Salt air corrosion of TV, computers, etc.

A. Hi, Stuart,

On a theoretical level, yes, reducing the humidity will reduce the corrosion rate. But if you already are operating air conditioners, you are already employing the same principle that dehumidifiers work on; so the improvement from installing dehumidifiers will be a matter of a small degree rather than a sea change. Whereas if you leave the windows open, a dehumidifier can't dehumidify the whole world.

But it probably would be worthwhile investing in some cans of desiccant for placement adjacent to critical components, plus the installation of a dehumidifier with piped drainage for the house.

Good luck, regards,

A. As far as the assets inside the home I don't have a solution. The asset outside, being the a.c. unit, I have personally used a product called Air Conditioner Salt Remover, purchased at a local Ace hardware store. I believe the company also sells on-line. Has been working extremely well for me, several years and no signs of corrosion. Best of luck with the inside.

Hydrogen sulfide corrosion of TV

Q. Hello, we have some serious problems with our TVs, and ACs. We live on the beach and the sargasso (hydrogen sulfide) is corroding these appliances and we have to replace them frequently. We rent the apartments out and tenants don't understand the importance of "protecting" their (our) TVs. We are obligated to supply a TV in these particular units. We have been informed by tv repairmen that we could place towels over the tv when not in use. We've been told to wrap in Saran Wrap when the room not occupied. We've been told to keep the TV on and run the AC, TV etc at least once a week. We implore the tenants not to leave their doors open 24/7 and to run the ceiling fan as much as possible to keep the air flowing in the room. (Studio apartment). We have salt remover for the ACs but what do you suggest for the TVs? Especially need guidance on maintenance and tips on slowing down the corrosion, especially from the hydrogen sulfide. Once the corrosion starts, is there any preventative measure we can use to stop corrosion once it has started? In 3 years, we have lost 3 ACs, 3 TVs, 2 microwaves and 2 safes. How can running a TV when the units are not in use help? Thank you so much for your attention and hopefully some guidance.
Frustrated

A. Hi Misty. There are very expensive & fancy activated carbon systems available to remove hydrogen sulfide for large factories, so there is at least a concept.

Activated carbon filters are available for furnaces & central air conditioning; I'm not sure about window units, but custom material is available to trim. While they would have limited absorption power, at least it would be something. You could also buy activated carbon cloth to sew 'pillow cases' to drop over the TVs, microwaves, etc., when not in use (additional advantages, they're probably not flammable, and tenants wouldn't get them damp).

I think I could solve this problem in 8 days (7 nights) at no cost. But I'd need a room with a working TV & air conditioner, preferably beachfront, to have the best test case to experiment with. And a jacuzzi would be nice just in case that has something to do with the corrosion :-)

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
May 2019