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Electrical System
GENERATOR ENGINES PRODUCE CARBON MONOXIDE WHICH
IS A LETHAL, TOXIC GAS THAT IS COLORLESS AND ODORLESS.
IT IS A DANGEROUS GAS THAT WILL CAUSE DEATH IN
CERTAIN LEVELS. ONLY OPERATE THE GENERATOR IN WELL
VENTILATED AREAS AND NEVER OPERATE THE GENERATOR
WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING.
6.10 Bonding System
& Galvanic Isolator
Your boat is equipped with a bonding system that
interconnects all underwater metal hardware and
thru-hull ttings to ensure that they are of the
same electrical potential. Anodes are attached to
the bonding system at the transom, the engines
and could be installed on the trim tab planes if
your boat is kept in the water. There is also an
anode in the seawater cooling system for the gen-
erator. The anodes deteriorate before the other
metals, thereby protecting the underwater metals
from galvanic corrosion or stray electrical current.
Since the anodes are sacricial, it is important to
monitor them and replace them when they have
deteriorated to 50 - 75% of their original size. The
bonding system is connected to the DC ground
and the earth ground wire for the AC electrical
system. It provides a path for dangerous short
circuits in the AC electrical system to the safety
earth ground in the event of a fault in the shore
earth ground connection and when the boat is
away from the dock.
When the boat is connected to shore power at a
marina or city dock, all boats connected to shore
power are connected to a common shore safety
Transom Anode
earth ground connection. This circuit provides
essential protection against electrical shock from
faults or short circuits in AC electrical equipment
and, unfortunately, provides a path for low voltage
galvanic current to ow between the bonding sys-
tem of other boats in the circuit. If one or more of
the boats in the circuit has a stray current electri-
cal problem or is not equipped with proper galvanic
protection, it will seek protection from your boat’s
bonding system through the safety ground circuit.
This could cause accelerated deterioration of the
anodes and/or severe damage to the underwater
hardware. To prevent damage from other boats
in the circuit, a galvanic isolator is installed in
the shore ground circuit that isolates your boat’s
bonding system from the other boats. It prevents
the ow of low voltage galvanic current while still
providing a path for dangerous short circuit cur-
rents in the AC system to the shore safety ground.
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