Metal finishing Q&As since 1989

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I can't keep a water jacket or storage tank in operation for more than a year

Hi I am a do it yourself home owner who has been working to build a water jacket and storage tank that will last for longer than one or two years. First I tried a galvanized steel tank and a stainless water jacket which lasted about 3 months with the tank {rusting out}. Then I tried it again with the same tank and added 2 sacrificial anodes 4 feet long , this setup lasted about 4-5 months. After so much effort I was done redoing , and spent the big bucks on a stainless steel tank, which has lasted about 4 years. Then it began popping full of pin holes and the water jacket went totally away perforated with holes and thin spots . So one year ago I welded all the pin holes in the tank and built another stainless water jacket, which at this time is also full of pin holes as is the tank again, There is copper plumbing to the tank from the house and between tank and jacket,also at the same time I installed a grounding rod into the ground 4 feet and connected wires to all the pipes and tank to properly ground all components , How can I escape this dilemma, and what can be done to stop the electrolysis monster.

Nephi Fischer
metal fabricator - Hildale, Utah, USA
2006

Try to use pieces of plastic tube between tank and copper tubes. Cathodic protection is not simple thing. Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2006

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What's wrong with using a plastic container, such as PE, PP or PVC? If you are concerned about the tank not being able to take the strain, just put it inside a metal outer tank. You have obviously spent a lot of money on different metal tanks, so you will have a few around, so just use those as an "outer" and get a much cheaper plastic tank as an "inner". You may need to get one fabricated, but that will be much cheaper than getting lots of metal ones that corrode after a couple of months!.

Trevor Crichton
R&D practical scientist
Chesham, Bucks, UK
2006