You can see the eating away on shafts, propellers, rudders, and other fittings and drive parts under the water as a pitting on the surface. The results are unattractive, affect operating performance, and cause excessive maintenance of hull, propellers, engine, accessories and fittings.
Some metals react more actively than others and will be eaten up first. This activeness is the reason that a steel fitting can corrode away while a brass one next to it will not at first.
Both these parts could be protected, however, by a properly installed alloy anode. The anode will be eaten away and the steel and brass fittings will be untouched. The sacrificing action of the anode is the reason it is called a sacrificial anode, and the source of the name "Martyr". The protection of the underwater metal parts on your boat or motor from corrosive electrolytic action is a very real and necessary concern. Anodes will distract the corrosion action to itself and away from expensive metal parts.
They have been manufacturing zinc anodes and sacrificial anodes for 50 years as their engineers can create these alloys into the right shape, metallurgical formula, size, and strap for your application. The company can custom make your zinc anodes as well as calculate the number of sacrificial anodes that you will need to mount or weld into place on the surface of the part or equipment. This process will also save you money on repair and replacement of metal parts and equipment used in maritime applications.
Learn more about sacrificial zinc anodes and their uses by contacting our experienced engineers today. Contact Us. Galvanic corrosion is defined as "an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially to another when both metals are in electrical contact and immersed in an electrolyte. This is not good. To prevent the tank from rusting or your heater element from corroding, the brilliant plumbers and chemists of long ago created a sacrificial rod for the water heater tank.
The idea was that the anode rod would corrode first, leaving the metal of the tank and element if you have an electric water heater alone - saving you from dealing with a rusty behemoth that randomly springs leaks. This works because the anode rod possesses a lower, more negative, electrochemical potential than that of the water heater's steel composition. The negatively charged electrons create a higher voltage to flow from the anode rod to the steel tank causing the anode rod to corrode instead of the steel water heater tank, or other exposed metals such as electric elements.
The anode rod is "self-sacrificing" and will continue to corrode until eventually it must be replaced. When there's no sacrifical metal left on the anode, the tank can rust out - which is why it is so important to change yours regularly.
Pro Tip: When replacing your anode rod it's a good idea to also flush your water heater out to clean out any sediment, rust, or gel build-up accumulated at the bottom of the tank. You might also consider flushing your water heater out at least once a year as a normal maintenance procedure. Find out where the rod is located on the heater, and how to remove it - all of which should be included in your unit's documentation. If the manual is missing, it shouldn't be too difficult: most anode rods are labeled on top of the unit, and locked in place using a hex nut.
Once loosened with a crescent wrench, channellocks , a socket wrench, etc. If your water heater doesn't have a separate hole for your anode rod, it is most likely attached to the hot water outlet. Unscrew the flex supply to the hot water outlet, which should enable you to unscrew the anode rod and pull it out to check.
Most anode rods that come pre-installed in water heaters are formed aluminum or magnesium around a stainless steel cable. When you check your anode rod, you'll probably see some pitting, or tiny holes; that's exactly what should be happening.
If you decide to use a sacrificial anode it's important to check the condition of the metal and replace if it is broken down or degraded. An anode should last at least months and it's often sufficient to check the anode yearly during pool opening or closing. It's difficult to say whether a sacrificial anode is absolutely necessary for every salt water pool owner. There are a lot of variables that include the overall water chemistry and the types of metals in your pool system. In the realm of pool chemistry it's often difficult to give a blanket answer because of the many variables.
We do know that a pool that is kept perfectly balanced at 7. Proper pH balancing is important but won't always prevent all corrosion because there are other factors including alkalinity and chlorine production. In most cases the metal used for ladders, steps and light housings is high grade stainless steel which should resist any corroding. In some older pools we have seen that these surfaces have corroded but is probably due to a lower grade of steel or steel plating.
If we were to give an answer on whether we recommend a sacrificial anode the answer would be yes but of course use your own judgement. If you know that your heater is salt water safe and your ladder is high grade stainless steel you probably don't need to worry about it.
0コメント