Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Grounding Strap Status - Super Maramu 2000 #350
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Francisco and Odette,
I did exactly what Bill describes below. Thanks to his measurement and instructions, I was able to prefabricate the replacement copper and then install later. The installation will only take a couple of hours. You will find the existing copper is attached at the keel bolt, about half way up with a screw that is inconveniently located just out of arms reach and a screw at the top.
In addition, I also trimmed and replaced the lugs on the ground wires attached to the copper. I did this to ensure a nice tight fit onto the new bolts I installed in the replacement copper. I also added heat shrink tubing to waterproof the lugs.
Thanks to Bill’s previous posting on this topic, I was able to detect that the grounding strap was breaking before it was completely in two parts.
Best regards,
Mark
SM2K #275
From: amelyachtowners@... [mailto:amelyachtowners@...] On Behalf Of Bill & Judy Rouse
Sent: Friday, April 11, 2014 10:10 AM To: amelyachtowners@... Subject: Re: [Amel Yacht Owners] Grounding Strap Status - Super Maramu 2000 #350
Francisco and Odette,
I suggest a 1/8 inch or about 3mm solid copper strap as shown in the photo. You will also need a 30mm socket and socket drive extensions totaling about 80cm to 1 meter. With all of the bends and measurements included this is not a hard job.
Email me if you have more questions
Bill BeBe 387
On Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 1:26 PM, svperegrinus <no_reply@...> wrote:
Hello,
Looks like our electric systems on Super Maramu 2000 #350 are currently ungrounded.
We spent a most wonderful afternoon yesterday exploring our bilge or sea chest in the engine compartment. Here is what we found hanging or attached to the forward bulkhead and usually hidden by the bilge pump float+switch cylinder we removed:
1. Grounding wires meld/union Hangs from about 8 grounding wires coming from port and starboard near the top of the bilge pump’s high water mark.
2. Grounding strap joint to the wires Hangs from the meld or union
3. Grounding strap loop The strap does not immediately hang to the bottom of the bilge. Instead, it hangs loosely from the above structures 1. and 2., and then loops back to the forward bulkhead.
4. Grounding strap attachment to the forward bulkhead This is well below the bilge pump’s high water mark, and therefore is submerged most of the time. Covered in muck, we did not see what does this attachment consist of.
5. Grounding strap extension to the bottom of the bilge The strap hangs from the above structure 4. and ends an estimated 20 centimetres (8 inches) before it reaches the bottom of the bilge. The end does not look like a clean cut and instead looks ragged.
We tried to fully evacuate the bilge but were unable to remove the final 2 centimetres of water (1 inch) to see if we could spot the keel bolt at the bottom. As the water is pitch dark, we were unable to see the bottom of the bilge. We used two different manual pumps, but no matter what we did, a bit of extremely dark water/muck remained. We dropped a gallon of vinegar and left it overnight, and plan to use other chemicals and brushes to see if it is possible to see the bottom.
Cheerio,
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