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Zinc on the ground wire

Connect zinc and protect appliances with it
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A sacrificial zinc connection is the thing you need to stop rust. It seems that adding a block of zinc to a house's ground wire would, being connected to most parts of most appliances in the house, keep them from being corroded or rusted.
Voice, Jan 06 2021

Galvanic anode https://en.wikipedi...wiki/Galvanic_anode
[bs0u0155, Jan 06 2021]

Standard electrode potential https://en.wikipedi...tential_(data_page)
Join 'em up ... [8th of 7, Jan 06 2021]

Not Just Cows, Horses. http://news.bbc.co...._racing/9395743.stm
[bs0u0155, Jan 08 2021]

[link]






       Sacrificial anodes are Baked and WKTE.   

       However, the major power supply to most domestic properties is AC. Depending on the earthing scheme (TT, TN, PME) the "earth" current flowing at any given time should be more or less zero ...   

       Electrolytic corrosion requires a net DC imbalance. How does this arise ?
8th of 7, Jan 06 2021
  

       Huh... this will not work, but I don't know why. Oh no, here it comes, the old brain takes a while to warm up these days. In order for a sacrificial anode to work, you need a complete electrical connection, that is a pathway for electrons. You have that through the ground/Earth connection. But you need the other half, a pathway for (in this case Zn) ions. This you don't have, that route is normally through the water or moist soil. Air doesn't work. This is probably why there are electric eels, but not electric elk.   

       It would be interesting to see if there was any effect at all however, say take an 2 iron plates, one with a zinc steak into the ground, the other with iron, then spray them both down and observe the rusting rates.   

       Where it would work, is in my basement. For some partially insane reason, all of Philadelphia's row homes were fitted with cast iron sewer drains. These corrode, consequently, the sewage is less contained than would be ideal. A big lump of Zinc in the flow would help tremendously.
bs0u0155, Jan 06 2021
  

       innit when the earth connection is electron-negative?
Voice, Jan 06 2021
  

       Yes, but where does that electronegativity arise ?   

       You need an electrochemical couple, and an electrolyte. Iron sewer pipes, copper and lead water and gas pipes ... steel rebar in subterranean concrete permeated by groundwater ... nails in damp woodwork.   

       If you start to try to balance out the net charge, you may preserve some components at the expense of others ...   

       <link>
8th of 7, Jan 06 2021
  

       Give me an education in electronics or I'll kill your family.
Voice, Jan 06 2021
  

       We have been struggling for decades to educate not only you but many other inmates on topics such as electronics, programing, projectile weapons, edged weapons, chemistry, flame weapons, aviation, blunt impact weapons, poisons toxins and venoms, celestial mechanics, physics and volcanology. And armoured fighting vehicles. And explosives, and pyrotechnics, and deflagrants and propellants.   

       Plus some aspects of history, demographics, mathematics, statistics, geology and petrochemicals, heat engines, and rocketry.   

       But mostly you all just chatter and gawp and throw chewed-up paper at one another. Ungrateful, we call it.   

       And you don't need electronics for this, you need physical chemistry, electrochemistry, materials science and electrical engineering.   

       We consider that you would benefit from our Technology Training Club*.   

       *A carefully shaped length of oak, with a big iron spike driven through the business end.
8th of 7, Jan 06 2021
  

       //technology training club//   

       That will do. When is the next meeting and what are the dues?
Voice, Jan 06 2021
  

       Quite modest ... just your Immortal soul. Here, take this sterile lancet... you need to sign in your own blood.
8th of 7, Jan 06 2021
  

       //This is probably why there are electric eels, but not electric elk// - such a shame
hippo, Jan 07 2021
  

       There are, however, electric cows (In India) ... or rather, electrified ones.   

       Due to poor-quality insulators on power lines, and high water content in soils, many cows get electrocuted.   

       Cows are vulnerable because of their size, and the fact that their skeleton extends to the exterior of their body (via the hooves). A power pole with a leaky insulator has a "ring" of isopotentials around its base - the voltage diminishes to zero gradually. If the cow is at right angles to the pole, the current flows from one side to the other, and is quite small as the spacing between the feet is typically less than a metre. But if the cow faces towards or away from the pole, then the spacing is much bigger, bridging more isopotentials, and the higher current flows front to back (or vice versa) through the heart. End of cow ...   

       The ideal frequency for inducing ventricular fibrillation in humans if 55 - 56 Hz. Ironically, when AC systems were developed, the U.S. chose 60Hz and Europe chose 50Hz .... right in the "sweet spot" - due to limitations of the technology.   

       If mains power were distributed at 400-500 Hz, there would be much less danger of death from electric shock, and transformers and motors could be much smaller and lighter. That's why aircraft use 400Hz systems.
8th of 7, Jan 07 2021
  

       An appliance will rust in the air due to moisture and ions, provided the chemistry energy is available.Trapped energy is always looking for an out.   

