Did ABYC make a rule change that changed the color of the DC negative wire from BLACK to YELLOW?
A. No. Included in E-9 DC Electrical Systems on Boats since 1996 has been the OPTION of using YELLOW as an alternate color for the DC negative lead. If there is an AC system installed on the boat then the BLACK wire can also be the ungrounded (hot) current carrying conductor. An increasing number of builders are using YELLOW as the alternative to black in the DC conductor to avoid confusion. Confusion, I might add, that could result in a very bad situation when the AC hot is confused with the DC negative. Q. ABYC E-10 requires that I have a 12 Dielectric shield above my battery for the purposes of gassing. I understand this requirement when installing traditional Lead Acid type batteries, however, I am installing gel-type batteries and do not see the need for this spacing. A. First, E-10 does not differentiate between traditional (lead-acid) and newer types of batteries (gel) that minimize or eliminate hydrogen gassing. Keep in mind that a battery is not permanent. At some point in tim
A. No. Included in E-9 DC Electrical Systems on Boats since 1996 has been the OPTION of using YELLOW as an alternate color for the DC negative lead. If there is an AC system installed on the boat then the BLACK wire can also be the ungrounded (hot) current carrying conductor. An increasing number of builders are using YELLOW as the alternative to black in the DC conductor to avoid confusion. Confusion, I might add, that could result in a very bad situation when the AC hot is confused with the DC negative. Q. ABYC E-10 requires that I have a 12″ “Dielectric shield” above my battery for the purposes of gassing. I understand this requirement when installing traditional “Lead Acid” type batteries, however, I am installing gel-type batteries and do not see the need for this spacing. A. First, E-10 does not differentiate between traditional (lead-acid) and newer types of batteries (gel) that minimize or eliminate hydrogen gassing. Keep in mind that a battery is not permanent. At some point i
