MPS

Education

Marine Protection Systems know that the subject of cathodic protection is considered complex and confusing by many boat owners.  The information contained here will help you understand corrosion and protection from corrosion and help you select the right combination of solutions for best results.

Marinas — Role and Responsibility

Indi­vid­ual ves­sel cor­ro­sion con­trol is the respon­si­bil­ity of the owner.  How­ever in accor­dance with AS/NZS 3004.2008 the marina oper­a­tor is required to make cer­tain infor­ma­tion avail­able to its mem­bers.   This doc­u­ment explains that information.

Factors Effecting Cathodic Protection

Cathodic Pro­tec­tion can be a com­plex sub­ject.  In this doc­u­ment you can learn some of the fac­tors that could effect cathodic performance.

Galvanic Corrosion Explained

Gal­vanic cor­ro­sion is the basic term given to the reac­tion between dif­fer­ent met­als in the same elec­trolyte.  This doc­u­ment explains the prin­ci­pals of that reac­tion and why it is such a com­mon occur­ance for ves­sel owners.

Cathodic Protection Explained

Cathodic Pro­tec­tion is the process in which met­als and com­pos­ite met­als can be used as sac­ri­fi­cial anodes to pro­tect other metal from gal­vanic cor­ro­sion, Elec­trol­y­sis and Wood Rot.    Cathodic pro­tec­tion in the marine envi­ron­ment refers to pro­tect­ing the ves­sels drive, steer­ing and other sub­merged metal parts using a block of Mad­dox, Zinc, Alu­minium or Mag­ne­sium as a sac­ri­fi­cial anode.

More Zinc is not the answer.

When it comes to anodes, less is more.  If you could take all the dif­fer­ent anodes off your boat in favour of just one that does a bet­ter job, why wouldn’t you? Find out how it is pos­si­ble here.

Corrosion From a Shore Power Connection

A shore power con­nec­tion at your marina is capa­ble of sig­nif­i­cantly increas­ing your chances and sever­ity of gal­vanic cor­ro­sion issues.   This doc­u­ment will explain the mean­ing of “stray earth cur­rent”  the effects it will have on your ves­sel and how it can be stopped.

Tips For Establishing and Maintaining an Effective Vessel Bonding System.

A Ves­sel Bond­ing Sys­tem is the cir­cuit that car­ries the mV poten­tial of sub­merged metal parts to the anode and  BUS bar earth. This doc­u­ment con­tians infor­ma­tion that will ensure your Ves­sel Bond­ing Sys­tem is as effec­tive as possible.

 

Over Protection Explained

A sig­nif­i­cant num­ber of ves­sels at mari­nas around the world are over pro­tected and as such could be caus­ing as many prob­lems under water as a ves­sel with no cathodic pro­tec­tion.  This doc­u­ment explains the dam­ag­ing effects of over protection.

Recommended Range for CP MilliVolt Potential

Inter­na­tional stan­dards offer some guid­ance as to the rec­om­mended mV (mil­li­volt) poten­tial of an effec­tive anode.  That infor­ma­tion avail­able here will help you select the cor­rect anodes for your vessel.

Electrolysis Blocker Compliance

The MPS Elec­trol­y­sis Blocker has been rig­or­ously tested to the high­est inter­na­tional marine stan­dards includ­ing, ABYC, ISO and AS/NZS.

Many coun­tries have dif­fer­ent reg­u­la­tions con­cern­ing import­ing and installing elec­tri­cal equip­ment  and it may be ille­gal and/or dan­ger­ous to import or install a device not tested and approved.  Check with your local stan­dards authority.

Shaft Grounding Strap Installation Instructions

Instruc­tions for installing the MPS Shaft Ground­ing Strap which will greatly assist in reduc­ing any poten­tial cor­ro­sion from the shafts and propellers.

 

Maddox Anode Installation Guide

Installing the Mad­dox anode is quick, inex­pen­sive and imme­di­atly effec­tive.    This doc­u­ment con­tains tips for retro fit­ting a Mad­dox anode to any size ves­sel and ensur­ing it is oper­at­ing at its peak performance.