Hi all,
It's been a long, but not cold winter here in New England. I just started working on Crème Brûlée this week, and I noticed that the boat's grounding plate is encrusted with more barnacles than usual, as well as a thick, white fuzzy crystalline deposit. I've never seen anything like that before.
Could it mean that I've got a voltage leak?
/Users/joesmacbook/Desktop/Groundingplate.jpeg
Do I have a voltage leak? If not, what happened?
Moderator: Jim Walsh
-
Joe Myerson
- Posts: 2216
- Joined: Feb 6th, '05, 11:22
- Location: s/v Creme Brulee, CD 25D, Hull #80, Squeteague Harbor, MA
Do I have a voltage leak? If not, what happened?
Former Commodore, CDSOA
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
Former Captain, Northeast Fleet
S/V Crème Brûlée, CD 25D, Hull # 80
"What a greate matter it is to saile a shyppe or goe to sea."
--Capt. John Smith, 1627
Re: Do I have a voltage leak? If not, what happened?
Hi Joe,
I had the same thing on Tiara several years ago. When I removed the old grounding plate it crumbled apart in my hand like an oatmeal cookie. I swapped in a new grounding plate, and made no changes to the electrical system. The new plate has been fine ever since. As a heads up - the bolt spacing on the new plate is different from the old one, despite being same brand/size. This required filing one of the old holes, and drilling a new one to accommodate the new plate.
Best
John Ring
CD36 Tiara
I had the same thing on Tiara several years ago. When I removed the old grounding plate it crumbled apart in my hand like an oatmeal cookie. I swapped in a new grounding plate, and made no changes to the electrical system. The new plate has been fine ever since. As a heads up - the bolt spacing on the new plate is different from the old one, despite being same brand/size. This required filing one of the old holes, and drilling a new one to accommodate the new plate.
Best
John Ring
CD36 Tiara
Sailing involves the courage to cherish adventure and the wisdom to fear danger. Knowing where one ends, and the other begins, makes all the difference.
Re: Do I have a voltage leak? If not, what happened?
Following.
When hauled out last fall I noted the ground plate had some white powdery deposits. Also the Perry Nut anode was completely gone. I had checked the Perry Nut late summer and it was only moderately depleted but by early November it was gone. Boat is on a mooring normally, but was docked for a week or two at a busy commercial marina before being hauled. Could stray currents at the marina affect my purely DC system with no connection to the dock other than dock lines? Afraid of the ground plate becoming the sacrificial anode and falling apart, as John described.
Cheers,
When hauled out last fall I noted the ground plate had some white powdery deposits. Also the Perry Nut anode was completely gone. I had checked the Perry Nut late summer and it was only moderately depleted but by early November it was gone. Boat is on a mooring normally, but was docked for a week or two at a busy commercial marina before being hauled. Could stray currents at the marina affect my purely DC system with no connection to the dock other than dock lines? Afraid of the ground plate becoming the sacrificial anode and falling apart, as John described.
Cheers,
Keith
CD25D "Darter"
Narragansett Bay
CD25D "Darter"
Narragansett Bay