Bonding and Grounding

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[@JK360noscope]

Mr. Lopez is the M.V.P.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thank you very much

[@jaymeamirie7540]

This is an amazing education in 16 minutes. The visual of the system boards makes it easy to understand. I am now going to go through my boat and check everything knowing how this all works. Thank you so much Mr Lopez!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad it was helpful!.

[@johnryan2193]

Absolute best tutor i have ever had the privilege of listening to, thank you .

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Ryan. For me is a pleasure work for you. Enjoy it !!!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks John. Let me know if you need additional material

[@ThermaLTake94]

The most simple and practical to hear and see Video of grounding/bonding/negatives i have ever seen..!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Kaloudis I hope you enjoy this material. Please visit my website wwww.mrlopezclasses.com

[@redwood1957]

Very good explanation. I would love to see a drawing of what you showed. Just the hots,12vdc and 120vac,neutrals and 12 volt negatives and all the grounds. In 1 line drawing. Thank you

[@tommyc9237]

Excellent video. Having the visual of actual equipment vs. schematic diagrams is very helpful. Explanations are clear and now I know how to create a ground to the water in my boat.

[@landrum3893]

For someone like me who's interested in learning marine electrical systems, this is great. Thank you, Mr. Lopez.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great Sandros I hope this material be useful for you. If you are interested in more topics please visit my website www.mrlopezclasses.com

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Landrum. I hope this material is useful for you. Enjoy it !!

[@edward9862]

Great information! Great content! Gracias! Paz!

[@edwardmclaughlin6126]

You explained that extremely well, thank you. New subscriber.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Edward. I hope this material is useful for you. Enjoy it !!

[@alexsails80]

Incredible information shared here by Mr Lopez. So clearly explained its like hearing a school professor explaining until he makes sure you understand 100%.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad it was helpful!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Alex. I hope this material is useful for you. Enjoy it !!

[@gilmarshalom]

Very nice information about Eletrical Grounding and bouding, thanks a lot i From BRAZIL and now rebuit my boat , this information help a lot

[@philsharples7151]

Great info.

[@srira7910]

Mr. Lopez, you are a gifted teacher. Question for you: The installation instructions for that Galvanic Isolator show it wired in series with shore power ground. Your wiring is still in series with the path to shore power ground via the water, but in a different location. If the boat were to be struck by lightning, seems the isolator would be destroyed. We haven't look at the maximum voltage spike the diodes in the isolator can handle. Gracias y buen dia!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Yes you are correct. This is way for lightning purposes there is another lightning plate connected with a lightning conductor attached to the lightning rod. At the end both plates should be connected

[@darrenmaglione6235]

I have watched many videos about bonding and grounding, this one is by far the best! Thank you for the education. Mr- no better Dr. Lopez!

[@MrLopezclasses]

You are very welcome. Thank you very much. I appreciate your comment. Best regards

[@peterhamilton8430]

Fantastic explanation ... thank you !

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Peter. I hope this material be useful for you

[@rudydiazrn2719]

well done. thank you

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks for watching!

[@ANTONIOSANTOS2004]

great teacher thank sir

[@ibribbr8030]

Very nice explanation. Thanks

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad it was helpful!

[@carolasmith1]

Very valuable information❤

[@MrLopezclasses]

I hope this material is useful for you. Best Regards

[@harishraj8987]

Hello sir from India. I'm very happy to watch your video. You are explaining very nicely and good.

[@noranicolea5977]

You are such a legend !!! Thank you so much

[@northslope100]

Awesome explanation!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope this material be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope you enjoy this material.

[@jshrawder49]

Great explanation and demonstration!! Thank you so much!!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope this material be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

I hope this material be useful for you

[@GaryARahn]

Massive dose of knowledge here. Thank you for sharing this information.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Glad it was helpful!. I really Appreciates it your words. If you want to see more material please visit my website www.mttedu.org. As well if you need remote support in the website you will find the link to schedule a Video Conference to get remote support. Happy Holidays. Best Regards

[@miikeklume4869]

Love it

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks, Freddy. I hope this material is useful for you. Regards

[@dennybe]

Best explanation I have heard. thank you.

[@MrLopezclasses]

I hope the videos be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope this material be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

I hope this material be useful for you

[@costafortia]

Wow... Amazing 👍🏼👍🏼

[@MrLopezclasses]

For me is a pleasure works for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope this material be useful for you

[@leeholdawy1469]

thank you, just found this video.. Im finally beginning to understand how important the grounding is..

