A way to Waterproof battery connection

Guys,

I thought I need to share this as I have seen so many common mistakes regarding this subject.
Here is one way to Truly waterproof your battery and fishfinder connection.
You need to know how to solder. You should know what is a good solder join Vs cold solder join.
Then apply the waterproof method below.
I use liquid tape here.
This is what it looks like after 3 years of heavy usage. I drowned this battery twice during that time.


Other common methods to waterproof that FAILS.
- Fill connection with dielectric grease then shrink wrap.
- Wrap connection with electrical tape.

Thanks for sharing, originally I went the same route with liquid electrical tape but switch to heat-shrink and dielectric gel just because it looks cleaner and not nearly as messy when applying.

 

Thanks for sharing, originally I went the same route with liquid electrical tape but switch to heat-shrink and dielectric gel just because it looks cleaner and not nearly as messy when applying.

Heat shrink with dielectric grease will not be tight to prevent water(salt water in my case) from seeping in.
Once it gets in, the process of corrosion start forming. It won't be long before it all fails and you have to redo it all over again.
Build up liquid tape layer by layer, it will last a lot longer. Mine goes for 3 years without failure in salt water.
I put the battery over the orange sponge to protect kayak/battery since I put in inside the hatch.

In addition, you need to replace your XT60 connector because it is not waterproof.

In addition, you need to replace your XT60 connector because it is not waterproof.

Can you elaborate?

Thanks for sharing, originally I went the same route with liquid electrical tape but switch to heat-shrink and dielectric gel just because it looks cleaner and not nearly as messy when applying.

Heat shrink with dielectric grease will not be tight to prevent water(salt water in my case) from seeping in.
Once it gets in, the process of corrosion start forming. It won't be long before it all fails and you have to redo it all over again.
Build up liquid tape layer by layer, it will last a lot longer. Mine goes for 3 years without failure in salt water.
I put the battery over the orange sponge to protect kayak/battery since I put in inside the hatch.

I think that's just me being overly cautious, my battery is also in a sealed Pelican box. Prior to the pelican case I did have corrosion forming with it exposed (using heat shrink and dielectric gel)

For me i tried a few difrent connectors and all failled because of corrotion. These days i use the bare wire and alagator clipf. I saved money and time and never had a failor on any of my outings, as far as my ectronics

Very interesting- a lot of great info on this post.

For me i tried a few difrent connectors and all failled because of corrotion. These days i use the bare wire and alagator clipf. I saved money and time and never had a failor on any of my outings, as far as my ectronics

Is the alligator clip any special marine type?
Do you see any corrosion?
Do you use it in salt water?

Can you elaborate?

In your picture, the yellow plugs are XT60 connectors. They are not waterproof. If your goal is to make the entire system waterproof, then you should not use a non-waterproof plug.

In the last few years, I've tried a number of connectors. Below are some that I've tried.

(From the left: Aviation connector, LED light strip connector, ebay so-called waterproof connector from China, standard trailer hitch power connector, and the XT60).

I current use the Aviation type connectors and I find it work the best for waterproofing. The LED connectors works well also. It can't handle more than 2a, but should be enough for FF. I wouldn't use the other three kinds for kayaking. They are not waterproof.

Those Avaition connectors are nice, but very pricey. I have worked with them on previous projects.

Picture this:
The end is sealed with liquid tape.
The male/female hooked into each other with almost perfect leaving no enough hole for water to seep in if splash repeatedly.
I also filled the cavities of both with dielectric grease.
I firmly believe the cost benefit and performance wise, this is one of the best. I am sure the connection will out last the battery itself.

Like I said this is just one way to waterproof. There are other ways to reach the same goal.

This type of discussion is very good for people to learn from.

Liquid Electrical Tape isn't cheap, either, and the cost difference between using LET compared to a 2-pin aviation connector isn't significantly different.  I didn't use the aviation connector because of the length outside the watertight box - I could picture me banging it hard enough to break something.

I tried the Hobie connectors and stopped using them because, while they are watertight, they're only watertight if you're careful when connecting them, and disconnecting them was more of a PITA than I cared-for, not to mention modifying battery charger cables.

I've run 2-pin SAE trailer connectors through holes in the battery box sealed with Marine GOOP and rubber grommets but never felt confident about the how well the grommets were sealed - a sharp tug on a wire could make it slip, even with all of the GOOP I put on it.

I've been using a flat panel, watertight two-pin SAE plug that's made to run 12-volt power to (or from) the roof of an RV on the battery box and it's been doing fine in saltwater for two years - and it matches the SAE connector on a Battery Tender.

I use Marine GOOP to seal the F1 connectors to the battery terminals, and I solder wire-wire connections, then coat it with LET, and finally use glue-lined marine heat shrink over them.  Fussy, for sure, and I'd claim I've never had to replace anything because of corrosion, but I rebuild the darned things too often to know that.  It keeps me busy through the Winter...

Guys,

I thought I need to share this as I have seen so many common mistakes regarding this subject.
Here is one way to Truly waterproof your battery and fishfinder connection.
You need to know how to solder. You should know what is a good solder join Vs cold solder join.
Then apply the waterproof method below.
I use liquid tape here.
This is what it looks like after 3 years of heavy usage. I drowned this battery twice during that time.


Other common methods to waterproof that FAILS.
- Fill connection with dielectric grease then shrink wrap.
- Wrap connection with electrical tape.

Your fuse holder is not waterproof.  Looks it came from an auto parts store. Its best to put your battery in a waterproof box.
 

 
  Agreed that liquid electric  tape is  messy!  I now use it cover any spade connectors I use on my truck.  I've had a few wires end up going bad from corrosion, as back then i didn't know about the stuff.  Everything I wire to my truck now gets that messy stuff, as well as soldered connections.
 

My FF cables aren't permanently mounted, and I use a waterproof Tupperware container for the battery.  Instead of having a disconnect plug, I run my wire straight into the lid of the tupperware, and sealed it with goop.  No need for a battery connector! This way nothing is exposed to the elements aside from the FF connector, which I slather in dialectric grease at all times. Even if the cables were perm mounted, I could still just take off top and remove the battery and box, leave the lid in the yak.