Copper And Stainless Steel Reaction

However mixing these metals is not generally advised due to the potential for sudden pipe corrosion and discolored water.

Copper and stainless steel reaction.

There are three commonly used metals for potable water plumbing pipes including stainless steel copper and brass. If copper is connected to stainless steel type 304 then the copper will corrode to sacrifice to the stainless steel. Norman keck refrigeration contractor portland oregon usa. Iron stainless steel lead tin and alloys nickel brasses nickel silvers copper bronzes cupro nickels nickel copper alloys nickel chrome alloys titanium silver graphite gold and platinum magnesium and alloys.

The principal metals of concern in terms of direct contact are aluminum and zinc. Electrolysis between copper and stainless steel 2004. Below is a galvanic reaction chart for dissimilar metals. Galvanic corrosion also called bimetallic corrosion or dissimilar metal corrosion is an electrochemical process in which one metal corrodes preferentially when it is in electrical contact with another in the presence of an electrolyte a similar galvanic reaction is exploited in primary cells to generate a useful electrical voltage to power portable devices.

Any corrosion product if washed onto stainless steel may however result in problems not associated with the bi metallic effect and so not be predicted from the tables. In most cases when stainless steel was in the passive state and acted as the cathode the contact accelerated copper corrosion. Surface is the wall of a walk in cooler. In the copper stainless steel couple the open circuit potential of stainless steel was found to play a decisive role.

These metals are used because of their durability and long lifespans. Iron and steel are generally not a problem unless their mass is similar or smaller than that of the copper. Lead and copper are quite close on the nobility table to stainless steel and so the bimetallic corrosion risks should be small. In addition the area ratio of stainless steel to copper altered copper corrosion behavior.

Because aluminum can expand a large distance the high hardness of 410 ss case harden screws may lead to screw to failure due to lack of ductility or stress corrosion cracking. Galvanic corrosion can be controlled by the use of sacrificial anodes isolation of the metals from electrical continuance protective plastic coatings or epoxy coatings or with corrosion inhibitors. Can electroysis take place between a copper drain line and a stainless steel surface.