Nigel Calder Looks For Stray Current - Episode 289 - Acorn to Arabella: Journey of a Wooden Boat
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- Опубликовано: 25 июл 2024
- Troubleshooting marine electrical systems is a lot of trial and error with voltmeters and other gadgets, and for this round of experimentation we've got the guy who wrote the book. Nigel Calder is a cruiser, boat owner, educator, and author who wrote "Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual", a book that's been aboard may liveaboard and cruising boat owner's shelves.
For wonderfully clear and helpful learning about 12 V marine electrical, marine diesel engines, and other boat systems, visit boathowto.com/ and Nigel can help you out, too.
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Acorn to Arabella started as a wooden boat building project in Granby, Massachusetts. Steve began the journey as an amateur wooden boat builder crafting a 38' wooden sailboat in his backyard: designer William Atkin's Ingrid with a Stormy Petrel's gaff rig. These videos follow the journey from tree felling, to lumber milling, to lofting, to the lead keel pour and now sailing the boat-sharing details of the woodworking, carpentry, metal smithing, tool building, and tool maintenance that traditional wooden boats command. This ultimate DIY project continues beyond the boat shop, as Steve and crew travel and learn to cruise aboard the handmade wooden boat that they've built. Just kidding about all that, this channel is about a Siberian Laika named Akiva.
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We are so happy to see that the Fluke Digital Multimeter is actively employed in real-life troubleshooting of marine electrical systems!
Oh heck yeah, @fluke!
The first reading of 0.222V is the galvanic potential of graphite. Graphite is often used in batteries and capacitors as the anode. As the stainless shaft rotates and causes friction against the graphite you get a piezoelectric effect that charges the graphite up to 0.8V. When the prop stopped spinning the graphite slowly discharged through the prop shaft, prop and zinc anode that is -0.8V potential. Between the 0.8V graphite and -0.8V zinc, that's a voltage potential of 1.6V just like a carbon-zinc battery! The salt water is probably the electrolyte. I think I would call this a piezoelectric or electromechanical current rather than stray or galvanic.
Thanks for sharing had not known of the problems cheers
Excellent information sir, especially the piezoelectric effect with the shaft rotating. Thanks!!
Wow who would have guessed…😳
Steve, thank you for sharing news about your mom, my prayers are with you, your mom and your family. ❤
Nigel is the kind of person that you could listen to for hours!
Indeed! He told some cool stories, too.
I did not even have to watch the whole video read all nigels books
Beautiful sound of the engine starting, change the alteration your problems are solved. Remove the wire or alternate with engine shaft.
I pray for mother health also. May GOD ALMIGHTY KEEP THE BLESSINGS WITH HER. AND KEEP YOUR FAMILY FROM HARM'S WAY. AAMEEN.
When you get the new alternator, will it be the same electrical output or will you built in some future-proofing with increased output? I’m guessing the packing being replaced I’ll have to wait till the boat is hauled out of the water - what will you be replacing the graphite with? Also wood mounting anodes to the deadwood on brackets (for easy replaceability) & somehow connected to the prop shaft help at all? Hope you get everything sorted out, especially for peace of mind soon! I also hope everything goes well for your mother. It’s really wonderful that you’re able to move Arabella to be closer to give her that support if needed.
I was a reactor operator on a nuclear sub and after hearing Nigel talk and test through the stray current issues, I can see why the Navy was so picky about how and what with we operated the vessel. Cool, cool episode folks. Kudos too to the camera person who caught the details so well. Mahalo Nui and with Aloha...
Mahalo, friend!
Being an electrician myself I found this episode very interesting. I enjoyed watching someone so knowledgeable work through this problem and explain everything so well. Thanks Steve and Nigel.
Nigel is certainly knowledgeable, and a great communicator/teacher as well. 👍👍
He just exudes competence.
Man, I HATE electrical problems! It's wonderful to watch somebody who understands it all figure out problems like this.
We’re so grateful for Nigel!
Interesting though how even a guy like this with all that knowledge and experience could still only speculate that it was the stuffing box. I really enjoyed listening to him and Steve discuss but I hardly understood any of it.
This boat brings so many amazing people together!
We’re so grateful.
... and more left.
A real treat so listen to such an expert troubleshoot such a multifaceted issue. Really enjoyed the episode!
