Anyone know anything...

[bobnewbury]

about electric anchor winches?

I inherited a 24v Francis marine vertical axis winch with the boat. I routinely greased and cleaned it every year and it's served me well for 8 years.

Recently it cut out just as I started to lift the anchor. Upon inspection, the solenoid was clicking but no power was going to the winch. After various contortions I extracted and opened the solenoid box (also Francis Marine - says it's suitable for 1100 & 1500 models).

Inside it was a blown 10A fuse. "Aha!" - I thought in my innocence - "problem solved. Replace old knackered fuse and all will be well."

No such luck. The fuse blows within seconds of operating the winch. This suggests to me a short somewhere, but I'm confused.

If the 10A fuse is in the low current side of the solenoid, why does the solenoid operate when it's blown. It can't be in the motor side as this draws much more than 10 A.

So, assembled wise ones:

Any idea what this fuse does?
Any idea what might be the most likely cause of it blowing?
Is Francis Marine still in business? (Can't find them in the 'phone directory).
If yes, how do I get hold of them?
Why is Chris Evans?



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[Mezzanine]

Sounds like your connections on the solenoid are burnt out, you will either have to buy a new 24v solenoid or rebuild the electrical connections on your existing solenoid if this is possible.

If you purchase a new Solenoid make sure that

a) Its a 24vdc control coil

b) It has a current rating sufficient for 1.5 times max current passing over the connections.

The current rating of the motor on your windless should be stated on a plate on the side of it. It would seem that most model nos use the Power rating in some form or other as in your case 1100 or 1500 this would indicate that your motor is a 1500 watt motor (maybe) and in this case you should be looking for
A current rating of 100 amps for the connections on the Solenoid.

Remember this rating only refers to the connections between your Battery Bank
and the windlass motor. These connections should be fused independently on both the +ve and -ve fuses of around 60 amps should be sufficient for protection.

If this is the situation I would also check the condition and size of the cable going to the windlass as this may have degraded over time make sure that it is sized correctly
It to should be capable of operating at in excess of 60 amps continuously.

A cable size of 16mm should be sufficient


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