Corrosion is one of the biggest culprits when it comes to malfunctions in electrical supplies in boats and marine equipment. You need to know how to protect your marine electrical supplies from corrosion if you want to keep your vessel in the best possible shape over time. Replacing corroded electrical parts is expensive and cumbersome. By keeping the following five things in mind, you can prevent corrosion from developing and maximize the lifespan of electrical parts in your marine vessel:
Inspecting for corrosion
The most basic thing you need to do to make sure that corrosion doesn't cause you severe problems is to inspect electrical components and look out for corrosion development. This way, you can stop corrosion before it spreads too far or causes a malfunction. The way you can look out for corrosion is to cut off the terminal and strip a bit of the insulation back. If any wire underneath is looking black rather than pink, it's a sign that corrosion is starting to spread upwards and is heading toward the conductor.
Applying dielectric grease
It's important to apply dielectric grease or some other type of spray to electrical connections. Applying grease or spray will minimize the chances that corrosion takes root in your connections and begins to spread throughout other electrical components on your vessel.
Having trouble with shifting gears
You should know that issues with gear shifting are often an indication that corrosion has developed in your shift cables. You need to replace cables before this problem becomes severe. Otherwise, your cables may eventually fail while you're out on the water and you will be stranded.
Using pre-tinned, multi-strand wire
If your vessel is in need of rewiring and you want to prevent corrosion into the future, one good thing to do is to use pre-tinned, multi-strand wire for your rewiring project. Pre-tinned wire is more corrosion resistant than standard wire. Another corrosion-resistant machine wire you may want to use to prevent corrosion is THHN (thermoplastic high heat-resistant nylon) wire.
Understanding the importance of your green wire
Green wiring on your vessel serves multiple purposes. Green wire is your grounding wire, and this means an important function it serves is to protect the entire crew from injury caused by electrical shock. However, another important function of the green wire is to prevent corrosion. Green wiring helps to prevent corrosion on a marine vessel by making sure that underwater fittings constructed from metal maintain similar electrical potential.
For more information, refer to your marine electrical supplies professional.