Element rust no more!

[jsguitar]

Yes it does. I was planning the same thing but I only have one small spot of rust that does not seem to be growing so I am not doing anything with mine. I also have the fire starter just in case I decide to go "man vs wild" at any moment.

Lol. That's interesting that it started but didn't get worse. That seems to be against the very nature of rust! Well, mine is very aggressive so I'll update if it works, because if it works for me it will work for anyone. I guess in part it has do with water chemistry.

 

[kevink]

Has anyone ever cut one of these anodes in half so it doesn't stick into the kettle so far? It seems like 4 1/2" is a little much.

 

[maztec]

This is awesome. I am definitely going to have to add one to my kit. I wonder, should replace my old rusted element or just clean it and stick in the anode?

Now if someone made a rod already set for a tri clover fitting that would rock. Guess it is no deal to screw in. What size and thread does this have?

Also, any recommendations on distance from rod to element? I have usually seen these on opposite sides of a water heater, not next to each other.

 

[JKoravos]

The water results are in. Man I'm glad I sent these off. These numbers don't match my consumer confidence reports that our city provides. The Kettle sample was a 1 hour boil of 12 gallons of water. Not a significant increase in Magnesium. I would say that these anode rods are completely safe.

From the tap
pH: 8.5
Total Dissolved Solids: 412
Electrical Conductivity: 0.69
Cations/Anions, me/L: 6.5/6.4
Sodium, Na: 87ppm
Potassium, K: 4ppm
Calcium, Ca: 30ppm
Magnesium, Mg: 13ppm
Total Hardness, CaCO3: 129
Nitrate, NO3-N: 1.2(SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S: 23
Chloride, Cl: 96
Carbonate, CO3: 6
Bicarbonate, HCO3: 120
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3: 108

From the Kettle(1 hour boil-12 gallons)
pH: 9.6
Total Dissolved Solids: 460
Electrical Conductivity: 0.77
Cation/Anions, me/L: 7.6/7.6
Sodium, Na: 102ppm
Potassium, K: 5ppm
Calcium, Ca: 33ppm
Magnesium, Mg: 16ppm
Total Hardness, CaCO3: 149
Nitrate, NO3-N: 1.4(SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S: 27
Chloride, Cl: 112
Carbonate, CO3: 30
Bicarbonate, HCO3: 95
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3: 129

It looks the only change is concentration of the minerals due to boiling. Pretty much everything increased ~15%.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

Any idea what size the threads are on this? I am going to do mine weldless and would like to order up a SS nut and o ring.

I just finished up building a 120v BK and after my first wet run---RUST!

 

[bbognerks]

They are the standard 1/2" NPT

 

[MattCinatl]

It looks the only change is concentration of the minerals due to boiling. Pretty much everything increased ~15%.

Exactly what I was thinking.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

They are the standard 1/2" NPT

Awesome! Thank you!

 

[jsguitar]

I got my anodes installed and they seem to work. I used the weldless thermometer kits from bargainfittings. I tried two configurations and only one worked. I put the O ring on the inside of the pot with the locknut and put the washer on the outside. This worked. The first time I tried just the locknut on the inside and the washer and O ring on the outside but there was too much space between the washer and the hex nut on the anode so it wouldn't stop leaking.

I ended up replacing my HLT element because it just seemed to be too far gone. If you just breathed on it it would rust. Maybe it's because it had been tested and cleaned and rusted several times over. Fortunately I had another element that I thought I might have damaged during installation, but turns out it's fine so I put that in. The boil kettle element cleaned up fine and has had no problems since the anode has been installed. I'm also very careful to dry them off really good now. I've tested with water and have brewed a beer now with them and there's no rust that I can see.

Here's some pics. The first one is the inside of my HLT and the second is the outside of my BK.

Hope this helps.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

Worked in kitchens most of my life we cleaned griddles with caustic chemicals. If you didn't immediately oil the surface the entire griddle would rust in minutes. Still waiting for my anode so I put a drop of olive oil on a paper towel and wiped the element base. It removed the rust and a day later it hasn't come back. Before and after pics...

 

[jsguitar]

You'll be set. How are you planning on installing the anode?

Mine are working great.

Just brewed again with them today. I filled both my HLT and BK with strike and sparge water last night and not a speck of rust.



Thanks bbognerks for the idea!