[@MrLopezclasses]

Yeah The grounding is too important to keep the boat properly protected against corrosion

[@MrLopezclasses]

Yes the life of the boat depends of the grounding system quality. Enjoy it!!!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Ohh Nice. Yes the life of the boat depends of the quality of the grounding System

[@JK360noscope]

​@@MrLopezclasses I think I found out why my zincs weren't really working!

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@JK360noscope Thanks Guys. I hope this material is useful for you. Enjoy it

[@rebeccachildressmichaelhay6420]

Thank you. Subscribed.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Rebecca, I hope this material is useful for you. regards

[@svlonestar7645]

Thank you

[@svlonestar7645]

Wish I could attend your classes

[@mariomotino6622]

Gracias señor Lopez, es la mejor explicacion que he encontrado. si tiene algun video en español, se lo agradezco mucho..

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hola Mario me encanta que este trabajo sea util para usted. lamentablemente aun no tengo contenido en espanol. Pero si quieres agendar una asistencia remota de una hora o mas conmigo a travez de Video-conferencia, te puedo asistir en cualquier trabajo que estes haciendo o te puedo dar una explicacion mas detallada del tema que tu prefieras. Ingresa ahora a mrlopezclasses.com/a-booking-form/

[@torstenhansen4308]

Excellent, thank you!

[@MrLopezclasses]

For me is a pleasure works for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

I hope this material be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

Great. I hope you enjoy this material.

[@sigurdpanke2612]

Thanks!

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hello Sigur. Thank you very much for your contribution to this project. I hope this material is useful for you. If you want to see more material please visit my website at www.mttedu.org or write at [e-mail] . Sincerely. Mr Lopez (

[@adescopumps8182]

Mr Lopez. Amazing video. Super informative. Our boat is new, aluminum h ull, and we plugged in the ac battery charger from our houseboat to the new boat while the new boat was floating in the marina. The damage to the aluminum hull in less than 4 hours was amazing. I believe it was the fact the DC side was not boned and electrolysis damaged the boat. Am I correct? I guess they call it a DC bonding shoe. $150,000.00 boat now worth very. Are you interested in the video of the damage? Steve

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Steve. This is a great case to analyze. If you have a chance send me a video at [e-mail] . Also can you verify if the galvanic Isolator is working ?. Good Luck

[@adescopumps8182]

I sent the video to your email. Please check your junk folder. Noo Galvanic isolator is installed on the boat.

[@alcibiadesmarcialneto922]

I asked Mr. Calder why in Europe DC’s negative is not grounded and in USA it is mandatory and I received an answer that they are studying to review this. I’d worked 40 years on electrical power companies and the DC are not grounded. Griunding is used to protect against electrical shocks. AC neutrals are grounded usually to balance currents and provide enough short circuit current in case of a fail and make breakers to isolate it. Just remember planes, cars and even rockets are not grounded and they work pretty well.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Alcibiades. In boat wiring, both AC and DC should be grounded. The grounding system in a boat is used to drain static electricity normally stored in the housing of appliances. The negative bus bar at the DC panel and the ground bus bar at the AC panel both of then should be connected with the main bonding conductor, then the bonding conductor should be wired with the external sacrificial anode. (This is the ground of your boat) Remember that in boats Neutral and Ground are tied together only at the source of power. Normally at the AC mainboard in the generator backend or at the AC mainboard in the Inverter or at the transformer frame. After that, inside of the boat, never neutral and ground should be connected together. With respect to planes, all of them use a similar bonding system, then the main bonding conductor is connected with the external sacrificial filaments located at the end of the ailerons in each wing, another one at the end of the tail cone, and another one at the end of the empennage. those elements have the same function as the sacrificial anodes located at the boat transom, drain currents. This is the ground system of airplanes. If you are seated in front of the wings especially during night fly's you can see those filaments draining small currents constantly into the atmosphere. This is the ground system in airplanes. Let me know if you want additional information Sincerely A Lopez

[@alcibiadesmarcialneto922]

@@MrLopezclasses Thanks for your attention. But there is a huge difference between static and dynamic electricity. Bonding all metallics to zinc will prevent from corrosion that may occur because of static electricity. Household’s appliances are grounded to prevent electrical shock if or when any conductor loses its insulation cover because this may kill a person. And, once more, in Europe DC’s negative busbar is not grounded. There is another concern. If DC negative is bonding to all methalics and a ligthning hits the mast all electronics will be burned!

