Bonding system cleanup and repair

[BarryK]

Hi all,

I just cleaned the bilge and it is time to address the bonding system on this 31 year old salt water boat.

All of the bonding connections and bus bars are green with corrosion. I will check the ohms with a meter. What is the best way to clean off the corrosion? Will I need to cut off the ring terminals and put on new ones? Should I replace the screws and washers that connect the ring terminals to the bus bars? Are these brass or some other material?

The system is working I guess since the large zinc on the back of the boat is being consumed normally.

Thanks,
Barry

[km1125]

Probably not brass. Either silicon bronze or tin plated copper. If cleaning tin plated copper with an abrasive (sandpaper, scotchbrite, etc) you just need to be careful you don't cut all the way through the plating.

The best way would probably be to scrub with a light acid (maybe something like a strong vinegar or muratic acid) and a stiff bristle bush, rinse with clean water and dry. Then remove the connector and scrub lightly with a green Scotchbrite pad. Replace the connector if it's badly corroded and you can cut the wire back enough to get to clean metal. Then put the whole thing together and coat with something like T-9 or another corrosion-blocker.

[Viper]

Unless your connectors are the adhesive lined shrink type or have that as part of the finished connection, your wiring will have the green death a fair bit through the wiring starting at the connector. As mentioned, it's best to cut away all that until you don't see any more corroded wire. For all the time it'll take you to clean the buss bars, it's easier to just buy new ones. They shouldn't be that expensive as they're not high current units. Then I would coat them and the connectors with liquid tape after everything is hooked up. Do this at both ends of each wire and the connecting point at each piece of hardware you're bonding. Some guys will also clean up the hardware and spray a lacquer coating or similar product to delay the effects of corrosion.

[bud37]

Fine sandpaper/emery cloth with some time and patience......of course test your results , ohm level......if a lot of resistance is encountered then further inspection is needed.......good luck in that bilge..

[BarryK]

Would an acid like Lime Away or Naval Jelly be OK to use? Maybe wrap with Saran and let it soak for a while?

[km1125]

I've never used Lime Away, but it might work just fine as might something like CLR. Naval Jelly is intended for ferrous metals, but it should be OK. Loctite makes another version of Naval Jelly that's called "Aluminum Jelly" that's gears towards non-ferrous metals, but I'm not sure of the differences in the two. It also has phosphoric acid.

As for 'letting it soak'... I wouldn't leave it there too long. I think it's better to periodically brush it around so you get 'fresh' material on the corrosion. Maybe work a few different locations at a time and circulate between them every few minutes until those are done and rinsed off, then move onto the next set.

When working with non-ferrous metals, avoid using steel wool or a steel wire brush. Better alternatives are a stainless steel or bronze/brass brush, or bronze or scotchbrite pads as abrasives.

[BarryK]

Thanks so much everyone! I will report back after I check the resistance with a multimeter.

Barry