GROUNDING (BONDING) PLATE QUESTION

[offshore27ns]

can a typical zinc be used to complete the bonding system or is there a special plate that must be used for the system to work effectively?

[Elusive]

If you are talking about bonding thru hull fittings, etc., yes they are usually connected to a hull-mounted zinc. If you are talking about a ground plane for electronics, I'm not sure if a zinc is used

[offshore27ns]

yes, the thru hull bonding sytem for the fuel tank/electrical sytem etc.

[Elusive]

Looks like bonding is a fairly complicated subject. I looked at several sources on the net and found contractictory info. Apparently separate systems must be kept isolated from each other & not bonded together. In other words the AC & DC grounds are isolated. They are also isolated from the RF bonding system and any bonding of thru hulls.

It appears that although the fuel system components must be bonded together, they are not connected to the bonding system for thru hulls.

Here are a couple of links that I found:

http://www.sailmail.com/grounds.htm

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/ref...eckRepair.html

http://www.islandnet.com/robb/marine.html#BondingSystem

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/ElectricalSystems.htm

[Brewhedd]

I believe what is meant by a bonding system is tying your zincs together. They are not connected to any part of your electrical sytem.

[t3rockhall]

For electronics, esp. Marine SSB, ham radio or even CB, use a DYNAPLATE. It's made of sintered copper (sort of like zilllions of copper spheres all stuck together - which lets the salt water touch a whole lot more surface than a smooth copper plate)

[offshore27ns]

t3rockhall - 4/9/2006 10:10 PM

For electronics, esp. Marine SSB, ham radio or even CB, use a DYNAPLATE. It's made of sintered copper (sort of like zilllions of copper spheres all stuck together - which lets the salt water touch a whole lot more surface than a smooth copper plate)

What about for the bonding system on the fuel tank??? WOuld this be the right one as well

[t3rockhall]

For RF, presenting a large surface to the water is what's important.

You can attach the fuel tank to the bonding system, and my old monel tank was so attached.

Personally, I never bothered hooking up the individual bronze through-hulls to the dynaplate or each other, and never suffered any ill effects on my old Pearson (which I had for more than 20 years). I believed (rightly or wrongly) that each through hull was insulated from everything else by the fiberglass, and the components of bronze were close enough on the galvanic scale to prevent galvanic corrosion (unlike BRASS) which is copper and zinc and "dezincifies" which destroys it. Indeed, that's why BRONZE is used for underwater fittings. Please don't confuse the two metals, and never, never use BRASS plumbing fittings on a boat used in salt water.

[Mac25]

really should read and study the link supplied as i am with him

Elusive - 4/9/2006 6:13 PM

Looks like bonding is a fairly complicated subject. I looked at several sources on the net and found contractictory info. Apparently separate systems must be kept isolated from each other & not bonded together. In other words the AC & DC grounds are isolated. They are also isolated from the RF bonding system and any bonding of thru hulls.

It appears that although the fuel system components must be bonded together, they are not connected to the bonding system for thru hulls.

Here are a couple of links that I found:

http://www.sailmail.com/grounds.htm

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/ref...eckRepair.html

http://www.islandnet.com/robb/marine.html#BondingSystem

http://www.yachtsurvey.com/ElectricalSystems.htm