Experience with loose wired anodes

[fastcat435]

Can anybody tell me if hanging extra anodes ( grounded ) of a boat help prevent the other anodes to ( prop and saildrive ) to wear away in a slower pace than without the extra anodes ?

Im am sure I have read this somewhere but maybe any of you have experience with this

Thank you

Greetings

Gideon

[Alan Wheeler]

Yes it does slow down. It doesn't stop, as all anodes tied together are seen as one, so all erode at the same rate. But effectively you are increasing the surface area of the anode which is what determines the rate of erosion. However, ensure you do don't over protect as that is just as detrimental as under protection.

[fastcat435]

Thank you Alan
it is what I thought and since it is a lot easyer to replace wired anodes we will go this route.

Gideon

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

Can anybody tell me if hanging extra anodes (grounded )...

The suspended Zinc “fish” is BONDED (not grounded).
Clipping it to the shrouds or railing will only work if the shrouds are also connected to the Bonding system.
You shouldn’t require these supplemental zincs, unless you are experiencing rapid zinc loss (½ eroded in less than about 12 months).
In any case, suspending the extra zinc in close proximity to the metals (or mounted anodes) that you wish to protect, will increase efficacy.

[fastcat435]

These zincs will be located and grounded close to the sail drives/props combination
The idea is not to have to change the sail drive and prop anode so often as is normally the case

Greetings and thanks for your feedback
Gideon

[Alan Wheeler]

It is best to get the anode to as close as you can to the area you are wanting to protect. I remember reading somewhere, about 3ft about three feet at the most away from the area of protection. You need a good size conductor and bolts to bond the cable to a good area. Best is the engine block. But when I was doing this myself, I connected to the rudder post and hung the anode over the back beside the rudder. It was the large steel rudder I was trying to protect till we got to haul the boat, which ended up being nearly 2yrs. We haul annually now and don't use this system.

[fastcat435]

Thank you Alan
Greetings
Gideon