Recent content by Steve DAntonio

I'm not saying it's impossible, just unusual to have reliable, consistent and long-lasting continuity of less than one ohm, which you can rely on for cathodic protection. If you test it shortly after a vessel has been run, in a haul out for instance, it might have continuity, but does it last...

Bonding is no guarantor against stray current corrosion, it just makes it less likely. Current is still traveling through water, which is high resistance, and thus enough current flow may not be present to trip a breaker or blow a fuse. Stray current corrosion is statistically rare, much rarer...

I realize copying is convenient, however, I grew weary of sending emails to individuals and websites that were lifting my work, sometimes with attribution and sometimes without, but always without permission. Therefore, I chose to make copying from the site more difficult.

One of several reasons to bond is to mitigate or prevent stray current corrosion. If bonded, there is a more direct, lower resistance path back to the source, which will hopefully cause a fuse to blow, or circuit breaker to trip.

I know I sound like a broken record with these responses but, a reference cell test will tell you everything you need to know, no guess work. More here Reference Cell Testing; Know Thy Corrosion Protection Level – Editorial: Old vs. New | Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting and here...

That's fine too. One weakness with heat shrink terminals is the tendency for them to be pierced by the crimping die, so when they are heated, the pierce grows in size, which means you have a hole in the otherwise waterproof membrane. You should test your crimping tool to make sure this will...

Great South Bay, south shore of Long Island.

Coarse hull "south bay" strainers are fine, the strake variety, but not in place of an internal "fine" strainer. I'm less enthusiastic to the ones with many small holes, as they are easily clogged with growth or anti-fouling paint. Some guidance on external and internal strainers below. Side...

No problem with using heat shrink terminals, however, in the boat building and repair world they are the exception. They are time consuming to install, and more costly for full vessel use. Again, no harm in using them, but it's over-kill to use them everywhere. For wet areas, like bilge pumps...

I would absolutely avoid stainless steel for this application, even 316L. As robust as stainless is, for continuously immersed applications it is prone to crevice corrosion and leakage. I have lost count of the number of stainless raw water plumbing fittings I have seen corrode, leak and fail...

Likewise, Nylon are superior in that they are less likely to crack, and be pierced by an overly aggressive crimping tool, or the person doing the crimps if using a non ratcheting tool. A very common error is to use the non-insulated die for insulated crimps, many new vessels I inspect have this...

It's Karl Fischer test, How to Measure Water In Oil Funny, one poster says, "looks clean" and the other says, "looks like it's been submerged"...:-) None of this should be guesswork. If water has been inside the engine you may see evidence of it under the valve cover (look through the fill...

Data overload to be sure, however, here's a bit more. As a former marine electrician I've written about and blogged on this subject many times. These guides may be helpful. Crimping Etiquette – Editorial: CO Poisoning Misinformation | Steve D'Antonio Marine Consulting Recently released...

That is correct, NL is very demanding when it comes to the parts they will use. Their oil filters have an uprated bypass valve that doesn't open when the oil is cold, which would otherwise allow accumulated and unfiltered debris to enter the oil gallery. Also, be careful with spin on filters...

That's not a Drive Saver, but as others have said, I would still ditch it, these are simply an excuse to avoid proper alignment, and you can't check alignment with the flexible coupling in place. The shaft coupling does not need to be removed, however, if you suspect its face is not...