Rodney, This is a condo marina. They will fix the problem but have no
idea how to track it down. Since it directly affects my boat I will
try and assist them in finding the source. That is why I posed the
question. Chuck



Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote in message . ..
On 19 Apr 2004 19:48:16 -0700, (Chuck Baier)
wrote:

Our marina has a problem at some slips with stray current. Some of the
boats are loosing zincs at a fast rate while others are not. Looking
for some help in trying to resolve this and what kind of equipment
will I need. Thanks. Chuck

I don't know what you expect to do. The marina has to fix it. We had
that problem for two seasons. I got a little testing gizmo that plugs
into a grounded receptacle and lights various LEDs to tell what is
happening.

The ground on one whole dock was open. That was over 100 boats. They
did fix it, but I had to have a diver replace zincs partway threough
the season once.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

On 20 Apr 2004 04:28:57 -0700, (Chuck Baier)
wrote:

Rodney, This is a condo marina. They will fix the problem but have no
idea how to track it down. Since it directly affects my boat I will
try and assist them in finding the source. That is why I posed the
question. Chuck


What I did was take the little tester gizmo, along with a pigtail that
converted the dock outlet to an ordinary 3-prong outlet, and plugged
it in to dock posts all over the marina.

In our case it turned out the ground was open over the whole north
dock, which was half of the marina. The south dock was OK. So, the
break was at the connection from the floating dock to the solid.

An open ground may not be the only cause, but whatever it is may show
up with the ground tester.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

On 20 Apr 2004 04:28:57 -0700, (Chuck Baier)
wrote:

Rodney, This is a condo marina. They will fix the problem but have no
idea how to track it down. Since it directly affects my boat I will
try and assist them in finding the source. That is why I posed the
question. Chuck


What I did was take the little tester gizmo, along with a pigtail that
converted the dock outlet to an ordinary 3-prong outlet, and plugged
it in to dock posts all over the marina.

In our case it turned out the ground was open over the whole north
dock, which was half of the marina. The south dock was OK. So, the
break was at the connection from the floating dock to the solid.

An open ground may not be the only cause, but whatever it is may show
up with the ground tester.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

Chuck Baier wrote:

Rodney, This is a condo marina. They will fix the problem but have no
idea how to track it down. Since it directly affects my boat I will
try and assist them in finding the source. That is why I posed the
question. Chuck

You know that, thru the AC ground lead, all boats plugged into the dock supply are connected together. If you have an aluminum
prop and your neighbour, a brass one, you're making a battery together even without problem in the dock wiring. Check if the
boats without problems are all equiped with a brass prop (or marine stainless) and if those who have corrosion issues don't.
It's just a guess but if so, I don't think the problem is with the dock wiring.

Best way to prevent that, in ANY cases, even if no apparent problems are experienced, is not to leave the shore power cord
plugged while you're not aboard. If your batteries can't keep their charge during the time you're not there, then it may be
time to replace them. Anyway, doing this while the marina checks its wiring should prevent any further problems.

Jean Dufour
Montreal, Qc

On Tue, 20 Apr 2004 11:45:59 -0400, Jean Dufour
wrote:

Chuck Baier wrote:

Rodney, This is a condo marina. They will fix the problem but have no
idea how to track it down. Since it directly affects my boat I will
try and assist them in finding the source. That is why I posed the
question. Chuck

You know that, thru the AC ground lead, all boats plugged into the dock supply are connected together. If you have an aluminum
prop and your neighbour, a brass one, you're making a battery together even without problem in the dock wiring. Check if the
boats without problems are all equiped with a brass prop (or marine stainless) and if those who have corrosion issues don't.
It's just a guess but if so, I don't think the problem is with the dock wiring.

Best way to prevent that, in ANY cases, even if no apparent problems are experienced, is not to leave the shore power cord
plugged while you're not aboard. If your batteries can't keep their charge during the time you're not there, then it may be
time to replace them. Anyway, doing this while the marina checks its wiring should prevent any further problems.

When we had the problem, we had no DC connection to the dock. We used
a trickle charger with isolation. We never have had a DC connection,
but when the ground was fixed, the zincs stopped going away.

I don't think you mean "brass" propellors. Brass will self electrolize
in salt water without outside help. Props are made of bronze, SS, or
plastic.



Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

Chuck Baier wrote:

When we had the problem, we had no DC connection to the dock. We used
a trickle charger with isolation. We never have had a DC connection,
but when the ground was fixed, the zincs stopped going away.

Huh? DC to the dock? I presume you meant AC!?

I don't think you mean "brass" propellors.

Indeed, bad translation in my head! ;-)

But still, unpluging the shore power line when not needed can do only good and is a quick fix while the dock issues are addressed.

Jean Dufour
Montreal, Qc

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 10:27:36 -0400, Jean Dufour
wrote:

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

Chuck Baier wrote:

When we had the problem, we had no DC connection to the dock. We used
a trickle charger with isolation. We never have had a DC connection,
but when the ground was fixed, the zincs stopped going away.

Huh? DC to the dock? I presume you meant AC!?


No, I meant the direct coupling of the ground wire. When we used a
trickle charger it had an isolation transformer and was not grounded.
Hence, no DC connection even when there was AC.

Sorry that wasn't clear.




Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a


Capsizing under chute, and having the chute rise and fill without tangling, all while Mark and Sally are still behind you

In article ,
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

On Wed, 21 Apr 2004 10:27:36 -0400, Jean Dufour
wrote:

Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:

Chuck Baier wrote:

When we had the problem, we had no DC connection to the dock. We used
a trickle charger with isolation. We never have had a DC connection,
but when the ground was fixed, the zincs stopped going away.

Huh? DC to the dock? I presume you meant AC!?


No, I meant the direct coupling of the ground wire. When we used a
trickle charger it had an isolation transformer and was not grounded.
Hence, no DC connection even when there was AC.

Sorry that wasn't clear.

Careful, as some of those transformers tie the ground wire to negative
and the shielding.

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 03:27:05 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:


No, I meant the direct coupling of the ground wire. When we used a
trickle charger it had an isolation transformer and was not grounded.
Hence, no DC connection even when there was AC.

Sorry that wasn't clear.

Careful, as some of those transformers tie the ground wire to negative
and the shielding.

--
Maybe so, but this one was isolated. I checked that as soon as I knew
there was a problem. It is easy to check with an ohmmeter.



Rodney Myrvaagnes Opinionated old geezer

Brutal dictators are routinely reelected by 90+%
margins. Only in a truly advanced democracy can
one win an election by a negative 600,000 votes.

On Tue, 27 Apr 2004 03:27:05 GMT, Jere Lull wrote:


No, I meant the direct coupling of the ground wire. When we used a
trickle charger it had an isolation transformer and was not grounded.
Hence, no DC connection even when there was AC.

Sorry that wasn't clear.

Careful, as some of those transformers tie the ground wire to negative
and the shielding.

--
Maybe so, but this one was isolated. I checked that as soon as I knew
there was a problem. It is easy to check with an ohmmeter.



Rodney Myrvaagnes Opinionated old geezer

Brutal dictators are routinely reelected by 90+%
margins. Only in a truly advanced democracy can
one win an election by a negative 600,000 votes.