09/20/2007 07:54:57 PM
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LittleDocToo
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: 09/19/2007
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When swimming in water, you can feel a tingle in water when you get
within 1 foot of my aluminum hull houseboat. I have been all
around the boat and touched the boat in or out of the water and you
feel nothing. Only when you are floating in the water and not
touching anything. I have had it checked and every
electrician says it is not my boat. The marina says it is not
his marina and I will not push it because I don't want to be ran
off.
IT IS NOT MY BOAT AND HE SAYS IT IS NOT HIS WIRING SO A SOLUTION IS
OUT OF THE QUESTION. My question is how do I protect my
aluminum hull. I have zincs on the outboard engines and one
of the zinc fish suspended over the side and connected to a bolt.
I had the boat pulled a month ago and my hull is in great
shape despite feeling this current for about 3 years. DO I
NEED TO ATTACH MORE ZINCS?
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09/20/2007 08:49:48 PM
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
Super moderator
Posts: 1520
Joined: 10/18/2002
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You could have a life threatning situation. Does the problem exist when your unplugged??
Get a GOOD marine electrician involved.
http://www.boatered.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=94685
http://www.islandnet.com/robb/marine.html
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
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09/20/2007 09:23:59 PM
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BananaTom
Admiral
Posts: 968
Joined: 12/05/2006
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Try using your own meter to check it, $15.00 at Radio Shack or the like. Set it on AC and DC settings and at all levels of power i.e. 24 volts to 110 volts, at various times during your investigation. Touch the hull with the positive lead from your electrical meter and then touch a ground source from a shore power.
If an electric current is straying from your vessel, this will indicate if it is your boat, or not. If you read any voltage at all, it is the boat.
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Banana Tom
Edited: 09/20/2007 at 09:25:47 PM by BananaTom
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09/20/2007 09:27:45 PM
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BananaTom
Admiral
Posts: 968
Joined: 12/05/2006
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Hey Rod,
You must have been on a road trip, havent seen you here for a week or so, welcome back.
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Banana Tom
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09/28/2007 06:24:23 PM
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LittleDocToo
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: 09/19/2007
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Sorry for delay in responding. It is not there when unplugged
or generator is running. I have had electrician check and they say
it is the marina's electrical system. He is not going to do
any more than he has and I am not going to rock the boat. He
may decide that having a houseboat with shore power is too
expensive. It is not dangerous because I have been in the
water and touched everything. My question is not what the
problem is?
I know. My question is: How can I protect my boat from
corrosion due to the electric current. I have some
sacrificial zinc diodes on the engines and a drop over the side
zinc fish connected to a bolt on the hull. Do I need more
zincs or are there other things I can do? Thanks.
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09/28/2007 06:27:02 PM
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LittleDocToo
Junior Member
Posts: 3
Joined: 09/19/2007
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I have had it checked. It is not my boat. The marina
operator says it is not his shore power system. He is not
going to accept responsibility and I am not going to push it or I
may be looking for a home.
My question is: How do I protect the hull from corrosion
caused by the current? The current is not dangerous, but it
could damage my hull.
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09/28/2007 07:41:13 PM
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
Super moderator
Posts: 1520
Joined: 10/18/2002
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The current IS dangerous.
However: AC won't eat your boat like DC. For DC protection consider a galvanic isolater.
To truly be safe consider an isolation transformer. This is the gold standard for metal boats.
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
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10/01/2007 12:48:30 PM
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alreadygone
Admiral
Posts: 792
Joined: 02/07/2004
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Get tight-arse dock owner to fix HIS problem, pay out of your pocket to fix his dock, SELL THE BOAT, OR MOOVE THE BOAT!!!! While the good lord looks over fools and small children, he'll eventually get tired of this foolishness and let somebody get killed!
best of luck,
Bob
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I carry a gun because it's too tiring carrying a cop.
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10/01/2007 04:20:28 PM
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Skallywag
Member
Posts: 154
Joined: 09/22/2003
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Originally posted by: alreadygone
Get tight-arse dock owner to fix HIS problem, pay out of your pocket to fix his dock, SELL THE BOAT, OR MOOVE THE BOAT!!!! While the good lord looks over fools and small children, he'll eventually get tired of this foolishness and let somebody get killed!
best of luck,
Bob
Yea.....what he said.
Electricity is lethal.
Edd
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Chance Favors The Prepared Mind!
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10/02/2007 02:34:09 PM
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houseboat8972
Admiral
Posts: 307
Joined: 05/05/2006
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Sounds an awful lot like a reverse polarity issue.
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10/02/2007 06:00:53 PM
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
Super moderator
Posts: 1520
Joined: 10/18/2002
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I'd look for an open ground.
Get a meter and do this: (shore power receptacle - boat unplugged)
Hot to neutral should read 120 volts or there about's.
Hot to ground should read 120 volts or there about's.
Ground to neutral should read zero volts.
If you don't find a problem here, plug in your boat and check your boat receptacles.
Report back to us.
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OLD HOUSEBOATER
Edited: 10/05/2007 at 04:36:13 PM by OLD HOUSEBOATER
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10/02/2007 07:51:57 PM
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Ike
Admiral
Posts: 264
Joined: 07/24/2006
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I have been dealing with this for over 25
years and have seen to many people killed by current in the water
from bad wiring. If it is not coming from your boat or any of the
boats around you then it is coming from the marina, and it is
dangerous. Get it fixed or move.
I have been racking my brain to figure out who
to report this to but the best I can think of is to call the Coast
Guard Office of Boating Safety in HQ. Talk to Dick Blackman
202-372-1077 or to Phil Cappel (The boss) at 202-372-1077 or e-mail
them.
Philip.J.Cappel@uscg.mil or
Richard.A.Blackman@uscg.mil. They can't legally make this
idiot do anything but they can exert a hell of a lot of pressure
and sic the local authorities on them too. Also you might want to
call the local fire marshal and building codes inspectors. This is
a violation of the National Fire Protection Association Standards.
The fire dept and building inspectors live by those codes.
The marina operator is also probably in violation of his business
license as well.
Do it now! Either someone will get killed or
it will start eating every boat in the marina and it will only get
worse. AND STOP GOING IN THE WATER. The person who gets
zapped just might be you. It only takes 5 millamps to stop your
heart and kill you.
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Ike "Don't tell me I can't. Tell me how I can!" New Boat Builders Home PageMy Boating Safety BlogMy Boat Building News Blog
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