questions on how to power a fish finder.

[Mr. NiceGuy]

Originally Posted by aznative96

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.

Do I have to be cautious about using too much dielectric grease on the FF connectors to avoid interfering with connectivity? Or is that a non-issue when the contact surfaces are twisted into place? Will dielectric grease protect connectors from salt water corrosion? Would it be proper application to fill up the sockets with a big dollop of grease so excess squeezes out when they are screwed together, thereby keeping the salt water out? (That was my original plan before I was warned not to.)

I have heard conflicting "shop talk" about this from fishermen who are not electrical engineers.