fittings question

Hi everyone. Is there anything I should be concerned with by mixing stainless and copper fittings? I tried to search for and answer but didn't see anything pop up.

 

I don't see a particular problem with mixing metals, but if you leave dissimilar metals touching for any real length of time (years) they will eventually start to corrode.

I see this problem with aluminum mated to steel often in the auto industry. Stainless to copper may be different, but I doubt that it is.

Search bimetallic corrosion.

Edit: when I said I don't see a problem, my thinking was along the lines of fittings that can be taken apart from time to time. I'm not sure what your application would be.

 

Not sure about going from stainless to copper, but if you have a brass transition piece you'll be good. AFAIK

pb

 

The application is I bought a weldless bulkhead for one of my smaller kettles and it has a stainless coupler on the inside. I want to add a dip tube and was thinking of using copper fittings for it. Thanks for any advice.

 

Shouldn't be a problem. But like I said above, if you're worried, use a brass piece in between for a transition.

Never had an issue when I was actually a plumber doing it either way. Aluminum and iron pipe is a different issue though.

After thought,... Are you using and electric kettle? Then dielectric couplers are needed for sure. Basically a CPVC adapter is needed then.

pb

 

Thanks again. I'm using propane not electric. For some reason I completely forgot John Palmer is a metallurgist and the last appendix in How to Brew covers this and more. He says that copper and stainless are fine together. Cheers.