       So this is about making an easier pathway. The energy of rusting has to be more than the oxidation of the sacrificial zinc. I don't think the energy of rusting, of that damaged appliance corner, will find a lower energy path just because earth cable is zinc. It is not local enough or at the right conditions.   

       A blob of zinc electrically connected locally to the corner would be in the same conditions and might be an easier path. Hence zinc coatings.
wjt, Jan 08 2021
  

       //an education in electronics or I'll kill your family//   

       [marked-for-tagline]   

       [wjt] that was remarkably coherent, apposite, and almost comprehensible.   

       Are you feeling well ?   

       Oh, and we second what [2fries] said.
8th of 7, Jan 08 2021
  

       //electric eels, but not electric elk// - well, I can see a possibility for an electric moose...
lurch, Jan 08 2021
  

       //electric cows (In India) .//   

       Not Just Cows in India. Also Horses in Newbury<link>, which is quite a lot not like most of India.   

       //If mains power were distributed at 400-500 Hz, there would be much less danger of death from electric shock, //   

       From heart problems, yes. From what I can tell from neuron/muscle stimulation studies, 400Hz would be supramaximal stimulation. Muscles would contract and stay contracted, letting go would be harder. At least with 60Hz, you have a chance to fling yourself away and you your hand will loosen between contractions. With 400Hz, you'd have to overpower the superhuman grip, someone would have to go get a big hammer or something. There's also a good chance it would hurt more, sensory neurons have higher frequency resolutions, and 60Hz hurts enough. I know from when a light fell into a fish tank I was arm deep in. I had several thoughts all at once. "I'm going all LED from now on" "This feels more like a square wave, I must get an osciloscope, maybe PECO are selling me inferior electricity", "aaaaaggggh", "It's a bloody good job this isn't a saltwater tank" & "Why has nothing tripped yet?"
bs0u0155, Jan 08 2021
  

       We applaud your ability to multiprocess while being subjected to a negative physiological stimulus.   

       We are also greatly intrigued. Since we have, unfortunately, easy access to numerous aquaria, sustaining a number of habitats of varying salinity, are you available to participate in further research in this field (or rather, tank) ?   

       Some reasonable expenses might possibly be defrayed (either to you, or the executors of your estate). You can negotiate the exact details with our legal representative, the Very Reverend Dr. Sturton Buchanan*.   

       *Although the Archbishop's mitre, and the stethoscope, look suspiciously similar to the hat and toy that he got out of a cracker at the Saturnalia feast ...
8th of 7, Jan 08 2021
  

       //participate in further research//   

       Not on your nelly, it was bad enough at 110V. I'm not mixing it with 240V of Britain's finest oscillating electrons. As a tip in attracting other participants, may I suggest you indicate the average Voltage is 0? You'll have to do some explaining later, mumble something about insufficient sampling rate or whatnot.
bs0u0155, Jan 08 2021
  

       Good tip, that - thanks.   

       "Unrepresentative small sample size" would probably work, too.
8th of 7, Jan 08 2021
  

       Maybe electrical stimulus can actually improve multitasking abilities. It's too bad no one around here is interested in experimenting with that.
Voice, Jan 08 2021
  

       We're very interested in being the experimenters; we'll even set up an Ethics Committee to oversee the methodology. You can be on it of you want - just practice saying "Yes, that's fine, go ahead" and then taking your expenses cheque.   

       All that's needed are a few volunteers.
8th of 7, Jan 08 2021
  

       //practice saying "Yes, that's fine, go ahead" and then taking your expenses cheque//   

       I feel this could be automated.
bs0u0155, Jan 08 2021
  

       There is undoubtably scope for improvement in the procedures; "streamlining" sounds like a good management buzzword to throw into the mix.   

       Both the process of awarding grants, and of granting approval for experimentation, could be greatly simplified, giving substantial cost and time savings. It merely requires removing the humans from the decision circuit, and replacing them with a small amount of computer code that responds, "Yes, that's fine."   

       It brings to mind our gratifying success in changing the corporate culture of part of a major multinational corporation. By judicious editing of a shared WP dictionary, held on a server, and then by frequent and enthusiastic use of a word in meetings and documents, we convinced an entire division to elide from using the word "kaizen" (Japanese for a process of continuous improvement) to "kaiten" (Japanese for a WW2 manned suicide torpedo).   

       It is very hard to keep a straight face when a senior manager addresses a meeting of other senior managers and declaims with absolute sincerity "We need to adopt a kaiten approach to this project".   

       The mental image of him climbing into his mini-sub, clutching his katana, and slamming the hatch shut before a one-way journey into the hull of a U.S. aircraft carrier is one we relish to this day ...
8th of 7, Jan 08 2021
  
      
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