All of my positive thoughts for your Mom, and all of her loved ones during this difficult time.
You’re making the right choice to be close.
What a great honest statement from Nigel, “I make all these lists, but then forget where I put them”. HA! I heard that and laughed out loud. That’s me, and I’m sure so many others watching this, in a nutshell. As the years go by, at least for me, it applies to every bloody thing in my life!🤣😂
Hahaha yeah that was highly relatable! -Anne
That was truly fascinating. Nigel's methodical and logical analysis makes the baffling mystery sound so much simpler. What a relief that a cure now seems doable.
In being a good, if not great, electrical/electronics engineer, the mastery of logic (I don't mean digital logic) is FIRST. Competence at circuit analysis is absolutely required, but next down the line. It takes looking at these problems thousands and thousands of times, over man years, to get really good at the debugging process.
“We’re not currently stray but will gladly consider a new venue unless you finish your endless testing.” - The Dogs 😂❤
It's nice to see that you went through the whole process properly and discovered your accidental zinc-carbon battery, rather than doing what most other channels would do and blindly blaming the alternator and coming back to a flooded boat.
What an elegant yet simple way of finding the issues!
What a lovely guy Nigel is. All the best to your Mum. 👍
Nigel is so great, and thank you very much.
I've never actually been at home this close to the download of a new episode, and now I have a brand-new base of knowledge to start my day with! Nigel is a wealth of knowledge and came at a very important time for Arabella; glad to see the problem has been worked and a solution on hand. Thoughts and prayers for your Mom Steve!
Hope your mom has an easy treatment and that she's going to be better after.
I lost mine not two weeks ago to lung cancer. My hopes and wishes are with you all❤
Nigel really is a legend. Very interesting to follow through his thought processes.
We’re so thankful for his kindness and generosity of time!
Nigel is a huge bucket of knowledge and experience. With Aloha...
Wow, what a legend to have on board. You should do a long form interview with him in the future.
You’ve got yourself a gem there in your electrical guy.
Fascinating electrical current expert. Having worked in a electrical power plant as a career, this episode had me glued to you channel. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it!
Im really hoping that you guys will film the changing of the packing material. it'll be interesting to see that job while the boat is in the water and especially interesting to see how much water comes into the boat and how fast you need to work.
My only comment about Nigel is: He really IS the Man - The Myth - The Legend! ! !
Prayers for your mom.
Nigel is left-handed, cool. It takes one to know one. There's so damned few of us.
Not shopping just waiting patiently for A2A to upload. Great to hear the update on Steve's mom. Happy Friday from Plymouth UK
Happy Friday, Phil!
Truly one of the better episodes. It is a great pleasure to see experts in operation. Our prayers go out to your mother and your family for sure. Thanks again for sharing some of your life with us.
fascinating listening to a Diagnostician verbalising their inner thoughts and listening to the logical process of how specific knowledge translates into solutions and ultimately, action. loved it.
Best of luck to your mom! 🙏
Man. Why do I love this stuff so much? I can’t stop looking at the grown corner pieces. Knees I think they are called? Or elbows?
Chase that voltage down!!!
I'm a instructor for maintenance crew in french nuclear power plant.
I'm literaly trying every day to teach how to troubleshooting to my customers and for me the reasoning process was fascinating!!!
Beavo!!!
Best wishes to your Mother - sending her healing thoughts 🙂 What a Gem you have in Nigel helping you sort through the electrical issues. That was such a fascinating episode.
Dear Anne, Robin, Steve and all others who did work on Arabella,
Stray-current in a boat can lead to serious corrosion even with a wooden boat because the propeller shaft is out of steel but even the bronze propeller will finally be damaged by corrosion. It’s of course very important to find the source of the the stay-current so WIlleke and I keep our fingers crossed that Nigel Calder was right thar the source is the alternator on board of Arabella. It was nice to see Anne shortly in this vlog. We look forward to your next vlog and send you love from the Netherlands
Happy Friday Dick and Willeke! We hope the same about finding the current and making sure this doesn’t happen again. Over here it’s thanksgiving, so sending you gratitude for watching and for your friendship! Sending love from New England. -Anne
Would love a segment that wraps up the findings and cures. A schematic with elements, their natural potentials, paths (both resistive or conductive), earth ground, battery, alternator. I kinda suspect that, Steve, you are probably wanting to document this exact schematic in your notebook anyway, since it's bound to help with future debugs. Really appreciating passionate experts !
