bushman wrote:
AAAaaaarrrg!
Installing a new bilge pump I have found no less than 4 sets of wires that
are just cut amidships. The battery charger wires were just shoved into ring
terminals but not crimped. A single black wire w/o terminal attached to a
POS battery terminal - I can not find the other end anywhere! I killed my
starting battery. I left the switch on #1 (starting batt), shore power off,
solar panels on, all other switches off. As far as I know nothing is wired
direct to the batts not even bilge pumps at this time. Starting battery went
dead, as in 0.00 volts, in 24hrs.
OK that's my rant. (that was just a sample).
Any suggestions for tracing the wiring and drawing it up on paper? Is there
a way to attach an RF transmitter to one end of a wire then track it with a
receiver? Best way to label wires?
Well thanks for being here. I'll be taking life one wire at a time from now
on.
- Allen

The tracing the wire part can be done by getting a tool the telco
people use, a line toner. Electricians have one, too, but it's lots
more expensive.

It puts an RF tone on the wire. Two different ones, for pairs, if you
want, and the tool pokes around in the rat's nest until it hears the
tweedle. Mine is a Progressive Electronics Tracer 2 for the tone, with
the 200EP inductive amplifier tool. If you have long enoungh wires
without twist, it will pick up WSB in Atlanta on non-toned wires :{))

The drawing them out is up to you as to how you want to do it. You can
spend a lot and buy a proper electronic charting program, or just draw
it on paper, or do something in between...

Had lots of that on my boat - no rants from here, because I don't have
the time. Lift's coming to put me in the slings so we can finish the
bottom of the keel, and the stand bare spots, to splash Monday...

L8R

Skip and Lydia, on the home stretch