On Mar 4, 12:58*am, "BruceM" wrote:
seawater?.... Acid?
*(Seawater ph is limited to the range 7.5 to 8.4)
7.0 is nuetral. Above is Alkaline, below is Acid.

"Larry" wrote in message

...



Hanz Schmidt wrote in
:

What would make a zinc dissolve while at sea?? *We have no generator or
inverter.

A zinc screwed directly to the other metal parts like your prop, forms a
shorted battery with sea water as the electrolyte. *The zinc is
CONSTANTLY being eaten away as long as the boat is in its corrosive sea
water bath. *At sea, away from the added marina leakages, the temperature
of the bath and varying salinity cause the rate the battery runs, eating
its zinc plate to change.

Would a SSB cause it?

No, the battery runs quite well 24/7 on its own.

No other boat or land around..

Yes, just the acid bath of sea water. *It eats all metal it touches.

Hanz- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

OK; so it is an alkaline battery; as were the original Le Clanche
cells.
Also regular 'alkaline' batteries have a zinc outer casing, alkaline
contents and a positive carbon centre electrode.
On a boat you have a zinc electrode, alkaline sea water, and the other
electrode is anything metallic etc. connected inside the boat by any
means such as wiring or through equipment etc. is the other
electrode.