Blog Home

I end up looking up this table so often I decided to post it on my blog

This was my first time installing one of the Balmar Serpentine kits and I was a bit apprehensive. Although I had read the instructions several times it still isn't quite the same as actually doing it. Read how it all turned out.........

What are the factors that go in to deciding how big a battery charger to install on a sailboat?

The start isolation feature of Blue Sea Systems ACR's is even incorporated into the name of the device. It is an optional feature with a very specific application......

Victron Energy more than doubles its warranty period, now five years for all products except batteries

Question: I need to replace my alternator for a Yanmar 3YM30 /2006. It is a Hitachi 60amp and I am thinking in replacing it with a higher amp output. I might then need to replace perhaps the pulleys for the water pump and the crank shaft and then of course consider a serpentine or other type of belts. Would appreciate your suggestions?. Thanks.

A discussion on the relative merits of transformers and galvanic isolators

There are many ways to do a battery layout for multi-engine boats, here is one simple layout using remote switches.

What does an alternator regulator do and how does it work? An alternator regulator supplies current to the rotating part of the alternator. The rotating part is called the rotor, and when current is applied to it it becomes an electromagnet. Its rotation generates an alternating current in the fixed windings of the alternator, called the stator. The regulator acts as a control mechanism for this process

This small sailboat got a custom 360 Panel from Blue Sea Systems that was required to incorporate an existing Blue Sea Systems digital meter and another brand digital meter

Help!  My Batteries are getting hot!  What should I do?

Victron Energy now have a new iPhone app to help interpret the blinking lights on a Multi-Plus or Quattro inverter/charger

Circuit Breakers vs Fuses, the Presidential Debate. Who to vote for? This short article will look at this debate in the context of two very similar switch panels by Blue Sea Systems. The Blue Sea Systems 4306 WeatherDeck switch panel with fuses is almost identical to the 4376 switch panel with circuit breakers. Which should you choose?

In extreme cases a fuse carrying an excessively high current can vaporize and the metal can be deposited on the base of the fuse block in a way that permits it to continue to carry current. Similarly with circuit breakers, if the level of fault current goes above a certain level the circuit breaker can become inoperable while still conducting current. Fuses and circuit breakers all have an interrupt rating which is a measure of the current that a circuit breaker can safely disconnect in the event of a fault. The interrupt rating may be different for AC and DC and may vary at different voltages..........

The ABYC standards say that a battery switch is required for all DC systems. One of the main reasons is that if a fault such as an electrical fire is discovered the system can be turned off quickly and easily. However certain circuits are exempt from the requirement to be protected by a switch. Do you know which ones?

PowerPosts were the first products made by Blue Sea Systems. Now they make a bewildering collection. How do you select which one to use?

Many battery switches come with a pair of small terminals labelled "Alternator Field Disconnect" or AFD. Of all my years working on marine electrical systems I have never once seen these terminals hooked up correctly. What are they for and how should they be wired.........

The circuit breaker panels on this Sabre 54 Fly Bridge Sedan and custom made from the Blue Sea Systems 360 Series modular panel system.

This is the Cricket Trailer, an easy to tow "pop top" room on wheels, and it comes complete with its own mini-electrical system featuring Blue Sea Systems products.......

ABYC Standard 11.10 OVERCURRENT PROTECTION is a key section of the standards. The principal is very clear, an overcurrent device, such as a fuse or circuit breaker, needs to be placed within seven inches of where the conductor is connected to the source of power. The overcurrent device is protecting THE WIRE from carrying more current than it is able. What follows is an outline of this part of the standard but please see the disclaimer at the end.

This iPhone app won an award at the 2013 IBEX Show. "Boat Essentials" is used to file a float plan or to check, suggest and schedule maintenance of the safety equipment on your recreational boat

This 73 ft Yawl "Bolero" designed by Sparkman and Stephens and originally launched in 1949 was the first major electrical refit project undertaken by Peter Kennedy Yacht Services.

I use this Blue Sea Systems digital multimeter as my every day meter. It does almost everything I need. I also have a couple of other meters for specialized uses but this is what lives in my toolbox and gets used every single day