| Lighting and Electrical Equipment Maintenance |
|
Remember to place your batteries on a charger when you get home from shrimping. There is no pain like realizing you don't have any power to run your lights. Use a battery charger like the one we sell here on our site. It will charge the battery until it reaches capacity and then switch to a trickle charging mode to maintain the charge while it remains connected. For your helmet, remember to periodically examine the electrical connections to identify possible corrosion around electrical connections. Salt water in the air has a tendency to corrode terminals a slight green after a season. This will happen even more if you drop your helmet in the water. If you notice a slight bit of corrosion, use a light wire brush to remove the corrosion and then apply an anti-corrosion application like those used for car batteries. Most of the time, the corrosion will simply flake off. You can usually use a Q-Tip and alcohol to do the job. For the batteries and electrical wiring leading up to the helmet, check it to make sure that the wiring isn't dried out or frayed, and that the connections aren't accumulating any corrosion. The terminals on the battery and the connectors should both be corrosion free. Periodically unscrew the headlamp cap and clean out any accumulated salt crystals. While you are there, clean off the lamp lens and the focus mirror with a soft cloth. Examine the light bulb and connections for corrosion. When you are done, take a light silicone or petroleum jelly and lubricate the lens cap o-ring before you screw it back on. This will ensure that no moisture enters the light chamber. |
