Is it Really Necessary to Unplug Trailer Wiring When Backing Boat Trailer into Water
Question:
I understand that your magnetic actuators are made so they are 100 waterproof and you mention that people use them on boat trailers, but you also state that you should unplug your trailer. Is that for concern that the splices to the magnet may not be waterproof or concern for the assembly. Im a little confused with that statement. Thanks,
asked by: Richard N
Expert Reply:
This is a really great question that we've debated quite a bit here even. So to be safe your best option is to unplug the trailer wiring before backing the boat trailer into the water. This greatly reduces the chances of there being a short. That said, I've been on boat ramps after having this discussion and watched trailer after trailer get backed into the water with the wiring connected and everyone was fine so we realize most aren't worried about it. The brake assemblies themselves like the # 23-458 are sealed enough that they won't have a problem but it is the splices on the wiring of the circuit that typically become problematic.
If you did a great job sealing all of the wiring on the trailer I wouldn't think twice about backing it into water connected. For heat shrink to seal the connections we have the part # DW05451 for 18 to 14 gauge wire or we have waterproof sealing tape part # DW04367.
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