Electrical question

[rbh1515]

What are the black buttons on the left side of the electrical box?  Rob

[Potcake boy]

Circuit breakers for the corresponding circuit.

[rbh1515]

Ron,
Please explain!
Rob

[Potcake boy]

If there is a short in the circuit they pop out - press to reset.

[Potcake boy]

http://www.sea-dog.com/groups/1930-thermal-ac-dc-circuit-breaker

[relamb]

Circuit breakers protect the electrical wiring from being overloaded, overheating, and catching your boat on fire.  Each circuit has a breaker which acts similar to a fuse, or the circuit breakers in your house.  Unlike a fuse, you can reset them by pushing the button instead of having to replace them.  They have a current rating, which determines how many amps the circuit can draw before the breaker trips and interrupts the electrical flow.  If a wire comes loose or abrades and touches something else, the breaker should trip. Otherwise, the wire could end up looking like the wires inside your toaster, melt off it's insulation, and cause a fire. Likewise, if you connect too many things to a circuit  and turn them all on, causing more current flow than is allowable for the wire size, the breaker should trip.  Sometimes a momentary surge in current could trip a circuit breaker, and you can reset it.  But if it trips multiple times, then you need to find the problem and fix it.
If you add electronics or lighting to a boat, make sure there is a fuse or breaker in the circuit of a size adequate to protect the wire, as close as possible to the source of the power.