shore power and electrolysis

[skipperhub]

This is not exactly about electronics. Its a subject that boggles my mind but I have a question about the effects of, I guess what you would call "stray electrical currents" on boats where defective shore power hookups are involved. I understand that improper grounding etc can cause accelerated deterioration of the zinc/aluminum sacrificial anodes on boats in close proximity of the boat with the improper grounding, such as at a marina.
I noticed a forty footer with it's shore power cable handing in the water for a good six or more feet before it climbed up to the 30 amp receptical on the dock.
Would this be a source of problems for other boats? Assuming that the insulation is intact and the wire guage is correct, does the hanging wire negatively affect the safety factor of correct grounding? Would this not create a potential hazzard when it is in close proximity to the fuel dock?
Or am I , after all, barking up the wrong piling.

Hub

 

[sparky]

So long as the jacket insulation is in good shape, the water can't even get to the ground's insulation. It shouldn't pose a problem for anyone, but its certainly bad seamanship, and bad juju anywhere near the fuel dock. Imagine someone coming in at dawn for fuel (or leaving) and running it over. There's a possibility of a spark, which could be pretty bad for all involved.

You might want to leave the owner/captain a note, asking them to tend their lines a little better. Its the same as leaving your docklines all over the place. Its not really a hazard in and of itself, but it could be in certain situations.

 

[Megabyte]

Sparky... Is there a device, a probe of some sort, that could be used around the docks to pinpoint a 'hot' boat?

Looking at the condition of some of the boats in my marina, I sometimes wonder how well they are being maintained in the areas I can't see. One of the worst offenders (a sailboat) is right behind me. :roll:

 

[sparky]

Eh, its hard to find a boat with a bad ground, but you can easily check the wiring of the shore power sockets with a standard electrical outlet tester. The biggest thing is to make sure that the ground doesn't go to the water, and instead back to the panel, and into the ground at the panel. If you had access to the other boats, you could check for a broken/bad ground from AC ground to DC ground.

If you are really worried (like we would be if we kept our aluminum landing craft in a marina, or plugged it in at ALL), you can install an isolating transformer on your shore power line.
:EDIT: I forgot to mention, a transformer will protect you from YOUR shore power connection. If the boat next to you has improper bonding/grounding, then you will be even more at risk, as your system will attract their current.

http://www.rjwsurvey.com/Useful_Info/Grounding.pdf is a good read.

If you have a lot of time:
http://www.clihouston.com/news/corrosio ... art-1.html
http://www.clihouston.com/news/corrosio ... art-2.html
http://www.clihouston.com/news/corrosio ... art-3.html
http://www.clihouston.com/news/corrosio ... art-4.html