I decded to upgrade my galvanic isolator to a fail-safe unit and to upgrade the main shore power disconnect switch/breaker to one with an integrated Equipment Leakage Circuit Interrupter (ELCI). One of the reasons for doing these upgrades is for safety and the other is to bring my 2002 36 closer to the current ABYC standards. Safety is why the boating industry has adopted ABYC standards.

The old Zinc Saver II on my boat does not currently meet ABYC Standard A-28. The standard states, “a galvanic isolator shall be equipped with an integral or external status monitor that provides an audible or visible indication of failure.” There is an exception to an external status monitor and that is if the unit is fail-safe. Fail-safe means it will continue to provide ground continuity if it fails.

The ProMariner ProSafe FS30 that I installed meets the fail-safe criteria. Removing the old unit was easy and straightforward. I cut a piece of starboard to fit the footprint of the new FS30 and secured it in the spot where the old unit lived. See photos. For those who have their boats in salt water you might want to think about checking your galvanic isolator from time to time. If it is not functioning, you run the risk of having corrosion on your boat. There is a great article with photos of how to test a galvanic isolator at Pbase. http://www.pbase.com/mainecruising/galvanic_isolator. 

I am ABYC certified in corrosion. The corrosion instructor was David Rifkin, a retired US. Submarine Captain. He was a great instructor and understands corrosion well. His web site offers a great deal of information on corrosion and electric shock drowning (ESD). http://qualitymarineservices.net/

I upgraded the shore power disconnect switch/breaker to an ELCI version for safety reason also. I installed a Blue Sea 8100 ELCI. The Blue Sea 8100 is a residual current device (RCD) that detects equipment ground fault leakage current and disconnects all current carrying conductors from the shore power when a 30ma leakage is detected. My boat has GFCIs that are used as branch circuit ground fault protection at the 5mA threshold. The GFCIs protect against flaws in devices plugged into them, but offer no protection from the danger of a failing hard-wired appliance, such as a water heater, air conditioner or cooktop. The newly installed ELCI provides additional whole-boat protection. Having this ELCI installed is especially important in a freshwater environment, as electric shock drowning is more prevalent there. Here is a link a man who sadly knows what electric shock drowning can do. http://www.boatus.com/seaworthy/tragedy/default.asp

Removing the old unit was easy. I left the upper part of the box intact so I could use it to attach the new box too.