How I Nearly Blew Up $6k Worth of New Lithium Batteries & the $40 Part that Saved Us (Ep.138)

Morale is high as we complete our Panama Canal transit and enter the Pacific Ocean for the very first time! What a feeling as that last lock gate opens and we shoot out into the Pacific Ocean! What a contrast when compared to how we feel a few days later when we make one of the dumbest mistakes of our sailing career, nearly blowing up $6k of brand new Battleborn batteries. We debated whether or not to include this mistake but decided it’d be best to show it in the hopes that others can learn from our mistake and to showcase the $40 part that saved us!

After a successful transit we tie up at Playita Marina in Panama City and celebrate our successful transit with our friends on Delos and both our crews! After a night of celebrating its time to say goodbye to the crew and get down to some TLC for Calico Skies. While in the San Blas our watermaker showed signs of needing new membranes. We had replacement membranes shipped to Panama City and we uninstall the watermaker to replace them. As usual access to the watermaker includes some boat yoga.

We are super stoked when the next package arrives, a huge upgrade to our power system….six new 100 amp Battleborn Batteries, a DC to DC Charger, and a soft start for our air-conditioner. We get right down to installing the batteries as we are behind schedule as usual. Unfortunately we make a rookie wiring mistake….watch to find out what happens!

0:00 Intro
1:01 Finishing up our Canal Crossing!
6:13 Replacing our watermaker membranes
10:26 New Interior Cushions
13:17 New BattleBorn Batteries!
18:30 Reverse Polarity on our Starter Battery 😳

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