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Old 01-16-2019, 12:16 PM   #11
BrianSmith
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City: Wherever Smartini is
Vessel Name: Smartini
Vessel Model: 2002 Kristen 52' Flybridge Trawler
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 487
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Summary:
1. The small wire's ring terminal was the closest one to the CB post, which it should not have been. (I corrected that when I rewired.) However, it's probably been like that for the entire 2 1/2 years we've owned the boat.

2. I can't attest to the crimp on the wire, since both parts are now totally destroyed.

3. The screw through the ring terminals into the posts was tight. Very tight.

4. There was no moisture involved. This is in the saloon, and it's dusty dry inside/behind the electric panel.

5. I'm 99% sure there was no corrosion at the junction of the wires / crimp / ring terminals / post, because there's none anywhere else in the whole panel area, and it would require moisture to be corroded - see #4.

6. I replaced the breaker and made all new, solid connections and turned everything back on. When the charger came on, it went into Bulk mode as expected, and the temperature of the terminal that had fried rose about 2 degrees F and has stayed there for 15 minutes.

7. We don't run much through the inverter: a small AC fan or two, the wifi system (2-3 amps), and the TV/stereo. We never run the microwave or any heating device through it.

8. The wire that burned - the one that carries the current to the battery charger - is 10ga, which is one size bigger than the Magnum installation manual says to use.

Based on everything that everyone has said, and that I have observed, the most likely cause seems to be a faulty crimp in the fried wire, or a faulty circuit breaker that allowed the heat to build to the fry point, and that then fried the attached wire.

I'll be keeping a close eye on this, for sure, but for now, it all seems back to normal. (I should probably install a smoke detector in the open space behind the panel - that would alert me to something like this faster than anything else I can think of.)

As always, thanks, TF, for the great input!
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