Transom LEDs wired to courtesy switch

[Ibeflyinhigh]

Ive got 2 high powered underwater LEDs to go on my transom. Can I tap these into my courtesy light switch? I'm not sure where the fuse is or if I need to put a larger amp fuse to do this? Anybody done something similar and can give advise? Not very good when it comes to electrical.
Thanks
2021 Ar190

 

[Chichi1108]

Did you ever figure this out?

 

[Ibeflyinhigh]

Did you ever figure this out?

I wired my underwater LEDs to my courtesy light switch. It kept tripping the breaker after 2 minutes of having all the lights on. It was super easy to swap the breaker. I changed out the factory 5amp for a 15amp and now everything is good. Thanks!

 

[Ibeflyinhigh]

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

I wired my underwater LEDs to my courtesy light switch. It kept tripping the breaker after 2 minutes of having all the lights on. It was super easy to swap the breaker. I changed out the factory 5amp for a 15amp and now everything is good. Thanks!

Did you increase the wire size?

 

[Ibeflyinhigh]

Did you increase the wire size?

No. You dont think the factory wires can handle the extra load? Should I touch the wires to make sure they're not getting too hot after theyve been running? The wires on my LEDs are super thin.

 

[AZMark]

Yes you should definitely check the wires. Depending how much current those lights draw you probably should have put them on their own circuit.
15amps is a pretty big fuse.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

You basically tripled the breaker size to 15A on wire that was designed to handle 5A. You should check how much load those underwater lights draw.


You said it would trip the breaker after two mins, so why not go with a 7A breaker?

 

[Bluewater272]

No. You dont think the factory wires can handle the extra load? Should I touch the wires to make sure they're not getting too hot after theyve been running? The wires on my LEDs are super thin.

You should really put the 5amp back in, and have the switch trigger a relay that powers your lights.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Putting in a bigger fuse is never a good solution. You need to check wire size and draw first and then determine if it os appropriate. Easy way to cause fire.

Should be trivial to put in another switch with properly sized wire and fuse

 

[Epsmith19]

I agree with the other here if it were me I would run to a dedicated switch. Should be pretty straightforward but I believe there are a few threads here on how do so.

 

[Ibeflyinhigh]

You basically tripled the breaker size to 15A on wire that was designed to handle 5A. You should check how much load those underwater lights draw.


You said it would trip the breaker after two mins, so why not go with a 7A breaker?

I changed the breaker down to a 10amp, as thats what's required for the underwater lights. I also measured the hot courtesy light wire that I tapped into and it seems to be at least a 20 gauge wire so I think I'll be ok with the load. Thanks for the advice and help! I appreciate it.

 

[AZMark]

20 gauge wire would not be ok for 10amps. That is a very small wire.

I’m not usually an alarmist but you really are at risk of fire if you aren’t careful with what you’re doing. Look up a 12 volt wire capacity chart and use the appropriate size wire for those lights.

 

[3 green tornados]

Small gauge wire is tough to properly size and appliance wire guides are often need to get an idea of what the particular wire can handle. Here is a safe guide to go by. The top is the recommendation for an 80°c rated wire and the bottom is the correction factor you need to multiply it by depending on the ambient air.
For example a 20 gauge conductor in the engine bay (probably gets into the 120s) the ampacity would be 10 x .75 (50°c = 122°f) = 7.5amps. You would need a 7A fuse or smaller to adequately protect the wire.

For 15A fuse in the same conditions you would need 14 gauge. 20ax.75=15a

 

[bigwaves]

Rewiring the circuit to properly and safely support the amperage for your new lights would be an incredible pain in the butt. So let me recommend this: Underwater Submersible LED Lights Waterproof Multi Color Battery Operated Remote 8331186271192 | eBay

You’ll have your pretty blue lights without the inconvenience of rewiring your boat and eliminating a potential fire hazard ?. Just attach them to your boat with some 5200. You’re welcome ??

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

20 gauge wire would not be ok for 10amps. That is a very small wire.

I’m not usually an alarmist but you really are at risk of fire if you aren’t careful with what you’re doing. Look up a 12 volt wire capacity chart and use the appropriate size wire for those lights.

Agreed!

Here is a 12 volt wire size chart with 150* temp which is more likely in an engine bay.

http://tonetastic.info/library/photos/american-wire-gauge-amperage-chart-24-38881.jpg