I experienced some galvanic activity on my Beneteau 373, and had to replace zincs after a very short time. Inspection of the wiring didn't uncover anything unusual, so I think that this was due to electrical problem at the dock or on a boat at the marina where I was at the time.
Being of a paranoid nature, I want to have the means to detect such issues in new marinas before problems happen, and I'm investigating getting a reference electrode.
However, these things are quite difficult to find, and cost several hundred dollars. So here are my questions:
- How long do they last? I gather they're not just one time use, but I read in some places that they may need to be refreshed after some time. Anyone has experience with this?
- EEG electrodes used in the medical field are also silver silver-chloride devices, but of a very different construction. Can they be used for the purpose of galvanic current detection?
They are significantly cheaper (see GrassTechnologies for example - $220 for a box of 10, so you could buy a box and hand them out or sell them to your fellow cruisers) or one could possibly get some used ones from the local hospital.
__________________