THEEXPERTS anodes // grid’s rant
ALL ABOUT ANODES
WOULD A “ZINC” MADE OF ANOTHER MATERIAL
STILL WORK AS WELL? OR PERHAPS BETTER?
BY ROGER MCAFEEW
HEN A BOATER says he’s putting new zincs on his boat, I’m reminded of the times
we used to say “let’s go for a beer,” even though almost nobody in the group drank
beer. Scotch or rum was preferred! It was merely an expression. Unfortunately
for many boaters, when they have sacrificial anodes installed, the “zincs” are, in fact, made
of zinc, even though there are sacrificial anodes made of a material that might well do a
better job.
Sacrificial anodes are necessary to combat galvanic corrosion in metal structures.
Boaters most often think of galvanic corrosion, and the problems it causes, in relationship
to boats only. In fact pipelines and most other metal infrastructure projects also have
problems with galvanic corrosion.Galvanic corrosion occurs when two
dissimilar metals are immersed in an
electrolyte. Sea water is a great electrolyte.
Fresh and brackish water also act as
electrolytes, but not with the same vigor
as salt water. When the two dissimilar
metals are immersed in salt water, a flow
of electrons moves from one to the other.
Without getting into to the eye-glazing
electro-chemical details, I’ll simply say this
flow is what causes the corrosion.
A constant push by environmentalists
has created a mindset among many folks
that the metallic zinc, when it dissolves
in water, is not environmentally friendly.
Zinc, in large amounts, has, in fact, been
found to be harmful to marine life, and
that fact has led to pressure in some juris-
dictions to ban the use of sacrificial zinc.
Some zinc anodes also contain cadmium,
a heavy metal that can be a serious health
hazard.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency has a regulation in place that
requires sacrificial anodes on all commer-
cial vessels shorter than 80 feet to be
environmentally friendly “... to the extent
technologically feasible and economically
practical and achievable.” While the word-
ing of the regulation is, legally, nothing
more than a “suggestion,” it does indicate
the likely direction the matter of sacrificial
anodes is heading. This regulation does not
yet apply to pleasureboats.
The EPA also notes “...magnesium is less
toxic than aluminum, and aluminum is less
toxic than zinc.”
Generally speaking, sacrificial anodes
made of zinc work well in salt water,
magnesium anodes work best in fresh
water and aluminum anodes work well in
salt, brackish and fresh water. It appears24 SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017