Home |
Search |
Today's Posts |
|
#1
posted to rec.boats.cruising
|
|||
|
|||
HELP: Zinc problem Volvo Sail Drive
claus wrote: We have a Volvo MD22L engine equipped with a sail drive. The hull and prop are "supposed to be" protected with: 1) A Large Zinc block attached to the hull just forward of the sail drive and electrically connected to the engine block through the hull. 2) Round Zinc around the propellor shaft - attached to the sail drive 3) 3 small Zincs attached directly to the propellor The problem is that the 3 small zincs erode rapidly - sometimes within 2 months - and sometimes within 4 months...no regular pattern. The other zincs (1 and 2) look brand new after 2 years in the water and obviously do not protect the propellor at all. When the all the zincs were installed at the last haul-out 2 years ago I made sure they were free of any surface oxidation. I have also installed a Galvanic Isolator in an attempt to alleviate the problem - and the boat has been inspected for any stray currents and none found by the Marina staff. The boat next two ours is a derilict without any maintenance whatsoever - but is is also hoohed up to the same shorepower circuit as ours. The Marina staff dioes not think that is the culprit. Any suggestions? cvj .. You mention a Galvanic Isolator. Not sure what that is i.e. does it isolate the shore power earth/ground from the ocean earth/ground of the boat? Am no expert on this but when we had a boat survey done, many moons ago the surveyor seemed most interested in whether some slight corrosion could be due to electric current from the shore supply going to ground/earth via our boat. In other words not 'galvanic' corrosion but that caused by electrical supply 'leakage' through the metallic parts of our fiberglass boat that were in the water? Another way of putting it might be that our boat could providea better 'ground' through its immersed metallics into the seawater than a five foot ground rod some distance away driven into dryish granular soil! One answer is apparently to use an 'Isolating transformer'. Each side of which has its own ground/earth. An isolating transformer can be quite small if it supplies just a small amount of power for the long periods that a boat is unattended/unlived in to operate say a small battery 'refresher' trickle charger and/or one tenth of horsepower tiny bilge pump. But nothing 'heavy' though, such as a fridge etc.. Suggestion anyway. |
Reply |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Forum | |||
Volvo Penta 270 Outdrive, what can it be hooked up to? | General | |||
Velvet Drive Problem | Cruising | |||
Volvo Out Drive Problem (tilt/trim) | General | |||
Volvo Penta 290 Stern drive steering repair kit? | Cruising | |||
Volvo Penta Outdrive problem | General |