Electrical Maintenance; Laying Up - Winterising; General Maintenance - Beta Marine Beta 10 Operator's Maintenance Manual

Maintenance - Electrical
Warning:
Under no circumstances should the battery be disconnected or switched off when
the engine is running. This will seriously damage the alternator.
Panels and Wiring
See installation notes, page 30.

General Maintenance

(1) The panel must be protected from rain and sea water,
see installation. Sea water entering the key switch will
eventually cause corrosion and could result in the starter
motor being permanently energised and burning out.
Spray key switch every month with WD40 or equivalent;
or apply 'vaseline'.
Winterising and Laying up
Heat Exchanger Cooled Engines
a) The engine lubricating oil and lubricating oil filter should
be changed at the end of the season rather than in the
spring. See section 2.
b) The closed circuit cooling system must contain an anti-
freeze coolant solution. The coolant solution is a mixture
of fresh water and anti-freeze (Ethylene Glycol based
conforming to BS6580:1992) with the anti-freeze being
a minimum of 33% up to a maximum of 50% solution
(this also applies to warm and tropical climates). The
warranty is invalid if the correct percentage/ratio is not
used.
c) For cold climates where the air or water temperatures
can fall below 3°C, the sea water circuit must be
protected in addition to the fresh water system. This is
best achieved as follows:
Close the inlet seacock to the engine (engine stopped).
Disconnect the sea water inlet pipe and dip it into a
small bucket containing 50/50 anti-freeze solution.
Start the engine (out of gear) and run for 5 to 10
seconds until the anti-freeze is used up and can be seen
coming out of the exhaust outlet.
Shut engine off and reconnect the inlet pipe to the
seacock. The sea water or raw water circuit is now
protected by anti-freeze.
(2) Check batteries for acid level and top up if required.
For low maintenance and 'gel' batteries see
manufacturers instructions.
(3) Loose spade terminal connections are the most common
cause for electrical faults - check on a regular bases (see
maintenance instructions).
d) Ensure instrument panel is well protected and give the
key switch a spray of WD40 / Petroleum Jelly or
equivalent.
e) With the engine stopped, disconnect the battery (always
disconnect the negative cable first and re-connect the
negative cable last) and take it ashore for trickle charging
and top up as necessary. If AC power is available then
this can be done on the boat.
f) Fuel tanks should be kept full during the lay up period to
eliminate water condensation in the tank. Water entering
the fuel injection system can cause considerable
damage.
Keel Cooled Engines
The requirements for keel cooled engines are basically the
same as heat exchanger cooled except:
a) Special care must be taken to ensure that the whole
cooling system is filled with the anti-freeze solution
detailed above; this includes the calorifier circuit and the
keel cooling tank. If the system has been topped up or
refilled then run the engine for 10 to 15 minutes on load
(if possible) to get the solution circulated throughout the
keel cooling tank and calorifier.
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