I was flushing engine zincs every 90 days for 5 years before a mechanic friend set me straight

Dude at the marina next slip saw me pulling anodes after a season and asked why I was throwing money away. Turns out I was running them way too long and letting them get half eaten before swapping. He showed me his chart where he checks voltage drop between the zinc and the hull with a cheap multimeter. Now I pull them when the reading hits 0.3 volts difference instead of some arbitrary calendar date. Anybody else been doing this wrong for years or was I the only one?

2 comments

2 Comments

jessicaw1112d ago

Hang on, are any of you checking the actual water temperature where you keep your boat? I used to swap mine on a strict schedule too, but then I noticed my buddy in the cold water up north could leave his anodes in for like twice as long as me down here in the warmer southern slip. The chemistry of the water really changes how fast they eat away, and voltage drop readings could be different too based on that. I started tracking my water temp alongside the multimeter readings and found a clear pattern.

nora53512d ago

Well ain't that a kick in the pants. Guess my timer method isn't gonna cut it now I gotta be a marine biologist too.