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Originally Posted by Mr. NiceGuy
I don't know about the other companies, but I can say that the customer service from Lowrance is no less than amazing. Saltwater can be brutal on any electrical connections. Lowrance has always backed up their products for me absolutely.
I splurged for the bigger viewing area of the Elite-5, which I think is minimum and perhaps optimal for the limited space on my Outback. Smaller would make me woozy trying to watch the details bouncing around in a kayak while I'm trying to concentrate on fishing.
Because this equipment is sensitive and expensive, I carefully wash down all electrical connections after every trip to get the salt off, including my bait tank switch. Then I blast the water off the plugs and out of the sockets with an air bottle. (I disassemble and clean my bait tank pump as well to remove any eel grass.)
I'm not sure to what extent it helps, but after cleaning salt off I spray connections with electrical contact cleaner and contact lubricant.
I am less certain about using dielectric grease because it is non-conductive. I tried it without problems, then stopped. Perhaps someone here can advise me about this. I'm also curious about treating electrical connections with WD40, since it's original purpose was as a desiccant to displace water.
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I use 2 15Ahr SLA to power my Homemade livewell, Hook 7, and LED Nav lights. I get a full day without any problems.
Sounds like you are doing great with cleaning your equipment after saltwater exposure.
Dielectric grease is technically non-conductive but the use is to help keep any water out of the way of the electrical connections not to help make the connection. Think of the light bulb being pushed into the socket with a 1/4 turn. The contacts are what let it work.
As far as WD-40, it is a water displacement fluid (WD=water displacement) but it isn't a desiccant. It can help prevent water on your contacts because it is fish oil based and can stick to contacts helping keep water from being on the contacts. I would recommend the dielectric grease over contact cleaner and WD-40.