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@alcibiadesmarcialneto922 Thanks for your comment. I appreciate your feedback

[@panagiotisekatos7398]

One of the best (if not the best) videos out there explaining grounding and bonding. I can't believe I hadn't found your videos earlier! Looking forward to watching more on your channel. Thanks a lot! If I could also ask you a question, I just installed a lithium battery connected to an inverter and a solar panel. I connected the main negative of that battery to the main battery of the existing lead acid service batteries on the boat. The inverter also has a terminal for ground which I think I am not sure if I should now connect to either of the negatives of the battery banks. Could you confirm if I was correct to connect the negatives of the two banks (they are not connected in any other way and are being charged by separate chargers) and what I should do with the ground for the inverter?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Ekatos. I am going to respond in different steps. -No 1 .- Doesn't matter how many battery banks are in a boat. All the negatives from each battery bank shall be connected together and then to the main DC negative busbar. Doesn't matter if one battery bank is lead acid, the second one AGM and the third one GEL -No 2.- In a typical marine Inverter, in the AC side of the inverter you will find Hot 1 (out) , Hot 2 (Out) , Neutral (Out) and Hot (in), Neutral (In). The Hot (in) and Neutral (In) are related with the power coming in from the AC Panel to activate the Battery charger located inside of the inverter to keep the battery Bank fully charged and the Hot 1 (out) , Hot 2 (Out) , Neutral (Out) are the phases and neutral going out to feed the AC Panel. In other words each Marine Inverter has a Battery charger inside of it to keep your own batteries charged No 3.- In a typical boat with AC and DC Panels; the DC negative Bus Bar of de DC Panel and the Ground Bus Bar of the AC Panel shall be connected to the common bonding conductor and the bonding conductor connected with the external Sacrificial Anode. However the case of the inverter if it is metallic should be connected to the AC Ground bus bar and the (-) terminal on the DC side shall be connected to the main DC Bus Bar

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks Ekatos. I hope this material is useful for you. Enjoy it !!

[@User-on3ut]

Absolutely incredible explanation. People over complicate this topic **Cough mike holt **cough

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks for your feedback. I hope this material be useful for you. Best Regards

[@emolina1985]

Hi, how does it work the grounding on an aluminium boat? I understand that all the DC negatives and the AC grounds must be bounded together, but should I ground it to the hull?

[@adescopumps8182]

Mr. Lopez let me clarify my last statement. The boat came with a 120VAC to 12VDC battery charger installed from the factory. The battery charger was properly hooked up to the batteries. The purpose is to charge the batteries during down time. The 120VAC charger was mounted directly to the aluminum hull of the boat. Our house boat was moored to the marina with shore power feeding the house boat. We ran a 3 wire extension cord from our houseboat GFI outlet to the 120VAC charger installed in the boat. The charger was active for about four hours. The boat was not equipped with any type of anode. The amount of damage in 4 hours was amazing. Your thoughts please.

[@MrLopezclasses]

Ok. The Bonding system is basically the ground of your boat. The Bonding system is a metallic connector where all the metallic elements inside of the boat should be attached. Then , the metallic bonding piece should be connected externally to a plate of Zn ( Sacrificial Anode). The metallic case of the Battery Charger should be connected to the bonding conductor. As you mentioned the charger is mounted directly to Aluminum hull from the factory. However I have a couple of questions: The Boat is coming from the factory with an AC Panel?. There are other AC equipment, such as Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave, etc...?. The boat have an AC Shore Power Outlet to connect the power cord to the pedestal?

[@adescopumps8182]

Thank you very much for your reply and providing the most informative video I have seen. The boat is an aluminum surf boat and has no AC panel or other AC equipment, no shore power outlet, no anode. The only AC on the boat is the battery charger. I have located your website and would like to hire your services to help me investigate.

