Testing a Boats Galvanic Isolator

My zinc anodes appeared to be wearing away at a much faster rate than anticipated so I jumped in the bilge and with some basic tools and multimeter I tested my Prosafe Zinc Saver to ensure it was working properly.

If you need a new Galvanic Isolator/ zinc saver, click this link:

[danielazzopardi]

2 very important things to note. Yes your galvanic isolator works and is showing the voltage drop of 0.9 VOLTS (not ohms as you said), across its diodes.
Secondly, your issue is with the Bonding cables themselves. The copper strands crimped in the connector terminals are BLACK, and the connector rings are scaled and need cleaning or replacement!

[ntal]

The diode check is NOT OHMS it is voltage drop across the leads(The meter sends a small voltage out) Second I noticed your copper in the earth line has turned black @1:41 ... there is your Replace your green earth wires... both of them.

[BoatingJourney]

Interesting product. We had a marina neighbor who was hot and we had to replace our zincs every 3 mo!!

[ralphmilroy]

Your zinc saver works fine, your test is valid, but your interpretation needs a slight adjustment. The multimeter diode test measures voltage drop, not resistance. The stray current needed to bridge this device (and wear your zincs) would have to exceed your .9 volts. Most of your stray current will not exceed millivolts, this device will block that current keeping it bonded to the service ground. This device blocks stray current from your drive unless it exceeds .9 volts (well below any safety threshold). I do appreciate your tutorials. I would not been familiar with this zinc saver without your video. 40 years ago, I took the class on how to calculate the voltage drop across a diode junction. Since then, I use the diode function on my multimeter.🙂

[shadesofgold]

Coming from fresh water to salt, you’re gonna definitely be surprised how quickly zincs erode away. If you’re in all year, definitely pull every few months just to swap em out. Up here in the northeast, by the end of the season in October, they’re just about gone

[sailorman]

Don’t use Camp…use ZIMAR anodes. They are based in Davie, Florida and have found them to have superior quality. When anodes protect, they get eaten away. Still, it’s good to use the galvanic isolator as per the video to avoid stray currents entering through the ground line of shore power and eating away your anodes or other metals being protected.

[Hans-kn]

Did you check the wiring behind the zincsaver? The white cover seems to be overheated so the connection can be bad and can cause fire. Please check

[RF-cing]

Hi, I have the same issue and tested as you did but got a reading on both sides of 1.064v and 1.061v respectively. Is that an issue?

[NautiGrandpa]

Problem is that you can do everything perfectly and your neighbor can have stray current and destroy your props.

[srg]

What I don't get is why these devices are so big and expensive, when essentially they are just a couple of very inexpensive and small (say 16A) diodes back to back? Thanks