How Do I Test & Verify a Short on My Boat Lift?
- 1). Disconnect the boat lift from its power source. When locating a short or open circuit, you are testing the continuity of the wiring only and the digital multimeter will supply all of the low DC voltage required for the test.
- 2). Inspect the boat lift's wiring for loose or frayed wires, or wires with damaged insulation. A simple visual inspection often reveals the most likely location of a short circuit. Touch and gently pull wires that appear loose; this is a frequent cause of shorting.
- 3). Turn the large knob in the center of a digital multimeter to the setting for continuity and diode testing. (See ref 1, "Continuity Test")
- 4). Touch the red multimeter's probe to a terminal -- any point where a wire or electrical component connects to another wire or component (See Reference 1) -- nearest the power source, while you touch the black probe to a terminal on the opposite side of the suspect area.
- 5). Leave the red probe stationary and test the circuits in the suspect area by touching the black probe to the terminal for each circuit.
- 6). Watch the display on the multimeter. If there is a short, the multimeter will verify the short by displaying a resistance greater than 210 ohms for that circuit. If there is no short, resistance will be 210 ohms or less.
Source...