My thoughts are with you, your mum and the rest of your family. ❤❤
Great vid guys, love this one.
Great stuff, total masterclass. What a Gent.
As a corrosion professional (CP-3) in the pipeline industry I love seeing the overlap in the marine industry. Nothing is more frustrating when troubleshooting than loose connections. I see the simplicity of a galvanic system. The control you have with impressed current systems will help you sleep at night. Larger steel hulled ships use them. It would be very simple and well within Nigel’s ability to design you one for your unique boat. Been watching this channel since you were felling trees. Glad to see corrosion mitigation as the topic of a video.
Sincerely,
Thanks for being on the journey with us!
Wow Nigel's awesome. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing
Always fascinating to listen to an expert!
I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating video !
This is a fascinating episode. Thanks!
That was a most interesting and educational episode. Great format.
Fascinating to follow Nigel’s thought processes.
This is absolutely fascinating.
Dang, I’ve never been so sucked into a 45 min video. In the deep nerdy weeds the whole time none the less! That man is something else.
Wow Steve this must be the best Vedio of them all gee what a lesson to be learnt thankyou
Prayers for your mother. Great video. The anxious doggies were killing me! Cheers!
Just to see Nigel was a real treat. But to see him at work was great. Thank you. Wonderful Vid.
Absolutely the most interesting boat electrical system video of all time. Thanks Nigel.
Certainly a very specific exploration! I love the process!
All very interesting, thank you
Super intresting episode, what a genius!
Prayers for your mother, Steve!
All the best to your Mom. Thanks Steve and Nigel.
Best wishes to your Mum, I hope all goes to plan. What a fascinating episode loved listening to Nigel's thought processes.
Thanks for showing some of this difficult problem solving process. after reading his books for years, it was great to see Nigel Calder at work!
The problem solving in this episode is top notch. I'll be looking forward to the continuation of this part of the story and learning more along the way
F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C.
Wonderful explaining and taking through the process. A legend at its best! Thank you so much for sharing this electrical part of the wooden boat journey!
*- Thank you, Nigel, for your most excellent support of "family" and tutorial ! ! !*
Great episode! Fascination detective work on the problems. Hope it works out. Good luck ⚡️
Wow! Fascinating and I will be watching future episodes carefully to see if it all gets sorted out and what the exact implementation was. Thanks for sharing the journey. Prayer's for your trip to Boston and for your Mom's change in treatment.
As a Marine engineer who has primarily worked on steel hulled ships the discussion and things to take into account when you cant bind everything together into the hull makes me grateful for the way i've had to work.
Fascinating, I would have never thought about that
Fascinating
I'm an old Marine Electrician and my money is on the Alternator having a blown diode. I once helped a friend whose boat was literally eating batteries, we fitted a new set of batteries and I felt the alternator, it started getting warm even without the engine running. The batteries were draining backwards through the alternator. The shaft packing was an interesting find though👍 I wouldn't have picked that up as quick.
It's a good thing to be closer to home at a time when your Mother needs you near by. Blesses and prayers to you all especially your Mom. Safe sailing. lets hope the surging gets found.
👍⚓⛵
Wow, that was so interesting, 48 minutes went so fast! Nigel is such a nice man.
Nigel that was tremendously helpful, thank you!
Need to put the graphite packing problem in the chronicles, how did Steve miss that? Hehe
Every boat owner should have a Nigel😀
Great video, love to see a follow up after fixing the issues
Good to see back on the boat. Sorry bout your mom. Going to be close to her will be good. Safe trip and snug harbor will help.
Super interesting video! Thank You!
It is great to see a master at work !! Nigel is amazing !!
Absolutely fascinating! Put me in mind of my school chemistry and physics classes.
Love and prayers for Mom!
The joys of building your own boat, But it's great to have knowledge banks like Nigel to help troubleshoot out of the ordinary problems.
Thanks souch for this fascinating look at this subject matter Mr Calder is quite the legend. Hope mum is comfortable
Now that’s an amazing troubleshooting process. Nigel really knows his ship!
Good one Kevin.
