Steaming light issue

[Harry2k]

I have a San Juan 28 and recently I noticed that my steaming light has died. I assume its either the bulb, the connection inside the housing or the wiring but before I climb the mast to check the fixture and bulb, I was wondering how best to trouble shoot the wiring. My mast is deck stepped with the butt end fitting over a sleeve. The last time I pulled the mast and checked the wiring - 5 years ago - all was well. Wires are run through a piece of conduit on the forward side of the mast. Wires are then connected inside the sleeve to the internal wiring which is threaded through the compression post and then run back to the radio (VHF antenna cable) or the DC panel switch for the steaming light, the only mast light I have. A simple set up. The only problem is that I can't access the internal-mast connections without pulling the mast. Can I check the integrity of the wiring circuit from the panel connection?

[capt jgw]

Sounds like you can only access the wires at the panel? If so there's not much you can check. You can check for continuity between the + and - wires, but a burned out bulb and broken wire would give the same resulting no continuity. If there is continuity, that could indicate a short as would continuity between either wire and the mast itself (you'd need a longer wire on the meter and a maybe helper to check that). Pretty much you'll have to go up with a new bulb to know.
This whole mess is why I moved my steaming light down to about six feet above deck. I can change the bulb without climbing and it's the only light on the mast that's legally required if I use my auxiliary deck level anchor light. Steaming light only needs to be one meter higher than the red/green sidelights. Putting it 20 or 30 feet up serves no real purpose.

[Harry2k]

Good advice on repositioning the steaming light. In the mean time looks like I've a trip up the mast in my near future

[Don C L]

I wired mine the same way. My best guess is the bulb, because there probably is not a problem with the connections in the mast. The next thing I'd bet is the wiring in the fixture itself is corroded. In either case, yep, up the mast with ya!

[Harry2k]

Yeah, up I go.

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Harry2k

Wires are then connected inside the sleeve to the internal wiring which is threaded through the compression post and then run back to the radio (VHF antenna cable) or the DC panel switch for the steaming light, the only mast light I have.

No anchor light? I am working on getting a trailer sailor to be able to 'overnight' so I am adding an anchor light.