remelting old anodes

wotayottie

wotayottie

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It always seems such a waste (and offends my Yorkshire soul) to be throwing away half consumed zinc anodes.

Has anyone remelted and recast anodes? Shouldnt be too difficult since zinc melts at only something like 430C
 
There was a description of the process in one of the mags a couple of years ago, and I know a couple of people who do it regularly. That's why I've got a bucket full of anode bits from the throwaways in the boatyard /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

"When heated, the fumes are highly toxic and may cause fume fever. "

[/ QUOTE ]

If you've ever welded through galvanising you'll know all about zinc fumes, nasty headache to be had.
 
Not to difficult at all, but as others have warned, dont overhaet it, the fumes can kill you, in a former life i had an aluminium smelter, as we found out more about the business the info came out about peeps making mistakes, putting zinc thru the furnace and dying!!
I used to melt carbs in a steel pot with a propane burner, so should be possible with old anodes, use burned sand (if you dont heat it first it will explode when you pour!) to make a mould and pour away!
Stu
 
why does he ? - once half-consumed the logic is that it'll take less than the same time again for the whole anode to go, and hence may as well chnge them at that point rather have another lift after a shorter time than the last in-the-water period.

I know several who have done this, very smoky and gaggy. Probly not worth it but (also being yorkshire) i agree with the OP's sentiment...
 
[ QUOTE ]
once half-consumed the logic is that it'll take less than the same time again for the whole anode to go

[/ QUOTE ] Is it a function of surface area or what? Lot of people seem to chuck them away much less than half consumed.

Also would have thought not too difficult to fit underwater (pref. in warmer waters than here, or in drysuit)

- W
 
Yes, ibeleive it is an issue of surface area, and once slightly-consumed, the surface area obviously massive compared with new anode. I spose anode consumption also a function of erm complicated electrickery things including baffling stray voltage etc etc

Mainly, tho, the issue is the massive cost of another liftout and/or a new prop, against which wasting ten quids worth of anode is (esp for tightwad yorkshire types) very depressing but prolly best option.

Oh and of course, if a yard does it - they just "do the anodes" anyway, same as the engine service bods will swap impellers and chuck away the perfectly-ok old ones
 
Hello
we just use to heat the sand up with a cutting torch, to exclude moisture to stop it exploding.
Stu
 
It's really a question of deciding what counts as preventative maintenance and what constitutes profligacy. I have seen anodes chucked aside that could easily go another season with a bit of a grind and wire brush. Shaft anodes could be replaced in the water, but I wouldn't like to try a hull anode change, unless you could guarantee that the bolts won't move.

Impellers etc are a different story. I recall an "expert" on the contributor list of PBO confessing that his engine packed up because the impeller disintegrated. He further confessed that he hadn't changed it for six years! I know of folk who boast that they haven't had to change their primary fuel filter for three seasons. Now, I always change the impeller at the start of the season and keep the old one as a spare. Fuel filters are done at the same time. Profligate or prudent ? I have never had to work head down in a seaway picking out impeller vanes from pipework and hopefully it will never come to that but, as we all know about boats and boating, if it can go wrong it will go wrong and I just like to shorten the odds a bit.
 
<span style="color:white"> . </span>We just launched with last years' anodes (propshaft and hull) after a wee bit of a wire brushing. Not so much Yorkshireness as lack of time / forgot. If I have to change them and don't want to lift out I will probably just dry out against a wall somewhere.

- W
 
I dangle the old part-eaten anode over the side to augment the area of the fixed one - especially if connected to the mains, or near boats that are.
Connected to the boat's ground system by wire of course...
 
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