The Boating Forum - QUICK QUES; WHICH LEAD COMES OFF FIRST WHEN DISCONNECTING A BOAT BATTERY
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REALSURFIN
03-22-2003, 10:09 AM
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WHICH COMES OFF FIRST WHEN BATT SW. IS IN THE OFF POSITION NEG OR POS?
anyone?
REALSURFIN
17ft Wellcraft cc/ 90 merc 6cyc...
Usually you want to take of the neg 1st, and reconnect it last. This way if the wrench slips when removing the pos clamp, and hits something that is grounded, you will not have a direct short to ground.
Canazes9
03-22-2003, 12:49 PM
LouC is exactly right.
19' Custom Aluminum, 150 Yamaha
REALSURFIN
03-22-2003, 03:20 PM
Just wanted to make sure.....was doing it when my neighbor walks over...he always wants to check out what I am doing and plant the seeds of doubt in my brain http://thehulltruth.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif. lol anyway I went out and did it.
Charging up and getting ready for a flattie fest. Going to change the oil in the lower unit and new filters and plugs, replace a bilge pump...coast guard check list and FISHHHHHHHHHHH here I come.
realsurfin
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17ft Wellcraft cc/ 90 merc 6cyc...
jtburf
03-22-2003, 03:26 PM
I'll bet he laughed all the way back home knowing what he did ...Good hook sets on the flatties....John http://thehulltruth.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif
c stuard
03-22-2003, 05:52 PM
LouC is exactly right from a safety point of view.But just so you know,electrically it makes no difference.
Kamper
03-24-2003, 03:50 AM
where the battery is grounded to a frame but why learn bad habits?
silverg
03-24-2003, 06:07 AM
My uncle threw me for a loop this weekend when I helped him install a new battery on an old International tractor. Red wire from the frame went to pos+ and black from the starter went to neg-.
JackB
03-24-2003, 06:46 AM
Sounds like my Austin Healy, which also had a positive ground. was a real bear if battery died and you needed a jump!
It might interest you to know that prior to 1955 (I think that was the year) Ford also used positive grounds for their cars.
The reason for using negative grounds in automobiles is that it reduces the fouling of spark plugs slightly. Other than that it really doesn't matter which way the juice flows (in a design sense - because it will determine which way the electric motors turn).
In a plastic boat it doesn't make any difference at all which one you remove first. The only reason you want to remove the negative side first on a car is that if the wrench accidently touches somepart of the body while you are removing the negative it won't spark - and once the negative is off the same is true when then removing the positive side. With a plastic boat you wouldn't get the short if the wrench touched to boat itself so it really doesn't matter a bit. Actually it doesn't make any difference when working on a car either, if you pay any attention at all to what you are doing.
Thom
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