electrical question

[ddsailor25]

I would like to add an auto pilot next season and potentially radar a couple of years down the road. The breaker pannel I have is original and I have no open breakers to add any new equipment. I'm wondering if I should just replace the old pannel or add a second one. My fear is that I get into this project and the wires aren't long enough for the panel, where if i just add a small second panel with 4 breakers then I can start all from scratch and wire how ever i need. Any thoughts?

Dave

[Ryan]

My personal experience is that I have yet to complete a wiring project that wasn't made immensly easier by starting anew. My first question to you wold be "what is the condition of the current wiring"? If you are satisfied with what you have, then by all means just add a panel. But if you have reservations about the soundness of the current wiring situation, I think you may be better served to put in a new panel and take care of everything now. A terminal strip would make short work of any wires that weren't long enough, and the peace of mind is worth a lot. . Plus, as issues pop up down the road, you know exactly how the system was put together and you will save a ton of time since you won't have to decipher the original system. FWIW.

Ryan

[gbraun]

From bitter personal experience - start all new. If the boat is more than a few years old, the existing wiring will have enough issues that it's not worth saving.

[sail_fix]

Agree with the other posters about doing some overdue "reformatting" of the wiring if it is old (and very likely untinned).
Another upgrade is to bring all the wiring in to terminal strips behind the panel. That way any bridging can be done on the strip and only a single #12 goes to each breaker.
Our panel was new enough to have all breakers, but the addition of a long terminal strip really cleaned up the wiring behind the panel a lot. This also cleaned up the neg. dc connections as well.
Pictured here:
http://www.ericsonyachts.org/infoexchan ... errerid=28

Regards,
L

[Hirilondë]

Adding new things and repairing old ones are 2 entirely different issues and need not be related. There is nothing wrong with either route. I think it would be nice to have a brand new large electrical panel that would allow me to add things any time I want. But since I am not made of money I make the best of what I have. It's all a matter of priorities, finances and tastes. In the case of electrical stuff, safety is a concern. But that doesn't necessarily mean you have to update constantly. Several year old wiring is not by age inherently bad. And with all the work it takes to maintain a boat I try not to waste time fixing things that aint broke.

I don't mean to make a wishy washy reply, but what I mean to suggest is that you inspect what you have and make your own decision based on sound criteria, not my opinion.

[Ceasar Choppy]

I agree with Dave. No need to start over if you don't have to.

That said, you can always look at this another way. Instead of looking at it from the panel to the appliance, look at it from the appliances to the panel. There is nothing wring with by-passing the main panel and running separate wiring to a second panel for items you would like to add like an autopilot and radar.