 

[audger]

its interesting that so many people report these to be taking care of rust. sacrificial annodes are used to prevent galvanic corrosion. rust is simple oxidation of iron, which is a completely different and unrelated process. if there is iron and oxygen present, no cathode should be able to prevent them from combining and forming rust.

for protection from galvanic corrosion, the sacrificial annode must be electrically connected to the galvanic system. i wouldnt expect just tossing it into the pot to have a significant effect.

maybe since magnesium is way below even iron on the galvanic table, the iron is acting as a cathode and is getting a layer of Mg deposited on it...? either that or the magnesium rod is scrubbing the liquid of all free O2 molecules to make an oxide of magnesium instead of making iron oxide. in which case, your beer is going to be full of magnesium hydroxide... (aka- milk of magnesia)

 

[jsguitar]

Do you think it has something to do with the fact that the element faces are made of several different metals? So maybe the outside layer corrodes which then exposes metal that's more prone to rusting. I have no idea, just wondering, Regarding Magnesium, the OP had his water analyzed and it didn't show any increase in just MG, just all the minerals went up a bit from being more concentrated. It has seemed to work for me, so I'd like to know why.

 

[wyzazz]

It has seemed to work for me, so I'd like to know why.

Voodoo Magic! :fro:

 

[jsguitar]

Voodoo Magic! :fro:

Hey, I'll take it!

BTW, someone here somewhere mentioned what the element faces were made of, and I thought it was more than just mild steel but I can't seem to find the info or am just not remembering it right, so maybe it is voodoo!

 

[audger]

It has seemed to work for me, so I'd like to know why.

yea i wasnt trying to rain on anyones parade at all. i just cant understand why it should be working... as it does appear to be from several peoples reports. i would assume that the base of most elements would be mild steel plated with something like chromium, or possibly stainless.

and i do not think that you would ever get anymore than trace amounts of magnesium from those sticks. certainly nothing dangerous. the suggested daily intake of magnesium for adults is around 400mg, and there is no suggested maximum, or official level where it becomes toxic.

 

[jsguitar]

yea i wasnt trying to rain on anyones parade at all. i just cant understand why it should be working... as it does appear to be from several peoples reports. i would assume that the base of most elements would be mild steel plated with something like chromium, or possibly stainless.

No worries, I didn't think you were crapping on the idea at all. I'd also be interested to hear an explanation. I'd also like to know why some of us get rust and others don't with the same set ups. It's got to have something to do with water chemistry I'd think, but this is beyond anything I know about.

 

[bbognerks]

From Wikipedia - Rust A form of preventing rust is Cathodic Protection

Cathodic protection is a technique used to inhibit corrosion on buried or immersed structures by supplying an electrical charge that suppresses the electro-chemical reaction. If correctly applied, corrosion can be stopped completely. In its simplest form, it is achieved by attaching a sacrificial anode, thereby making the iron or steel the cathode in the cell formed. The sacrificial anode must be made from something with a more negative electrode potential than the iron or steel, commonly zinc, aluminium, or magnesium.

Wikipedia - Cathodic Protection

All I know is that this technique has been in use for over 100 years on boats. If it's magic then so be it, lol. But this is what I found researching it.

 

[Thundercougarfalconbird]

What size threads does the anode have? Can I use a nut,washer, and O-ring to go weldless? And if so what diameter do I need?

 

[Shockerengr]

What size threads does the anode have? Can I use a nut,washer, and O-ring to go weldless? And if so what diameter do I need?

you have to have metal to metal contact for an anode to work. you could probably use an oring on one side, but not both.

 

[jsguitar]

Thunder, look one page back.

Or...make that two now.

 

[devilbrewer75]

After brewing a few batches I've notice nasty rust on the hlt and none on the boil. I'm brewing tomorrow and planned to just swap the elements. Do you think that will solve the problem? I had a feeling that something in the wort had a sealing effect on the metal.

 

[milldoggy]

Wort is acidic and will help.

 

[bbognerks]

After brewing a few batches I've notice nasty rust on the hlt and none on the boil. I'm brewing tomorrow and planned to just swap the elements. Do you think that will solve the problem? I had a feeling that something in the wort had a sealing effect on the metal.

That's the whole point of this thread... Install a magnesium anode to SOLVE the problem. Swapping elements will not solve anything. You'll end up with 2 rusty elements... The wort doesn't "seal" anything. It's acidic which prevents the rust from forming. As soon as you use plain old water, the base will rust again.

 

[devilbrewer75]

Sounds good. Thanks.

 

[shroomzofdoom]

As soon as you use plain old water, the base will rust again.

That goes double for Oxiclean--it's quite an effective oxidizer. Cleaning with this or other percarbonate cleansers--folks should pretty much expect an acceleration of rust.

 

[JRems]

Does anyone have any experience with the heating elements that have a built in anode by the base?

 

[maztec]

No, good question, know of any that are ULWD? I am needing a new element for my unit, broke the last one.

 

[kal]

Does anyone have any experience with the heating elements that have a built in anode by the base?

Got any links or model numbers? Manufacturer name?

Kal

 

[JRems]

Got any links or model numbers? Manufacturer name?

Kal

I have these exact ones, except mine are 5500w.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/250954532816
They are sandhog brand, I don't have a part # I bought them from a member here on hbt. But you can see in the eBay picture there is some sort af anode at the base. It doesn't look aluminum to me. I'm not sure what kind of metal it is.