Zinc Anode
- Thread starter joker460
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In fresh water, a zinc is essentially worthless. Other metals on the boat, i.e., prop, thru hulls, strut, etc.. will erode faster than the zinc. I assume that the prop is bronze and it's bright pink?
Interesting. I keep my boat in the Chesapeake Bay, in a location where the water is a mixture of both fresh water and salt water. Since the since on my B343 is, unfortunately, so tiny, it's eaten up pretty much in less than 6 months. The thru hulls and prop are not too badly worse for wear, so, I'm supposing the waters not as "salty" as you would find elsewhere in the oceans and seas.
I also attach a guppy, via wire, to the engine block, and leave it dipped in the water while in the slip. I suspect it's helping a bit. I'm wondering if hanging a bit of magnesium with the guppy may be somewhat fruitful, since the concentration of salt water is much less, due to the fresh water that's mixing with it?
Thanks
No, that is not normal for two seasons in fresh water. I guess the first thing to do is figure out what material the anode is made of. After that, figure out why that anode looks like it does.
The anode on my 352 has had very little material loss over two seasons and it spends most of its life in a marina hooked up to shore power.
This link takes you to an article on anodes - http://www.defender.com/html/zincs_info.html
Off topic: What is your opinion of the additional winches you mounted on your cockpit coamings? Were they worth the effort and would you still put them in that location?
The anode is zinc. I ordered another one since they don't make a magnesium one yet. They said they may in the future. Maybe the boat that was docked beside me was leaking current into the water around me.
It's a mystery. It's good that it took the hit!
On the second point. I have used the new winch location for half of the season and I wouldn't go back. Yes I would put them there again even though it took a bit of effort and some knuckle scraping.
Makes single handling a joy. The only reason to go forward now is to tweak the main but since the main only adds a few knots I usually set it and forget it.
Tacking is a joy and I don't even have to use the autohelm. I also don't have to ask guests to move when tacking because they are in the way.
I still have the original equipment in place, in the event I want to go back but I don't think so. The winches were on sale at $632 CDN each so I couldn't pass that up.
Hope that helps.
It's a mystery. It's good that it took the hit!
On the second point. I have used the new winch location for half of the season and I wouldn't go back. Yes I would put them there again even though it took a bit of effort and some knuckle scraping.
Makes single handling a joy. The only reason to go forward now is to tweak the main but since the main only adds a few knots I usually set it and forget it.Tacking is a joy and I don't even have to use the autohelm. I also don't have to ask guests to move when tacking because they are in the way.
I still have the original equipment in place, in the event I want to go back but I don't think so. The winches were on sale at $632 CDN each so I couldn't pass that up.
Hope that helps.
Salt water is a very good conductor of electricity, which is why you need an anode in salt water, because the water becomes your electorlite, and causes rust between dissimaler metals that are not touching each other. Pure water, is a resistor, and wont act as an electrolite, but you are not sailing in pure H20 In salt water, the salt ionizes, and is able to carry electricity from positive to negative, in pure water, no charge can be carried, but their is no such thing as a lake with pure water, their is always going to be something to carry that charge, perhaps much slower, but it will carry, even if you put your boat into a pure water source, your boat would contaminate that water enough for it to carry a charge, from positive to negative.
The water that comes out of your tap, is fresh, but it will conduct electricity, because its not pure, what you could do to see it, is take a couple of wires, and a battery to make up a circuit, with a light buld (you do this as a kid) put the two wires in a jar with distilled water, you wont get the light bulb to go on, then stir in a spoon full of salt, then the light will come on, when you do it with your tap water, you may need something more sensitive than a light bulb to pick it up, like a multi meter set to mili volts. Because tap water dosent resist, it just dosent conduct that well.
The water that comes out of your tap, is fresh, but it will conduct electricity, because its not pure, what you could do to see it, is take a couple of wires, and a battery to make up a circuit, with a light buld (you do this as a kid) put the two wires in a jar with distilled water, you wont get the light bulb to go on, then stir in a spoon full of salt, then the light will come on, when you do it with your tap water, you may need something more sensitive than a light bulb to pick it up, like a multi meter set to mili volts. Because tap water dosent resist, it just dosent conduct that well.
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