1 Steam Cars : Phorum
General Steam Car topics
corrosion
Posted by: les nelson (IP Logged)
Date: June 29, 2002 03:01PM
<HTML>Hi All, How about chucking a lump of Zinc into your boiler as a sacrifcial Anode and reduce corrosion? Any comments from steamers, regards Les Nelson</HTML>
Re: corrosion
Posted by: David K. Nergaard (IP Logged)
Date: June 30, 2002 07:32PM
<HTML>The use of zinc to control corrosion in boiler requires that the bar of zinc be electrically connected to the metal being protected. This forms a battery with the current causing the zinc to go into solution and other metallic ions to be plated onto the boiler walls. Only those areas reached by the current are protected. In a boiler like the Stanley, only a fraction of the shell and the first rows of tubes facing the zinc would be effected. Even this protection would not occur if the zinc were not REALLY clean and electrically bonded when installed.</HTML>
Re: corrosion
Posted by: Peter Heid (IP Logged)
Date: July 01, 2002 11:34AM
<HTML>The use of zinc is common in marine & stationary boilers and is available in a very pure form for this purpose. The use of zinc of less purity will cause the products of corrosion to cake on and protect the zinc element preventing it from doing it's job. They are bolted to the boiler shell below the water line. Home hot water heaters often employ this form of protection. As David Nergaard says, you are building a battery and electrical conections are of the utmost importance due to the tiny voltages and currents involved. It has been shown to be successful in welded and rolled tube boilers.
Peter Heid</HTML>
Peter Heid</HTML>
Re: corrosion
Posted by: les nelson (IP Logged)
Date: July 03, 2002 07:29PM
<HTML>Many thanks for your input David and Peter keep on steaming Les</HTML>
Re: corrosion
Posted by: ronald parola (IP Logged)
Date: July 14, 2002 06:22PM
<HTML>Check out past issues of live steam magazine, there were a few articles regarding zincs, however the author suggested magnesium was the way to go. Their boilers like our later Stanley boilers are using steel shells but copper tubes, the zinc would work with steel but not copper and maybe even hasten corrorsion. These articles were in the last few months, sorry I can't recall which in particular, Cheers Ron Parola</HTML>
Re: corrosion
Posted by: George Nutz (IP Logged)
Date: July 15, 2002 11:25AM
<HTML>Ron,
I believe the sacrificial rods in my last hot water heater were magnesium, it came with two extra rods(we have very acidic water) and they were very light for their size; magnesium has only 1/4th the density of zinc.
George</HTML>
I believe the sacrificial rods in my last hot water heater were magnesium, it came with two extra rods(we have very acidic water) and they were very light for their size; magnesium has only 1/4th the density of zinc.
George</HTML>
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