[@kaysix4838]

Top of the pops,great vid,quick question,I have boat with 110 ac but marina is 230v,can I just plug in 230 from shore power to battery charger and run tv,lights ect Dc and bypass 110 altogether,any help much appreciate,again class vid👍👌

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Kay. No because the AC outlet in your boat is single phase and the Outlet at the pedestal is double phase. Ask to the Marina probably they have another single phase pedestal or an Adapter for the plug

[@kaysix4838]

@@MrLopezclasses tks for quick reply, the previous owner put 230 inlet into boat going to 230 trip switch with socket and I think his idea was to plug in 110 site transformer into 230 socket then connecting to boat to 110 site transformer,some how I don’t think it’s that easy?Could u give me your opinion on another option pls,

[@cornelisvanderbent8569]

Very good video, I'm thinking of buying a few of your books. If you do not have a transformer, in between which grounds should the galvanic isolator be placed? I assume that the shore-power ground should go through the galvanic isolator; then behind the galvanic isolator all grounds (DC, AC and all metal) should be connected together? This would mean that the shore-power ground is not directly connected to the DC ground, right? What about the AC neutral?

[@MrLopezclasses]

The DC negative bus bar at the DC Panel and the Ground bus bar at the AC panel should be connected to the main bonding conductor, and then the bonding conductor should be connected with the external sacrificial anodes. The AC neutral and Ground should be tied just at the power source (i.e. Generator, Inverter, and Shore), after that point of common connection it will be the neutral of your AC Panel, and from the frame, the ground (green) will feed the ground bus bar Best regards

[@MrLopezclasses]

Please try to see this short video-clip www.tiktok.com/@mrlopezclasses/video/7162257572395748650

[@bethg7026]

I need help. I have a deep cycle battery that runs everything but my engine. Connected directly to the battery (with fuses) are the mile pump, vhf radio, am/fm stereo, and a switch panel for my other stuff. All of that has negative cables going back to the battery. Then, the cranking battery is grounded to my outboard engine. So, if i connect the deep cycle negative to the cranking negative, that's not grounding the deep cycle circuits to the engine?

[@MrLopezclasses]

All the negative terminals from different battery banks should be connected together, then they should be grounded to the main bonding conductor . Does not matter what type of batteries are in each bank

[@bethg7026]

@Mr Lopez right, and they are, I have the negatives of the two batteries connected together. So, then when I add in the AC circuit, I'll take its ground and connect it to the engine as well? Or can I connect a cable from the ac ground to one of the battery negative terminals?

[@bethg7026]

Would the outboard motor be the main bonding conductor in my case?

[@samuelwayne4504]

Hello Mr Lopez. What are your thoughts on bonding in a wooden boat?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Samuel. The Hull material is not relevant. It is most relevant the hardware materials in contact with saltwater. If you have bronze fittings, Bronze Rudder and Propeller, Monel Shaft, then 100% sure you need a proper Bonding System. If you check this poster you can select the sacrificial anode according to the hull material and type of water. mrlopezclasses.com/product/sacrificial-anodes-selection-chart/ Also in my "Marine Corrosion Book" you will find all the information that you want mrlopezclasses.com/product/the-marine-corrosion-handbook/ or Sympli take the " Marine Corrosion Course at mrlopezclasses.com/product/marine-corrosion-course/

[@CBDav]

Volumn is half what it should be.

[@georgespangler1517]

I'm restoring a 47 foot yacht full of electrical items and electronics what size zinc block should I use?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi George You should use one or two anodes with a total area no less than 1square foot

[@georgespangler1517]

@@MrLopezclasses Thankyou,, so many vedios but your's really explained it well , thanks for getting back to me

[@earthstick]

Can someone explain why the DC circuit diagrams I normally see, all take the negative back to the battery, not the bonding conductor?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Because the return of any DC circuits should be to the Neg. bus bar. The housing or metallic case of any equipment should be connected to the bonding conductor. In other words , the bonding conductor should be use to drain static electricity accumulated on the frame of the equipments. Of course at the end of the day, the main DC negative bus bar of the boat and the AC ground conductor should be connected to to the bonding conductor

[@georgespangler1517]

Great vedio,,, how do I know what size zinc block I need?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Depends. Minimum 1 Square Inches in total per boat of this size

[@georgespangler1517]

@@MrLopezclasses looking at the boat today I noticed the yacht builder had ran 3 number 2 cables to back of the boat and was fastened to the rudder housing but zinc block was not installed instead over the years someone decided to use the zinc disc's on the rudders but the rudder shafts turn which surly causes resistance so I installed a 6 x 12 x 3/4 inch zinc block and reconnected the cables to it, l think that should solve the corrosion problems, brand new 7000 dollar props and stainless steel shafts that looked like new looked horrible in just one season as a result of all the current running through them,, Thanks so much your vedio gave me the knowledge I needed.

