my3sons
Well-Known Member
- Feb 24, 2009
- 3,046
- Boat Info
- 2004 400DB, Onan 9 kw Generator, Highfield RIB,
- Engines
- Cummins 6CTA M-3
I'll start with we are in the lower Cheapeake now and I can imagine that this place is absolutely gorgeous, but I don't know that yet because ever since leaving Norfolk, it's been windy and raining. We are up the Rappahannock River looking for a little calm from the windy and cold Chesapeake, and it's working, but It's raining so I'm typing.
A while back, someone posted about putting pieces of copper water pipe or tubing in the a/c sea strainers to minimize growth in the system. Being in salt water since last November, I had heard about that, as well as using chore boy copper scrubbing pads, HTH pool tablets and the like. This stuff is all new to me but I assumed (there's that word again) that the salt water guys knew that stuff and who am I to say anything anyway, I'm just a rookie. Well that's crazy thinking, so I may have stumbled onto something that might help a few guys out, if you already know about it, has it worked? Or has it been posted before? if so then you are one up on me, if you don't know, then maybe it can help you out in the future if it works, I'll have to post results.
It involves anodes, and I didn't realize that they can be a pita in a salt environment. Back in December, I picked a day to do a few boat jobs one of which was to change out the pencil anodes on the engines. That half hour project turned into a half day deal because one of the anodes decided to become very stuck to the inside of the after cooler case where the anode plug threads into it. The plug came out just fine, leaving the anode still in the case as the plug threaded off of the anode stud. OK, no problem just reach in there with a long nose vise grip and pull it out. Not exactly, after about a 15 minute fight (of coarse this is the hardest to access anode of them all) I got a little careless and started wacking the end of the vise grip with a small hammer to try and break it free, which it eventually did as well as loosen the grip on the anode stud so that when it broke free, the anode dropped into the aftercooler. Great, sure can't leave that in there so off comes the aftercooler and a couple hours later life is good again. So I'm thinking that was a fluke, never seen that before, probably won't again, after all the other 6 anodes came out just fine. Wrong. Fast forward to end of February in the keys, same deal different day, this time I had 2 stuck, and I had made a few slight modifications after the last incident. Used thread tape on the plug so that I could install them just tight enough so they wouldn't leak but could turn them in a half of turn or so before backing them out in hopes that would "break them free", tightening them extra tight into the plug etc. didn't work, but before getting carried away with the vise grip and hammer, I decided to have a beer and stare at it for a while in the hopes that staring would result in an idea, and beer would result in less swearing and help the process along. After a little thought, I got on my bike and peddled over to the Home Depot in Marathon and started walking up and down the hardware isle and came up with an allthread connector with the correct threads for the anode stud. After returning to the marina, I found out that the connector was too big to fit in the plug hole by about not much, so back to the home depot to buy a little grinding wheel to fit my drill. It took a while, (wish I brought my hand grinder) but eventually I was in, and out came the stubborn anodes by threading the connector over them and tapping with a hammer. Fast forward to a few weeks ago in SC and I have a diver at the boat to do the every month bottom cleaning and we get to talking after words and I ask him based on everything he saw down there, what do I need to know? He starts with, Your bottom is good, as you move north, you can go longer between bottom cleanings. OK, great what else? well, because you have a Sea Ray, you don't need shaft anodes, Sea Rays are good without them. ??? I said well, I have heard that before, and I rarely or never seen them with shaft anodes in the great lakes, but that's different water, and when getting down here (salt) I was starting to see Sea Rays sitting in boat yards with them so I just figured...He said that "yeah, that's what a lot of people do and they will wear if you put them on, but your shafts and props are protected through your bonding system, and if you run the shaft anodes, they can wear to the point where they will loosen and slide down the shaft or even come off, dinging a prop, not worth the risk in my opinion" He went on to say that mine were wearing thin at the bolts, so he took them off and if I wanted my spares put on, he would, but didn't recommend it.
(OK, OK, here's where this rambling post is going)
"But in the future, if you want to use shaft anodes, cover over the sides where the screws are with some of your wifes nail polish, it's where the anode is the thinnest and it won't erode away releasing the tension on the screws allowing it to move or fly off" ???? So my mind instantly starts thinking ok, maybe I wouldn't know about shaft anodes, I'm new to them, but I certainly know that I should never paint over my anodes, it keeps them from doing their job, so why in the heck didn't I think of that for those stupid pencil anodes. So I said, hey, you know I've experienced this problem with my pencil anodes blah, blah, blah and he said that he obviously doesn't do pencil anodes but doesn't see
why it wouldn't work.
So what do you guys think besides that maybe I would have thought of it if I was drinking bourbon instead of beer, a viable option?? Do you all already do this? Do you guys even ever have this problem, I don't recall anyone ever bringing it up before.
I'll let you know if it works. My anodes are painted up with a lovely color that a higher authority tells me goes good with a certain outfit that is not on the boat, give me a couple more months and I'll report back.
Above: left, a 2 year old anode from my home waters, no problem getting stuck there, except they don't do anything
right top: new. right bottom: anode with about 2 months use in the gulf, that full diameter shoulder area is where it does its job, starts to erode,swells up,
seals off, stops eroding and sticks in my a/c's and h/x. The rest of it wears as it should.
