched wire on that circuit that is intermittently shorting. They can be tough to trace, but you may have to do it wire by wire.

 

[LClifton]

I would be very surprised if your breaker failed. Its got to be a wiring issue and likely a short to ground somewhere. It may be a pinched wire on that circuit that is intermittently shorting. They can be tough to trace, but you may have to do it wire by wire.

Ok. I hope this helps me to narrow the search for that elusive wire.

From the new lights there is new wire running from the lights to the breaker "loom".
This new wire then converts to a wire that goes into the above mentioned loom.
That wire is hidden from plain view and runs (I assume) to the aft switch accessory located on the dash / at the helm.
The other wire coming out of the new wiring for the lights goes down to a "bus bar". A very congested bus bar.
(Is the bus bar a grounding position?)
It attaches to this bus bar via a loop connector. I assume this to be a ground location.

So the circuit is new from the lights all the way to where it connects to the wire leading to the breaker.

Sounds like I need to dig into the area that the new wire meets up with the wire to the breaker then follow it up to the switch. Am I hearing you correctly?

 

[Creekwood]

Ok. I hope this helps me to narrow the search for that elusive wire.

From the new lights there is new wire running from the lights to the breaker "loom".
This new wire then converts to a wire that goes into the above mentioned loom.
That wire is hidden from plain view and runs (I assume) to the aft switch accessory located on the dash / at the helm.
The other wire coming out of the new wiring for the lights goes down to a "bus bar". A very congested bus bar.
(Is the bus bar a grounding position?)
It attaches to this bus bar via a loop connector. I assume this to be a ground location.

So the circuit is new from the lights all the way to where it connects to the wire leading to the breaker.

Sounds like I need to dig into the area that the new wire meets up with the wire to the breaker then follow it up to the switch. Am I hearing you correctly?

Sounds like that is the place to start. If there is a short it will be on the wires from the breaker to the lights though (after the breaker). I think a short before the breaker wouldn’t trip the breaker.

 

[Skybolt]

So a few questions, what lumitec lights do you have? That will tell what the current draw is for each. Also what wire gauge is being used and how long is the run of wire? How long do the lights stay on? If more then a few minutes then it's current draw that is tripping the breaker.

If there was a short somewhere you would have the breaker trip right away even on with minor abrasions. But this is new wire right?

 

[LClifton]

So a few questions, what lumitec lights do you have? That will tell what the current draw is for each. Also what wire gauge is being used and how long is the run of wire? How long do the lights stay on? If more then a few minutes then it's current draw that is tripping the breaker.

If there was a short somewhere you would have the breaker trip right away even on with minor abrasions. But this is new wire right?

Yes, new wire.
The lights are SeaBlaze x2 LED Underwater lights
Lumens 6000
Voltage 10-30vDC
12V Amps 5
24V Amps 2.5
Related Watts 60
CCT Correlated Corrected Temperature 6500 (no idea what this means)
Operating Temperature (F) -31 to +131
Diameter 3.94"
Depth .85"
IP rating 68
PLI enabled -- Yes
Timed Toggled Protocol -- Yes
Third Party Dimmer -- No
Color Match Commitment -- No
Ce Certified -- Yes

The Run... I'm going to send those numbers in a minute.


Once my technician gets back from vacation I have a list of questions.

 

[Skybolt]

Yes, new wire.
The lights are SeaBlaze x2 LED Underwater lights
Lumens 6000
Voltage 10-30vDC
12V Amps

I also have those exact lights. They draw over 5 amps each. So your 15+ amps continuous draw and that is why your breaker is popping. It does not need to be replaced because of this.

What I did to wire these up might be a bit over kill but I would highly recommend this and is in line with Lumitec's wiring recomendation's.

I used Anchor 10ga tinned paired wire (white pvc jacket) with a Blue Sea 25amp bilge breaker wired directly to the battery switch (always left on). That powers a water proof box with two stainless steel bus bars in it and the light's connect to the bus bars both + and -. The orange wires for the lights are ran back (from the box) to the helm and are connected to my digital switching and a momentary switch to manually turn them on as well. This ensures you can leave them on for days without issue, except your battery may not like that, but the wiring will be sound and safe.