[@georgespangler1517]

@@MrLopezclassessir you answered me twice first time you said 1 square foot second 1 square inch but I'm sure you mean square foot,, that's 144 square inches, I'm going to try the 3/4 x 12 x 6 and see how long it lasts, I'll go thicker next season if it eats away to fast

[@georgespangler1517]

@@MrLopezclasses my question now is if the zincs to small will it not be able to absorb all the current are just absorb it and eat away faster?

[@georgespangler1517]

@@MrLopezclasses another question is zinc better than aluminum for salt water,, some say aluminum has proven better

[@MultiObeone]

After the bonding conductor , what is the name of the final connection. I missed the name of the device. Does it transfer or connect to water ?

[@MrLopezclasses]

The main bonding conductor will be connected externally with the sacrificial anodes.

[@MultiObeone]

@@MrLopezclasses ok, your amazing Thanks

[@acena]

I am constantly replacing the zinc on my prop shaft. Why not have a giant block of zinc inside the boat?

[@MrLopezclasses]

If you need replace the anode frequently this is an indication that you have a leak of current through the shaft and propeller. You need identify where is the leak

[@MrLopezclasses]

If you need to replace the zincs frequently, this is an indication that you have a leak of current through that engine.. Check the harness, the ignition coil, the alternator, the starter. . Good luck

[@leeholdawy1469]

Hi sir, im still slightly confused, not your fault as you've explained it all well. If I have a negative bus bar for the dash electronics and a negative bus bar for the engine and a negative bus bar for boat lighting, bilge pump etc ( 3 in total) do I run a separate neutral from the battery to each bus bar and then connect each to the outside sterndrive .. regards .. Lee

[@MrLopezclasses]

Lee. All the negatives bus bars should be connected together. Remember all the negatives from different groups of batteries should be connected together . The Neutral is exclusive for the AC wiring. In the DC wiring you do not have Neutrals

[@leeholdawy1469]

@@MrLopezclasses thank you.. should connect the engine block to negative bus bar from more that one fixing point..

[@leeholdawy1469]

@@MrLopezclasses can I say you have been more than helpfully, especially your explanation on the relays, which enabled me to sort the wiring for m fuel pump and starter.. tank you..

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@leeholdawy1469 I hope this material be useful for you

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@leeholdawy1469 Of course more grounds are better due than there are too much returns

[@danukaashan2735]

Sir in my ship i got 60v earth leak Whats the reason for that

[@MrLopezclasses]

Hi Danuka The 60 V reading is in between Hot and Neutral or in between Hot and Ground ?. Can you check the reading in between Neutral and Ground?

[@danukaashan2735]

@@MrLopezclasses sir my electrician says its earth to ground.when i try to remove 3 phase terminal and touchs a metal surface i got shot current.

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@danukaashan2735 of course this is a short to ground, you should check wire per wire to identify where is the short. that procedure should be done without power on the system

[@danukaashan2735]

@@MrLopezclasses ok sir.thank you.will try

[@adescopumps8182]

Sorry one last thing. The boat with the damage was tied to the marina with ropes and no part of the damaged boat touched the marina.

[@djkillachris]

In Ana emergency can the short electrocute a swimmer?

[@MrLopezclasses]

Of course, this is why is not recommended to swim in a Marine

[@djkillachris]

I swim around my boat. I have an inverter and solar lithium batteries everything. How do I ground at anchor without the possibility of electrocution?

[@MrLopezclasses]

@@djkillachris If you have a good Bonding System in your boat it is enough. All the metallic items in your bout should be bonded to the main bonding conductor, then it should be connected with the external sacrificial anodes. This is my recommendation

[@djkillachris]

I have read books, searching videos and reading internet but just can't seem to find a proper answer or schematic for completing my install. I currently have solar and inverter working but no ground is run from my ac panel and I'm not sure about grounding inverter. Also, my reverse polarity light is on and it appears the builder jumped the ac panel ground. I have a 30' sailboat with a diesel engine. I'd be happy to make a donation to you if I could send you a few pictures and you could give me a few instructions. My email address is [e-mail]. Let me know and thanks so much for your responses and the videos!

[@Bakanelli]

1:44 HAHA WHA A BS!! 😂😂😂

[@MrLopezclasses]

Thanks