Neeves
Well-Known Member
A cautionary tale.
Our Maxwell RC6-8 stopped working, or it would deploy but not retrieve.
Our windlass is designed round 8mm chain but we have a 6mm gypsy and a 1,000 watt motor. The windlass was chosen based on our advising Maxwell what we were doing - down sizing chain - and their advising us the options and advantages/disadvantages. They gave our needs the fullest attention. Having down sized the chain (which is now 6 years old and is showing no sign of wear, call it corrosion) from 8mm to 6mm the tensions are the same as for 8mm so we need, or want, the grunt but with a 6mm chain. Maxwell do make a 6mm windlass, called an RC6 but its motor is in line with the shaft and would be too tall for our commodious but quite shallow locker. The RC 8 and larger have the motors offset at 90 degrees top the shaft.
I started by by taking the foot switch apart though I was sure it was not at fault as the toggle switch at the helm would also not retrieve. I forgot that our foot switches 'fall apart' when you take them apart and the mechanisms falls into the base of the locker (its worth attaching something to catch the pieces). The foot switch was fine.
I made the original installation and I 'know' the wiring. The wiring is relatively simple and I worked through the various connections, starting with the power cables and then the control cables. Some of the crimp connectors, which are now 6 years old, in the control wiring looked tired and I simply renewed them all. Fortunately the control wiring is generous and I had space to chop back to clean wiring and add new connectors. The culprit lay in a fuse in the control cabling, which looked really tired (and corroded). The fuse is contained in a, sort of, sealed plastic fuse holder that I had wrapped with amalgamating tape - all insufficient as it turned out. The trouble with wrapping with amalgamating tape - out of sight, out of mind. Fuse replaced (fuse holder rewrapped), windlass works flawlessly, again. We have a circuit breaker for the major power cables.
Servicing of a windlass is advised, at least by Maxwell, on an annual basis. In the future I'll pay a bit more attention to the wiring and crimp connectors as well as the defined Maxwell service of gear box oil and shaft.
It took longer than necessary as I do not like to work with the power connected so I was constantly commuting between circuit breaker in the saloon to the bow - good exercise but very tedious. The whole exercise took, maybe, 3 hours (fortunately a nice sunny Sydney spring day - I had a sun shade rigged).
It is possible the pain is self inflicted and maybe I should be using 'better' crimp connectors - ours are aluminium (or it looks like aluminium). I'll look out some better crimp connectors. The bow lockers on any yacht are subject to the worst of environment for electrical connections and steel chain - damp, salty and in some parts of the world - warm - perfect to encourage corrosion.
Take care, stay safe.
Jonathan
Our Maxwell RC6-8 stopped working, or it would deploy but not retrieve.
Our windlass is designed round 8mm chain but we have a 6mm gypsy and a 1,000 watt motor. The windlass was chosen based on our advising Maxwell what we were doing - down sizing chain - and their advising us the options and advantages/disadvantages. They gave our needs the fullest attention. Having down sized the chain (which is now 6 years old and is showing no sign of wear, call it corrosion) from 8mm to 6mm the tensions are the same as for 8mm so we need, or want, the grunt but with a 6mm chain. Maxwell do make a 6mm windlass, called an RC6 but its motor is in line with the shaft and would be too tall for our commodious but quite shallow locker. The RC 8 and larger have the motors offset at 90 degrees top the shaft.
I started by by taking the foot switch apart though I was sure it was not at fault as the toggle switch at the helm would also not retrieve. I forgot that our foot switches 'fall apart' when you take them apart and the mechanisms falls into the base of the locker (its worth attaching something to catch the pieces). The foot switch was fine.
I made the original installation and I 'know' the wiring. The wiring is relatively simple and I worked through the various connections, starting with the power cables and then the control cables. Some of the crimp connectors, which are now 6 years old, in the control wiring looked tired and I simply renewed them all. Fortunately the control wiring is generous and I had space to chop back to clean wiring and add new connectors. The culprit lay in a fuse in the control cabling, which looked really tired (and corroded). The fuse is contained in a, sort of, sealed plastic fuse holder that I had wrapped with amalgamating tape - all insufficient as it turned out. The trouble with wrapping with amalgamating tape - out of sight, out of mind. Fuse replaced (fuse holder rewrapped), windlass works flawlessly, again. We have a circuit breaker for the major power cables.
Servicing of a windlass is advised, at least by Maxwell, on an annual basis. In the future I'll pay a bit more attention to the wiring and crimp connectors as well as the defined Maxwell service of gear box oil and shaft.
It took longer than necessary as I do not like to work with the power connected so I was constantly commuting between circuit breaker in the saloon to the bow - good exercise but very tedious. The whole exercise took, maybe, 3 hours (fortunately a nice sunny Sydney spring day - I had a sun shade rigged).
It is possible the pain is self inflicted and maybe I should be using 'better' crimp connectors - ours are aluminium (or it looks like aluminium). I'll look out some better crimp connectors. The bow lockers on any yacht are subject to the worst of environment for electrical connections and steel chain - damp, salty and in some parts of the world - warm - perfect to encourage corrosion.
Take care, stay safe.
Jonathan
