Factory Installed Jump Switch Causing Electrolysis?

Today the guys at Jones Trolling motor talk to us about how factory installed jump switches can cause electrolysis on the metal parts of our boats, including skegs, trolling motors and jack plates. Michael also talks about why you ALWAYS want to make sure your breaker to your trolling motor is turned off when you charge your batteries, especially those of us that leave our chargers plugged in for extended periods of time.
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[@jackstein5486]

You are very fortunate to have the Jones company as a sponsor and as a go to for all your electronics and trolling motor needs.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Agreed Jack, boys know their stuff

[@jimk4267]

About a decade or so ago Lund had a wiring problem and electrolysis would eat through the hull in a very short time

[@toddspindler6190]

After tournament fishing and being on the water for 30 years and now a full time guide and this being my rookie 2021 season in Opens coming up, I learn something every single time in watch your videos... Best channel in my opinion on u- tube hands down....I’m talk n about all the way to the floor down....😂🤣... Thanks for the hard work and dedication Mr. Ken 👊

[@KenSmithFishing]

Hey Todd good to hear we have a member of the KSF family fishing the Opens, which are you fishing this year we'll watch for you?

[@jeffporter100]

Had no idea about these issues! I will fix mine ASAP. Dying to see the lynx review soon!

[@alanmcnally7268]

Ken happy new year The exact event occurred on a brand new Skeeter ZXR 21. My brothers were at Highport store and a Mechanic came up admiring the boat and noticed the corrosion occurring.Less than 10 hrs. The dealership resisted somewhat about repairing and blamed switches in wrong position,etc. They did repair however refused to replace bolts on the lower unit of the yamaha [ major dealer by the way] Thanks for bringing this topic up

[@loucarter6291]

Good info. Going to flip my breaker now. Thanks for sharing.

[@rdaniel3451]

Great information here!

[@jamesatkinson9833]

This is why you have the best show!! Great Information!! **Happy New Year to Ken Smith Fishing Family!**

[@KenSmithFishing]

Thanks James, and Happy New Year to you and your family as well!

[@SHW372]

Another great video!! Thanks

[@danwood1832]

Thanks Ken! Already went to the garage to switch my breaker off and check my jump switch wiring.

[@txman201]

If you had read the manual for your TM, it probably said to disconnect the TM before charging batteries. Most TM manufacturers don't want the higher voltage of charging systems (that aren't true DC as well) to reach the control board of their products, even if there is no power surge on the electrical grid.

[@alanaho4915]

I have a Thermal Circuit Breaker for my Ultrex. Do I pop that switch instead of adding a red disconnect switch? Cause right now the only switch i have is the one at the pedal

[@gshir212]

Been spending some time down around Jones Trolling motor. Got me a new Ulterek installed, but haven't had the opportunity to get it out and let it try.

[@smalltownbassfishin1247]

Thanks for the video. I'm hoping to be able to meet you on the 2nd!

[@KenSmithFishing]

Odds on that are looking slim, I called in yesterday to enter and I'm 16th on the waiting list, they actually filled a BFL???

[@gwoodru]

Thanks Ken, some often overlooked or just never thought of stuff there.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Thanks Geoff, going to do another video about fiberglass care, just found out a bunch of stuff I didn't know and think you guys will find it interesting as well!

[@BillGoudy]

Excellent information!!! Thank you!! ;-)

[@KenSmithFishing]

Thanks Bill, Happy New Year!

[@patrickbaynes3842]

Thanks for the info. I’ve got an older rig. Probably need to find a schematic of how to set everything up. Any ideas?

[@rdonner28]

WOW WOW I SAY WWOOOOWWWWW!!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!! I definitely didn't know ANY of this!!! Definitely Gamechanging information!!!! Thanks 😊........

[@txman201]

You can learn quite a bit of it by reading the manual for your TM. The part about turning off or disconnecting TM is usually there. The TM manufacturer wants you to make this disconnect for reasons other than an electrical surge as well.

