Earthing lines all over the place.

dgadee

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Oct 2010
Messages
4,739
Visit site
The project boat has various earthing lines going to an external hull anode. My feeling is just get rid of them all, and remove the mushroom anode they are connected to. I have only ever had shaft anodes. Am I wrong?
 
Probably OK with just a shaft anode, although it is common to also wire to a hull anode via the gearbox/propshaft if the shaft anodes have a short life or you want to extend life while leaving the boat in the water all year round. I assume the boat has a shaft on a p bracket which is when shaft anodes are used.
 
Your seacocks will not benefit from connection to an anode as except in rare circumstances they cannot 'see' it. In the vast majority of cases they are sufficiently corrosion resistant to stand alone. P-brackets are better painted. Many engines are connected to external anodes under the mistaken belief that internal corrosion will be prevented - a pencil anode is the only way.
My boat came with such wires when I bought it in 1994. My first winter was spent removing them. Still no significant corrosion. I only have a prop anode and a shaft anode.
 
The project boat has various earthing lines going to an external hull anode. My feeling is just get rid of them all, and remove the mushroom anode they are connected to. I have only ever had shaft anodes. Am I wrong?
Your description is a bit vague. So just to throw in the curved ball. You don't by any chance have a Galvanic isolator connected to that anode??
 
Your description is a bit vague. So just to throw in the curved ball. You don't by any chance have a Galvanic isolator connected to that anode??
No, the systems - except for a network - are all a bit backward in time - just a lot of wires coming from various places onto the anode. There isn't even protection on the incoming 240v so a glavanic isolator is not in evidence,
 
Top