Hull - Areas of concern...

[ganter]

Went down to the boat today - with suitable warm clothing.

Whilst cleaning out the bilges I took these two pics.

The first is the wiring from the sacrificial anode and as you can see there are three wires coming from the two bolts.



Wire 1 goes to the prop shaft

Wire 2 straps on to the engine gearbox inboard of the prop

Wire 3 has come undone from whatever it was attached to.

Any ideas what wire 3 should attach to? It's spare end reaches as far as the sump of the engine.


Pic two is the condition of the port cockpit drain hull piercing stopcock.



Any ideas why it's gone blue and is growing salt? The lever is well siezed. Should I try and free it and clean it up or leave well alone until out the water and repolace???

Cheers chaps.

 

[vyv_cox]

Wire three - P-bracket?

Pic two. The salt and blue colour is the result of a significant leak, apparently where the elbow screws into the valve. I would be wary of trying to move such a badly corroded example as it may well break off in your hand. Replace the lot would be my advice.

 

[ganter]

I did think P-bracket but the wire is much to long. It also runs down under the engine.

 

[Martin_J]

Under the engine and then back to the p-bracket!

As to the replacement.. Replace rather than free up.. and do this when out of the water.

BTW - The connection does not look very straight at the left hand end of the valve. Are they actually screwed together or just glued - perhaps best not to find out.

 

[Tranona]

Probably the seawater intake, but not needed unless the feedpipe to the engine is copper.

 

[ganter]

Under the engine and then back to the p-bracket!

As to the replacement.. Replace rather than free up.. and do this when out of the water.

BTW - The connection does not look very straight at the left hand end of the valve. Are they actually screwed together or just glued - perhaps best not to find out.

Straight enough. I think it's the photo.

Here's another.

Thanks for looking.

 

[alahol2]

Straight enough. I think it's the photo.

Here's another.

Thanks for looking.

View attachment 39251

That seacock looks like it has got an anode wire attached.

 

[ganter]

That seacock looks like it has got an anode wire attached.

It has. So has the starboard one and the raw water inlet. They all connect to each other and I'm thinking that's where the third wire off the anode comes in.

Would that make sense? to complete the circuit- as it were? so that basically the anode is connecting to every hull piercing? - bearing in mind that the two cockpit drain stopcocks are cheap and nasty but screwed onto bronze through-hull piercings and the raw water inlet is all bronze.

HELP!

 

[Tranona]

Yes, as I suggested above. Not necessary to connect skin fittings to the anode, although it is often done. However these fittings are not normally connected electrically to other metals so do not need an anode.

 

[ganter]

Yes, as I suggested above. Not necessary to connect skin fittings to the anode, although it is often done. However these fittings are not normally connected electrically to other metals so do not need an anode.

How about this "third wire" then? It's got to be engine somewhere?

 

[Tranona]

No. No reason to connect it to the engine. The normal purpose of the hull anode is to protect the stern gear, particularly the prop attached to the shaft. That is what the connection to the shaft is for. There is often a connection to the gearbox to connect up to the shaft, although if you have a flexible coupling this will need bridging to complete the circuit. If the engine needs an anode it will be part of the engine, either in the block or the heat exchanger. Not all engines need anodes, but you should check with your handbook.

Pretty sure your third wire will have been to the water inlet then connected to the other skin fittings, but really not necessary.