[@rdonner28]

@@txman201 ... Oh!! Guess I'll just read it actually and be one of the 2% who probably do lol.

[@KenSmithFishing]

You are so welcome!

[@alanaho4915]

Ken, I always learn from your videos. I inspecred and hadn't noticed anything before and no electrolysis seen. I checked my ground wires at rhe batteries and at my level it looks correct--nthing that looks odd. I only have a master perko switch in the battery compartment. No separate Trolling motor switch, other than the on/off switch at the TM pedal. I think I'm good. Thanks!

[@KenSmithFishing]

Alan I think based on Michael's comments it might be worth putting a switch between your charger and trolling motor as well.

[@alanaho4915]

@@KenSmithFishing ya, i think I'm going to do that. But would that be between my "battery" and trolling motor, not "charger". I keep re-watching Michael's explanation to understand.

[@BassholeByNatureFishing]

I have a trolling motor with that on it. I got a second hand fortrex. Never had an issue after I replaced my batteries but now I’m wondering if the previous owner caused damage to the fortrex now internally.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Very possibly

[@larrycallahan2600]

heard a comment about 'backflow voltage'. surely minn kota installed a 'rectifier diode' on their main board which allows current flow only in one direction , preventing 'backflow'. it also has other uses but....?

[@KenSmithFishing]

Larry not sure since you are way above my paygrade (if I have a problem I turn it off and turn it back on, if that doesn't work it's back to Jones!!!!). But there was a lot of discussion that was off camera about these and you have to remember these guys don't just service new boats, they do a lot of work on guys older boats so they see all kinds of stuff. Thanks for weighing in!

[@cooter2467]

Electrolysis can only occur when in the water. Good info but this cant happen when its sitting on the trailer.

[@jamiejuicenewton3349]

Ken, Thanks for this post on the trolling motor. Several things I never knew and of course I'm a plug it in and forget it angler. And being here on the Potomac River I have the added concern of brackish water.

[@KenSmithFishing]

yeah I'd think that would just make any of these problems worse when you add salt to the water

[@danielyourko1714]

Sorry. Hit thumbs down on accident. Good tips. Thanks

[@chrishorton2053]

Checked mine and of course was wired wrong. Not real sure how to know if that was the only problem. I do have a question maybe you can ask them. Does it matter where the positive for the jump start is attached?

[@ChadOutdoors]

If you accidentally turn your perko switch to trolling motor side and run your boat for the day can this cause the electrolysis??

[@RiversideMarineWA]

When you have it wired incorrectly (mine was and still is wrong from the dealership) on the trolling motor battery - is it a guarantee you've got a hot boat or only potentially? Or is it only going to be hot only when you're using that jump switch? It sounds like what he's saying around the 3:45 mark you are having electrolysis at that point.

[@txman201]

The opportunity for electrolysis is present whenever the TM is in the water (if there is improper wiring in the boat). Whether it occurs or not can depend on water chemistry. A Ground for one system should never be connected to any point other than Ground on another system. That Ground is what many would call the "0 Volt" connection - whether for a 12V, 24V, or 36V system. You need to correct the wiring ASAP. If you have a transducer in your TM, you've probably already blown the "grounding fuse" inside the head of the TM.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Tyler in case you were wondering TxMan is an engineer!!!

[@RiversideMarineWA]

@@txman201 thank you for the reply - I’ll correct it here right away to look like the connections in the video. Luckily I don’t have any transducers in my trolling motor as I have not yet upgraded it.

[@RiversideMarineWA]

@@KenSmithFishing thank you Ken! I appreciate your response and videos and love learning from them!

[@robertthiem8481]

So what caused the electrolytes on your trolling motor?

[@KenSmithFishing]

Not closing the breaker off when I was charging that boat

[@robertthiem8481]

Was trolling motor in water?

[@robertthiem8481]

My problem was a two bank charger. Two systems one trolling motor independent of boat motor and Garmin electronics which grounds my tracker through my boat motor. When charging they're independent of each other, but when not charging they share a common ground which causes the trolling motor to be grounded though cranking battery which is grounded to boat through the boat motor. Simple fix I disconnect trolling motor battery from charger. No more problems.

