Mystery fuses in '03 Beneteau engine compartment

batkins61 · #1 (**permalink**) 04-16-2011

On my '03 Beneteau 361, there are two small glass fuses, one above the other mounted horizontally, just above the 100A main fuses. One is on a black wire, the other on a red. Again, these are not the 100A main fuses, these are small glass tube type just above the mains.

Anyone have any idea what they are for? In my case, the black one is present and good, the red one is missing (perhaps intentionally).

New boat for me, so I'm trying to figure out all the systems.

Thanks!

dugsmith98 · #2 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

I don't have the 361, but I own an Oceanus 393 from the same year. I know the fuses work my ancho windlass, or at least one of them does.
They work a relay that is in my forward head right behind the anchor locker, and if the fuse is missing, then that relay doesn't get 'made' and the windlass doesn't work.

MarkofSeaLife · #3 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

Is your boat ex-charter? I think Sunsail/Moorings have done that, as they have on mine.
I would like to know the reason too. If its replaced by the anchor breaker as Dugsmith says then thats fine. The breaker is much better.

batkins61 · #4 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by MarkofSeaLife

Is your boat ex-charter? I think Sunsail/Moorings have done that, as they have on mine.
I would like to know the reason too. If its replaced by the anchor breaker as Dugsmith says then thats fine. The breaker is much better.

I've attached a picture of the fuses.

There were two POs, and the boat was never in charter, according to the broker and latest PO.

My windless is on a circuit breaker mounted next to the main battery switches in the aft berth, and the fuses are way too small for that.

I have a suspicion that they are for the engine space blower, which is currently non functional. If so, the positive fuse was probably removed because the blower was getting more and more noisy as it got older, and they were sick of it (or it seized up and they just shut it down). I will investigate further when I'm back aboard. I don't know why thay fused both the positive and negative leads, assuming they are indeed for the blower.

Anyone have a recommendation on a nice, quite, air blower I can replace mine with?

MarkofSeaLife · #5 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

OK here is mine.
The big fuses are in the black plastic boxes.

Note the 2 glass fuses have been bypassed? (That worries me!)

My engine blower doesn't work either (its 1,302 on the work list

)

I wonder if you replace that fuse what will happen?

There is a Sunsail base here and I have met the service guy and he is great so I might ask him.

If you work it out please post as I am gunna be flat out for the next 2 weeks and may not get time to sort it out.

Thanks

Mark

Bene505 · #6 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

Lucky you -- I have a blower, which I recently replaced. Only I have no idea how to turn it on.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/benete...teau-50-a.html

Regards,
Brad

dugsmith98 · #7 (**permalink**) 04-21-2011

Mine is not an excharter, and I have fuses in both slots. They are horizontal just like you show, but I can only speak to the function of one of the fuses. Definately controls the windlass.
Let me know if you figure out what the other one does.
Doug

dugsmith98 · #8 (**permalink**) 04-22-2011

The radio went off when I pulled the other one, so I guess that it goes over to the panel. I have no idea why the fuse is in the engine compartment for the radio...

hellosailor · #9 (**permalink**) 04-22-2011

The little glass fuses won't power a windlass or any substantial load. They'll be protecting something small, like a radio, GPS, or very possibly an electrical meter (voltmeter, ammeter, power totalizer, etc) that was added into the boat. Putting a fuse on BOTH sides of a device is a bit uncommon, but routinely used to prevent ground loops and failures in radios (i.e. Icom manuals call for them) and some other devices, especially when there may be multiple points where something can be shorted out in the wiring.

There's only one way to be sure: Trace the wires out. Then comeback and put a label on them.

Or, disconnect them both, and if nothing fails, you can assume whatever it was, was removed from the boat.

dugsmith98 · #10 (**permalink**) 04-23-2011

Yes, I agree that the little glass fuse isn't inline with the windlass. It is there to close a relay, when the engine is running, to allow the main line for the windlass to give it power. If the engine is not running, there is a failsafe to prevent you from using the windlass and draining the battery. Or at least that was what the mechanic told me when he changed it, so my windlass would work.