Switch Gear for electric winch

[Ecosse120]

Finally got my electric keel winch up and working and then I started to put the switch gear behind my nice new woodwork so you had one push switch for up and the other for down. Umm well when the cables started getting warm and the switch started smoking I though that I may have got it wrong !! There is about 70amp running in the cable !!

The switch is in two parts and I believe that when I put them together the gap is too small and this is causing the problem. I guess my two options are either new switches that will take 70amp or fitting a relay. Please can i have views and any advice on what the wiring diagram should look like and where to buy switches that can take 70amp. As always look forward to getting some good advice. Thanks

 

[Talbot]

Much better using a relay and low power switches.

 

[Ecosse120]

Thanks Talbot, I guessed it was but I just need some help with the wiring diagram. I remember one recently for a windlass but I couldn't find it using the search. Anybody got a simple wiring diagram ??

 

[Talbot]

Here is the best I can find:

 

[William_H]

Do a search "Anchor winch electrics" poster William_H I did a bit of a speil about connection of relays with control switches a few months back or PM me. olewill

 

[Ships_Cat]

Assuming that you wish to operate the keel winch locally and not remotely then for the the least wiring and probably least cost have you considered using one of the high current push switches that the anchor windlass manufacturer's produce (eg Maxwell do a good one). Involves no high current relays and their associated cabling and certainly the ones I have used have been reliable and capable of switching far greater currents than your keel winch.

Keep in mind that a high current relay as has been suggested is just a switch too and has nothing magical in that department about it. Their main use is if one wants to switch high currents from a remote location without running heavy cables all around the boat - for example, switching an anchor windlass from the cockpit where it would be silly to run the heavy current carrying cabling back to the cokpit to a switch and then forward again.

John