AL 80 question

[discoduck]

Is it ok to band together 2 al 80 that have a galvined finish with stainles steel bands? Wanted to make sure there would not be corrosive problem?
Thanks

 

[fgray1]

I haven't heard of any problems with this.
I don't believe stainless steel affects aluminum like regular steel does.
Regular steel when connected to aluminum causes a reaction and the aluminum starts to corode. But even this takes years of constant contact. I'm not sure but I have never seen the same reaction from stainless steel and people double them up all the time.
Fred

 

[LWith58]

You should have no problem at all since the tanks have a galvanized finish.

Lee

 

[OneBrightGator]

Who makes galvinized AL tanks or did you galv them yourself?

Anytime you have dissimilar metals you're going to get some corrosion, especially when salt water is involved, if you're worried about it your best bet is to put some thin rubber innertubing under the bands.

 

[DA Aquamaster]

Gator has it right. It's the disimilarity of the metals that counts not whether the bands are galvanised or stainless.

And I have never seen a galvanized aluminum tank. It would be a pretty pointless endeavor.

As gator indicates, a thin strip of rubber innertube stuck to the inside of the bands and extending past the edge of the band a 1/16th to an 1/8th inch will go a long way toward reducing the tranfer of electrons and the resulting corrosion of the aluminum.

 

[matt_unique]

Gator has it right. It's the disimilarity of the metals that counts not whether the bands are galvanised or stainless.

And I have never seen a galvanized aluminum tank. It would be a pretty pointless endeavor.

As gator indicates, a thin strip of rubber innertube stuck to the inside of the bands and extending past the edge of the band a 1/16th to an 1/8th inch will go a long way toward reducing the tranfer of electrons and the resulting corrosion of the aluminum.

It sounds like the original poster has the silver/gray colored alum tanks. This is exactly what I use in my rig (double alum 80's with SS bands). This is the first I have ever heard about a corrosion concern with this setup. If these two metals were to be submerged constantly it would be an obvious issue. For the amount of time the tanks will see water this would not be a problem.

--Matt

 

[jagfish]

HI
We use several sets of brushed AL tanks set up as doubles. The bands are steel, I assume stainless. We had one or two sets that we did not have rubber to put between the tanks and bands. Those began producing oxidation under the bands in a matter of 2 or 3 weeks.

I'd put the rubber in, though I have heard some folks use heavy duty duct tape, which sounds like a better idea to me as long as you know exactly where your bands will go when you are taping...

 

[IslandHopper]

Aluminum tanks aren't galvenized (often painted, but that would be obvious)...
Unless you polish them regularly, the surface oxidizes, but this actually serves to protect the underlying material ... i suppose that could be mistaken for galvanization.

 

[The Kraken]

Put the tape on the inside of the bands, not on the tanks.

 

[jagfish]

Put the tape on the inside of the bands, not on the tanks.

You rock, dude!
Sounds like the easiest solution. The rubber can be a pain to deal with, but I have only put together 3 sets, so I am still entrenched in the learning curve...