Windlass cuts power to 12V System

[Peter3607]

Any idea why my 12V systems cuts outs every time I activate the windlass to lower or raise the anchor?
Every time the windlass is activated, I've noticed my VHF, depth sounder and chart plotter shuts down and comes back on after I release the power to the windlass.

[bud37]

Some ideas based on your observation....I believe it is somewhat normal for electronics to shut down when voltage drops below a certain number even for just a blink of an eye......

.... not enough battery power/reserve maybe batteries going bad
.... the windlass is drawing too much power ( issues )
..... grounding problems...check and clean

These are in no particular order of importance...

[buster53]

My guess...windless draws so much power, battery voltage drops below the minimum needed to run electronics. How old are your batteries? What size are they?

Edit....
I'm guessing the same thing happens when you start your engines, but since the time frame is much shorter, you don't even notice.

[Peter3607]

Thanks for the feedback. I will definitely look at a possible grounding issue and/or test the batteries. I'm not sure on the age or size of the batteries as I had just bought the boat in July. Maybe something on the winter list is to replace the batteries?

[km1125]

Definitely check all the connections on the batteries. You could have some minor corrosion that is causing a big voltage drop when you run the windlass.

Does your windall connect direct to the batteries, or does it connect somewhere else in the system. On my 3607, it connects directly to one of the batteries (#2). If you have a 1/2/all switch, what position do you normally run it on?

If you don't know the history of the batteries, then I would definitely recommend replacing them with known good ones. It's one of the things that ruins weekends or strands people. Having known good ones in there will definitely give you peace of mind and help the troubleshooting process on a lot of issues.

[tomschauer]

I had the same issue a couple years ago. For me it was the power connections at the windless motor the were just a bit loose.

[Peter3607]

I usually leave my battery select on ALL. Not sure if that’s the best position or not though.

[Viper]

Source of the post I usually leave my battery select on ALL. Not sure if that’s the best position or not though.

It's not. It should be switched to select the bank that satisfies the type of load at the time such as start bank for starting the engines and house bank when at anchor. If you leave it on ALL/BOTH all the time then your banks are always combined which is not good for charging purposes or handling loads each battery type wasn't designed for. That also defeats having a multi-bank charger that is designed to charge all banks but keep them isolated from one another so they all charge at different rates based on their needs at the time. When you combine them (ALL/BOTH), they all charge at the same rate which can be detrimental.

[Viper]

I agree with all the above recommendations to check battery power and connections, those are the typical causes. If those end up not being the cause, you may have a failing windlass motor or it may be drawing more current than usual due to an outside influence such as the rode binding somehow or the top works (gypsy) jamming up for some reason.

[Peter3607]

Thanks Viper! I will have to look at the configuration of the batteries and see what is hooked up to what so I can start isolating. Having 5 batteries below and a lot of connections, I'm not sure what the previous owner had established. He only said that he always leaves the selector on ALL. Time to do a little investigating down below.