[@larrycallahan2600]

I may have misunderstood about turning the circuit breaker off. when the breaker is off ,it simply kills the power to the device. when it is on voltage flows to device until the amperage exceeds the value of the breaker at which point the breaker turns off. so why are turning breakers off, again?

[@topwatertrl]

Because when you are fishing, you are not hooked up to city power so there is no chance of a 120v power surge ruining your tm board. When you are home and charging your tm batteries from city 120v electrical supply, if this breaker is left on, a power surge from the city supply can travel through that breaker to your tm board and fry it.

[@larrycallahan2600]

as I said , when the'amperage' exceeds the value of the breaker it shuts off therefore connection to device stops before the surge hits the device. you probably have a computer or tv , printer etc and I hope you have it plugged into a surge protector (aka breaker) do you unplug the surge protector when not using your computer or tv? also, the electrical service to your house goes through a circuit breaker before it reaches the outlet you are plugged into ; if there is a sufficient surge that breaker will stop power to your outlet. with the exception of direct hit lightning . thanks for reply , sorry for writing a book....

[@topwatertrl]

@@larrycallahan2600 Sorry, but you are mistaken. Yes, Circuit breaker protects against amp overload (short circuit is example). It is not a surge protector. Surge protectors monitor for Voltage spikes and clamp shut at a set higher voltage (lightning strike is example). Some homes, including mine, have a whole house surge protector installed in the breaker box, in front of the circuit breakers, to protect all circuits from Voltage spikes. Required in new home construction in FL.

[@larrycallahan2600]

@@topwatertrl thanks, hey, great idea to have protection prior to fuse box! hopefully many people will benefit from your post.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Good stuff guys, thanks for the additions!

[@larrycallahan2600]

txman201: I agree with everything you said in your post re : incorrect wiring. However, I find your ' shop flunkie " comment unwarranted and offensive . Lets 'zoom out' ....a dealer invests, I dunno? 80,000$ in a boat order to sell at a profit ,he wants a happy return customer, the service mgr wants the same ; do you really believe he would turn loose unqualified untrained unsupervised (flunkies-your word) technicians on a project of that magnitude? I think you have 3 options at this point, 1. apologize, 2. edit the post, 3 never take your boat in for service for fear a technician may have read your post.🤔 thanks, Larry

[@txman201]

No apology. The world of boat owners has an abundance of people who continually search for a shop with competent service - something that's a sad minority these days it seems. Examples: Flunkies rigging transducers on the port side of the boat. Flunkies drilling holes completely through the bottom of a boat while installing a battery tray. Same for installing a hot foot throttle. These were rigging horrors on boats that had yet to see water!

[@larrycallahan2600]

@@txman201 once again we agree. You are referencing "shops" While I'm referencing boat "dealerships" . Thanks for comment.

[@txman201]

"Factory Installed" is a misdirected root cause of electrolysis. The fact that electrolysis occurs has nothing to do with where the jump switch was installed, but rather that it was incorrectly connected to batteries. Shop flunkies in a boat rigging/service bay after leaving the factory are much more likely to be the source of the INCORRECT WIRING CONNECTIONS to batteries. That a jump-switch may have been factory-installed isn't a fault, per se. ANY incorrectly connected jump-switch will do this, not just ones installed at the factory.

[@KenSmithFishing]

Understood even if we install them ourselves we can screw it up, I just know mine came directly from Ranger installed incorrectly!

[@txman201]

@@KenSmithFishing that's really bad!

[@dixieansley283]

Awesome 😍💋 💝💖♥️❤️

[@lancemabry6707]

Hey Ken, is your email KenSmith@outlook or KenSmithFishing@outlook?? Not gonna bother you til next week about insurance but just wanted to make sure i have the correct e-mail sir. Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas and wish you guys a Happy New Year sir...

[@KenSmithFishing]

Lance it is [e-mail] glad to talk when you want to