First, I would like to offer Steve's mother my best wishes.
Secondly, Steve, I was really impressed with the way that Nigel meticulously went through your electrical system step by step.
It appears that he was able to give you a good assessment of where your issue is originating.
Wow, it just shows how tricky this work is that even Nigel had to work hard to figure out the solution. Kudos to the legend!
Fascinating!
super nice one - thanks a lot - who would have thought that a good stuffing can make so much trouble....
This was really interesting!! Will be exciting to follow. Now just do one action at a time so we can find out what did what.
A big good luck! 💕😃😄
What a fascinating episode! Just as enthralling as an Agatha Christie mystery!
Great episode! Rod at marine how to has a page on packing material. I just removed graphite from my stuffing box and replaced it with a polyester/PTFE packing. A yard installed the graphite in early 2017 along with a new bronze prop for the previous owner of the boat. I need to replace the prop due to zinc loss. Friends don't let friends use graphite packing!
I never thought that I would find this an interesting episode but it is a real head scratcher mystery. Although I will have to watch it a few times for the clues and solution to sink into my thick skull. Great episode, cheers from 🇨🇦
Fantastic and fascinating video! Nigel is a wealth of knowledge and experience. Thanks for sharing! And continued prayers for your mom Steve!
Cheers!
Nigel is the GOAT! :)
Many thoughts and prays for you mum and your family. What ever the future may bring, I am glad she has got to see what a wonderful man her son has grownup to be. She is a truly lucky lady to be able to call you her son, though i feel maybe luck has less to do with it and more that you are the kind of person that comes from having wonderful parents and family around them.
I hope the sailing down south is smooth and you are able to spend a peaceful and happy festive season with friends and family (And the future Mrs Arabelle of course ❤ )
That’s very kind for you to say, thank you.
Thank you for the update on your mom. I'm still diligently praying this new treatment kills all the cancer. You are wise to move back close to Boston. I'm sure you won't regret the time close to mom at this time. Isn't it exciting to have the best in the business come help you work out the electrical issues. See you next week.
Great video very informative
Love the dogs joining the conversation. 39:54 Akiva agreed too! 😂
Electrical Wizard Extraordinaire! More proof just how worldwide the appeal of your project is Stephen.
Nigel seems like a lovely & intelligent man. Here's hoping your mum responds well to the kemo ❤
Nigel seems like a really nice guy. He was thorough. That was a tricky one to figure out. You can change that packing in the water. There is a special tool for changing that packing, it looks like a wine cork on a spring with a T handle. You twist it into the packing and then yank it out. When you undo the stuffing box, stuff a rag around the shaft. You should have enough room hopefully to undo it and pull it forward. Good luck, and hope for the best on your journey south. ❤️✌️
Thankful for you, friend! -Annie B
I would be cautious about doing that in the water but I don't imagine there is much pressure around the shaft at that depth. You'll need to temporarily seal where the shaft exits the hull.
@@randogame4438 yeah, it’s doable. You ever open a thru hull and see how fast the water runs in? It’s quick, but it’s not like a firehose. Pete’s done it before, changed his packing in the water. Just stuff a rag in the hole. The only scary part is if the threads are real bad and you don’t know if it’ll thread back on or not. Usually those threads are real coarse. Or if the alignments off or something. That would be worse case scenario.
Enjoyed this very much. I have Nigel in my library and have learned a great deal. The EE in me is a little fuzzy on the graphite interaction, and how the current generated in the stuffing box ends up out at the shaft zinc. I would think that the cell would form within the packing gland, and the current be confined there... Would love to see the circuit diagram after Nigel has had some more time to ponder...
As for the alternator, In my case I was able to disconnect the internal regulator at the brushes and bring the brush connections outside the housing. I put quick connects on the leads that would allow reconnecting the internal regulator as a backup, or connecting to my Balmar 614. You don't need to replace your existing alternator, just figure out the correct place to disconnect _both_ leads from the brushes and make connection points to your charge controller.
Great episode.
Nigel is such a pleasant person.
He’s wonderful.
Didn't understand a word but loved listening to the troubleshooting process - fantastic thx. Best wishes to your Mam and family
Now that was a most interesting episode never understand a single word but found myself glued to it 😁
So great, thanks for saying!
Excellent!
Silver/Silver/half cell