Top to bottom: I guess necessity is the mother of invention. wire brush cleans up the threads that fill with partially dissolved anode. not shown: 1/2" pipe thread tap gets the stubborn stuff.
Is the diver right? this one's ready to go if I decide to put them on. Right now there's no anodes on the shaft.
A while back, someone posted about putting pieces of copper water pipe or tubing in the a/c sea strainers to minimize growth in the system. Being in salt water since last November, I had heard about that, as well as using chore boy copper scrubbing pads, HTH pool tablets and the like. This stuff is all new to me but I assumed (there's that word again) that the salt water guys knew that stuff and who am I to say anything anyway, I'm just a rookie. Well that's crazy thinking, so I may have stumbled onto something that might help a few guys out, if you already know about it, has it worked? Or has it been posted before? if so then you are one up on me, if you don't know, then maybe it can help you out in the future if it works, I'll have to post results.
It involves anodes, and I didn't realize that they can be a pita in a salt environment. Back in December, I picked a day to do a few boat jobs one of which was to change out the pencil anodes on the engines. That half hour project turned into a half day deal because one of the anodes decided to become very stuck to the inside of the after cooler case where the anode plug threads into it. The plug came out just fine, leaving the anode still in the case as the plug threaded off of the anode stud. OK, no problem just reach in there with a long nose vise grip and pull it out. Not exactly, after about a 15 minute fight (of coarse this is the hardest to access anode of them all) I got a little careless and started wacking the end of the vise grip with a small hammer to try and break it free, which it eventually did as well as loosen the grip on the anode stud so that when it broke free, the anode dropped into the aftercooler. Great, sure can't leave that in there so off comes the aftercooler and a couple hours later life is good again. So I'm thinking that was a fluke, never seen that before, probably won't again, after all the other 6 anodes came out just fine. Wrong. Fast forward to end of February in the keys, same deal different day, this time I had 2 stuck, and I had made a few slight modifications after the last incident. Used thread tape on the plug so that I could install them just tight enough so they wouldn't leak but could turn them in a half of turn or so before backing them out in hopes that would "break them free", tightening them extra tight into the plug etc. didn't work, but before getting carried away with the vise grip and hammer, I decided to have a beer and stare at it for a while in the hopes that staring would result in an idea, and beer would result in less swearing and help the process along. After a little thought, I got on my bike and peddled over to the Home Depot in Marathon and started walking up and down the hardware isle and came up with an allthread connector with the correct threads for the anode stud. After returning to the marina, I found out that the connector was too big to fit in the plug hole by about not much, so back to the home depot to buy a little grinding wheel to fit my drill. It took a while, (wish I brought my hand grinder) but eventually I was in, and out came the stubborn anodes by threading the connector over them and tapping with a hammer. Fast forward to a few weeks ago in SC and I have a diver at the boat to do the every month bottom cleaning and we get to talking after words and I ask him based on everything he saw down there, what do I need to know? He starts with, Your bottom is good, as you move north, you can go longer between bottom cleanings. OK, great what else? well, because you have a Sea Ray, you don't need shaft anodes, Sea Rays are good without them. ??? I said well, I have heard that before, and I rarely or never seen them with shaft anodes in the great lakes, but that's different water, and when getting down here (salt) I was starting to see Sea Rays sitting in boat yards with them so I just figured...He said that "yeah, that's what a lot of people do and they will wear if you put them on, but your shafts and props are protected through your bonding system, and if you run the shaft anodes, they can wear to the point where they will loosen and slide down the shaft or even come off, dinging a prop, not worth the risk in my opinion" He went on to say that mine were wearing thin at the bolts, so he took them off and if I wanted my spares put on, he would, but didn't recommend it.
(OK, OK, here's where this rambling post is going)
"But in the future, if you want to use shaft anodes, cover over the sides where the screws are with some of your wifes nail polish, it's where the anode is the thinnest and it won't erode away releasing the tension on the screws allowing it to move or fly off" ???? So my mind instantly starts thinking ok, maybe I wouldn't know about shaft anodes, I'm new to them, but I certainly know that I should never paint over my anodes, it keeps them from doing their job, so why in the heck didn't I think of that for those stupid pencil anodes. So I said, hey, you know I've experienced this problem with my pencil anodes blah, blah, blah and he said that he obviously doesn't do pencil anodes but doesn't see
why it wouldn't work.
So what do you guys think besides that maybe I would have thought of it if I was drinking bourbon instead of beer, a viable option?? Do you all already do this? Do you guys even ever have this problem, I don't recall anyone ever bringing it up before.
I'll let you know if it works. My anodes are painted up with a lovely color that a higher authority tells me goes good with a certain outfit that is not on the boat, give me a couple more months and I'll report back.
Above: left, a 2 year old anode from my home waters, no problem getting stuck there, except they don't do anything
right top: new. right bottom: anode with about 2 months use in the gulf, that full diameter shoulder area is where it does its job, starts to erode,swells up,
seals off, stops eroding and sticks in my a/c's and h/x. The rest of it wears as it should.
Top to bottom: I guess necessity is the mother of invention. wire brush cleans up the threads that fill with partially dissolved anode. not shown: 1/2" pipe thread tap gets the stubborn stuff.
Is the diver right? this one's ready to go if I decide to put them on. Right now there's no anodes on the shaft.
