Electrolysis Question

[Tony Meola]

Have a lot going on so we pulled the boat for the winter. The rudder zincs were gone, shaft zincs still intact but almost gone. My next door neighbor pulled his boat and his zinc was gone also as well as another boat on our lagoon. Several others in the water yet, so no idea what they will find.

I know the boat a couple of houses away about 250 feet away from us, had an issue. They had a hose leak and water was flooding the bilge and submerged the battery that starts their generator. It took them several weeks to figure out they had an issue.

So the question, is it possible that a boat 250 feet away with a battery shorting out due to bilge flooding cause enough electrolysis to impact me? I thought it was too far away to cause a problem but I am not electrician so I have no idea how far 12 volt DC will travel in brackish water.

[Bruce]

Doubt that the battery had anything to do with it. When submerged, the battery terminals immediately short and drain the battery. No way its gonna shoot out 250 feet.
I would check the lagoon for stray AC current first at the trouble spots.

I don't know how well you know the neighbors, but if you find voltage, start by tripping the dock breakers in each house one at a time to see if the voltage goes away. Check yours and your neighbors house first.

If none is found then it could be on one of the boats that got pulled. You can also do a grid of what boats got affected and what boats did not and narrow the location down. If a neighbor hasn't pulled his boat yet, then he can perform a voltage leak check at his boat for stray ac or dc voltage.

[Tony Meola]

Bruce

Thanks.

I have a feeling it might be the boat across the lagoon. He has stuff running 24 hours a day. The boat, the hot tub, lights all kinds of crap. Unfortunately I do not know him well enough. He is not the type you make friends with easily.

I will have to talk with the new folks directly across from me. They just moved in over the summer and just pulled their boat. I will see how he made out.

[Bruce]

If you have trouble with your canal neighbor, I know a guy who will solve your issue.

[Rawleigh]

Bruce: What is the best way to test for stray current? Thanks.

[JeremyD]

Is there a good way to test for stray current?

[Tony Meola]

If you have trouble with your canal neighbor, I know a guy who will solve your issue.

His name Joe bag of donuts. Lol

[Ironworker]

If your boat does not have a galvanic isolator installed then install one. The are a couple of hundred bucks or less. Most of these issues are caused by stray AC current.

[Marshall Mahoney]

Tony -- check out my post on alternator short. I have been fighting electrolysis as well -- may have traced it to a bad alternator. Or you can use the same set up and turn on one breaker at a time to see if you are bleeding current somewhere else. From what I have read, stray DC current on your boat or your immediate neighbors boat corrodes anodes faster than AC current. Of course this will only show you major current leaks. Google "reference anode" to check for minor leaks.

[bob lico]

tony you are in jersey check that boat across the way make sure it does not say "stu-gots" on the transom !!! if you see them with galvanize cyclone fence definitely stay away.

[Stephan]

While I understand that AC from a dock neighbor is a frequent cause of electrolysis, I have managed just fine on my own.
A number of years ago I had a bilge pump and float switch both leak current. The faithful here got me straight.
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7359&p=70854&hilit= ... sis#p70854
the testing electrode is available at: https://www.boatzincs.com/corrosion-ref ... specs.html unless you are near Rhode Island in which case you may use mine.

[Tony Meola]

Marshall.

The problem is not me. It is definitely someone using 110 current. It has run the whole length of the lagoon. Nothing has changed on our side of the lagoon. No new boats, no new dock voltage added on.

I am not plugged in so not my 110..

Across the lagoon, new neighbors, added lights to their dock, next to them new neighbors doing extensive renovations and it appears without permits, then we have a neighbors across the way with a new boat. He purchsed a used Galleon. He runs power to it running A.C. 24 hours a day, plus he added a hot tub, and lights...

I am thinking it is one of those three causing the issue.

Stephen, thank you for the reminder, I forgot about one of those tester. I will have to get one for next year when I go back in.

[Tony Meola]

tony you are in jersey check that boat across the way make sure it does not say "stu-gots" on the transom !!! if you see them with galvanize cyclone fence definitely stay away.

Bob

There is a boat out of Point Pleasant with that name.

[bob lico]

really!!!! thats the one and a the new gig a 10' section of cyclone fence
instead of a cement block they wrap the body and drop off in the canyon never become a "floater" nor pul up by a dragger

[Tony Meola]

Well I think I found the culprit. The neighbor diagnolly across the lagoon had an issue he admitted too today. Evidently he had rain water getting into his 110 connection on the boat and he said it shorted out and almost caused a fire. He is the one plugged in 24/7 running all kinds of stuff.

I saw his boat missing, so I asked him what kind of shape his zincs were in. He said he thought they were ok, but he did not see them. He sold the boat and off she went. He did say he had pictures from the survey and he would look at them but I would not hold my breath waiting.

When I explained what was going on he said well my issue was only a one time thing. I am thinking, no that thing was shorting out for a while, like everytime it rained or you washed the boat down and it was probably leaking current. Then he said you know we had some really high tides this year, maybe the salinity of the water changed causing the issue. That is a new one on me. UGH.

Well, the boat is gone, but I am going to be ready to check the water next year when I get back in to make sure there are no stray currents around.

[Ironworker]

There are virtually always stray currents. The mission is to be proactive and protect for them as best you can.

[Bruce]

Tony, you can also take a vom meter and drop a lead into the water and measure for voltage between the water and a ground at your dock box.
You can also check to see if the ground at your dock box is good by driving a clean ground rod into the ground and measuring with the meter set on ohms between the ground rod and dox electrical box ground. There should be a solid connection between the two.

You can check the hot leads of your dock box outlet with a clamp on amp meter but it has to able to read in the milliamp range.

On a 115v box it would be the black lead, on a 220v connection it would be the black and red. White is neutral and is usually tied to ground at the breaker panel unless a ground fault is used.
Most older docks don't use one.
You can always clamp on the white and green to see if there is leakage on them thru a broken or frayed under the ground that would send voltage into your boat connection.

You can check your boat by removing the bonding wire off an object and measuring the current between the bonding wire and the now bond free object such as a thru hull fitting.

You can disconnect dock power and measure and then connect to see if it changes.

Same with dock power, if you measure something, shut the main off and see if it disappears.
Stray currents are common on old docks, canals and boats. If your going thru zincs every 6 months or sooner, especially a transom plate zinc, its time to investigate but if its not you, you have little recourse with a neighbor. Marinas are more strict with getting boats that have an issue thats reported in compliance.

[Tony Meola]

Bruce

That is great to know. I am actually going to print those suggestions out and let people on the lagoon know how to check. I am thinking that it was really his issue not mine.

That you for the information, maybe this one should be a sticky for us.

[Tony Meola]

There are virtually always stray currents. The mission is to be proactive and protect for them as best you can.

Thats True. But you can over zinc also. But when you have a transome zinc, rudder zincs, and two shaft zincs as one of my neighbors does, and they are all gone, then you have more than a stray current.

[Ironworker]

Thats True. But you can over zinc also. But when you have a transome zinc, rudder zincs, and two shaft zincs as one of my neighbors does, and they are all gone, then you have more than a stray current.

Tony,

I probably should have added a little more detail in my post. I was not referring to excessive zinc but, I do have two large transom zincs, shaft zincs and rudder zincs on my boat.

With the rewire of my boat, I'm also adding a grounding plate which I also have on my CC. All tied to the bonding buss. With a shunt installed on your system you can detect stray DC current. Also, I'm separating my powered equipment by separate fused busses. Of course with two different legs switched and unswitched.