^{simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab}

The design is an undersea light.

• The connector provides the customer ground-line-neutral.
• The line and neutral are connected to an LED driver board.
• The green ground wire is connected to the ground plane of the driver board.
• The ground plane of the driver board is screwed to the first housing component with good contact
• A 3 inch ground wire is run to a second housing component which is isolated from the first by hard a nodize.
• Both housing components are wetted by seawater.

This was tested in fresh water for 3 months with no issues. But a prototype version with soft anodize started to corrode pretty quickly at high temperature.

1. Will the cause galvanic corrosion as-described?
2. Will this cause galvanic corrosion when (not if!) the anodize is damaged?
3. If the housing were not connected to the earth ground, what would be the purpose of the earth ground?

^{simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab}

The design is an undersea light.

• The connector provides the customer ground-line-neutral.
• The line and neutral are connected to an LED driver board.
• The green ground wire is connected to the ground plane of the driver board.
• The ground plane of the driver board is screwed to the first housing component with good contact
• A 3 inch ground wire is run to a second housing component which is isolated from the first by hard a nodize.
• Both housing components are wetted by seawater.

This was tested in fresh water for 3 months with no issues. But a prototype version with soft anodize started to corrode pretty quickly at high temperature.

1. Will the cause galvanic corrosion as-described?
2. Will this cause galvanic corrosion when (not if!) the anodize is damaged?
3. If the housing were not connected to the earth ground, what would be the purpose of the earth ground?

The design is an undersea light.

• The connector provides the customer ground-line-neutral.
• The line and neutral are connected to an LED driver board.
• The green ground wire is connected to the ground plane of the driver board.
• The ground plane of the driver board is screwed to the first housing component with good contact
• A 3 inch ground wire is run to a second housing component which is isolated from the first by hard a nodize.
• Both housing components are wetted by seawater.

This was tested in fresh water for 3 months with no issues. But a prototype version with soft anodize started to corrode pretty quickly at high temperature.

1. Will the cause galvanic corrosion as-described?
2. Will this cause galvanic corrosion when (not if!) the anodize is damaged?
3. If the housing were not connected to the earth ground, what would be the purpose of the earth ground?

^{simulate this circuit – Schematic created using CircuitLab}

The design is an undersea light.

• The connector provides the customer ground-line-neutral.
• The line and neutral are connected to an LED driver board.
• The green ground wire is connected to the ground plane of the driver board.
• The ground plane of the driver board is screwed to the first housing component with good contact
• A 3 inch ground wire is run to a second housing component which is isolated from the first by hard a nodize.
• Both housing components are wetted by seawater.

This was tested in fresh water for 3 months with no issues. But a prototype version with soft anodize started to corrode pretty quickly at high temperature.

1. Will the cause galvanic corrosion as-described?
2. Will this cause galvanic corrosion when (not if!) the anodize is damaged?
3. If the housing were not connected to the earth ground, what would be the purpose of the earth ground?