Exactly when do you need a galvanic isolator on your boat?
Our next-door neighbour at the marina asked us exactly that recently. It’s a great question. The name sounds seriously technical, but the idea is really straightforward.
When you plug your boat into an electric hookup, the earth wire connects your boat’s underwater metalwork to other boats and metalwork around the marina, and that connection can allow small, unwanted currents to flow, causing galvanic corrosion and eating away at your anodes and, potentially, your boat’s underwater metalwork. It doesn’t require an electrical fault – this is true of even BRAND NEW boats.
And here’s the bit that often surprises people: switching everything off doesn’t break that earth connection. If the hookup cable is still plugged in, the connection is still there.
A galvanic isolator blocks those small currents while maintaining the earth connection needed for electrical safety.
So, if you use a hookup galvanic isolation is 100% essential.
If you never, ever plug into shore power, there’s no shore-earth connection for an isolator to protect against. Good news for continuous cruisers who don’t use hookups.
Hope that helps make it all little less mysterious.
For more info, please take a look at our website. <HERE>
