Are My Seacocks Bonded Correctly?
Bonding seacocks in series with a single wire isn't the best way tto do things. If your fittings are bonded this way, keep an eye on them.
February 7, 2014
Question: In this photo of the seacocks under the sink in my head you can see the green and yellow wire that connects the three seacocks shown. I’m guessing that the wire is part of the boat’s bonding system.
These three seacocks are bonded by a single wire -- not the best practice, but since they're in plain view the wire can be checked easily.
What I’m not too clear on is why my boat builder daisy-chained all three of the seacocks with one wire, simply peeling back some insulation and running the uninsulated piece of wire under the hose clamps shown. I’ve been told by some pretty reliable people that if you are going to have a bonding system, it should not be daisy-chained as shown. What’s your take on this?
Answer: Well, basically your reliable contacts are theoretically correct; each of the seacocks shown should have a separate cable run to it, based on best practice when setting up a bonding system. The bonding system, for those who don’t quite understand the need and purpose, is intended to minimize the risk of corrosion to the underwater metals under normal circumstances, as well as in the event of an abnormal electrical ground fault if a piece of equipment fails and basically puts an electric charge into your boat’s grounding system.
In the photo you sent in, the seacocks are connected in a series configuration, which means that if a wire were to break, anything else connected downstream from that break point would be disconnected from the system and be given no protection. In your case, since the wire and its connections are quite obvious and in plain sight under your head sink, I wouldn’t worry too much about it. You can just remember to take a peek once and a while and make sure everything remains connected.
