Can Tank Rust Appliances?

[Big Chippa]

Hey,

I have an LG stainless steel dishwasher and GE stainless steel refrigerator. Both have surface rust in various spots. They seem to be random, no particular pattern. The kitchen is next to the livingroom where the tank is. The tank has a canopy over it. Both the manufacturers and the store said this was not typical and had no advice on removal. C.L.R. has a warning on it about its use on stainless steel. Any thoughts about why it's happening or how to remove it? Some comes off with heavy scrubbing but some seems pretty stuck on there. The air in the house is pretty dry. I'd posted the question on a local reefer site and got a various takes on the matter. One person thought that only low grade ss will rust and if it is high grade then it won't be magnetic. Well, the fridge is definitely not magnetic and even if they are low grade, since ss is a common household item, if rust occurred easily, wouldn't the ss typically be of a high enough grade not to result under normal circumstances, meaning is it because of the tank?

 

[seapug]

It could be but there are many other sources of moisture in a home. Plus, if you paid for stainless steel and it's staining, there's something wrong with the materials it was made with, not the tank in the other room.

Have you tried plain old stainless steel polish?

 

[Phyxius]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11772262#post11772262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
It could be but there are many other sources of moisture in a home. Plus, if you paid for stainless steel and it's staining, there's something wrong with the materials it was made with, not the tank in the other room.

Have you tried plain old stainless steel polish?

I was thinking a polish also of high quality may work also. There may be differences in them for the finishes of the stainless you have and others though. The moisture in the house would have to be a lot and salt stays mostly behind when water evaporates so its effect should have been minimal on it.

Wonder if its the stainless materials like mentioned above. It may be the quality like you mentioned. I have 2 kinds of hinges on my tank. One set showed rust in about 6 mths and was a cheaper cost one. The others we paid more for and never had a rust problem yet and they are in close contact with water......

 

[suasponte2/75]

I have a 180G next to my kitchen with SS appliances and have never had any issues w/rust. I also run open top so I'm assuming I have way more moisture in the air than your 54G and top off 5G every other day. I don't think it's the tank..

HTHs,

Minh

 

[respite]

Agreed with Phyxius.

While saltwater is one of the most corrosive things we can keep in our homes, you would need a ton of moisture in the air (like dripping off the walls for a long period of time) or you would need to apply the saltwater directly to the appliance for it to be an issue. Most of us dont have salt spray problems at home.

 

[Myrddraal]

Look for a powdered cleanser called "Barkeeper's Friend" for cleaning anything made out of SS. It also works great on glass cooktops.

 

[Roy G. Biv]

My 210 is 5 ft away from the SS fridge, I have a canopy with open top. Havent seen that issue yet.

 

[Salamander]

Just look in any restaurant's kitchen. Tons of ss and often an extremely moist environment. I don't think its moisture from the tank.

 

[JNye]

there are definetly different grads of ss used in even home appliances, i would be contacting the people i bought it from...how old is it?
ps leave out the fact that u one a saltwater tank, they won't believe you that salt is not in the air.

 

[Mishap]

Absolutely. After putting my sump in the basement my band saw, belt sander, and misc other tools began to get a bit of surface rust.

 

[lshark21]

Re: Can Tank Rust Appliances?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11772138#post11772138 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Big Chippa
They seem to be random, no particular pattern. The kitchen is next to the livingroom where the tank is.

No way the tank is making this happen. My take would be the stainless is low grade, I would try to get it replaced. You paid for satinless and it is staining.

 

[buildinboats]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11772262#post11772262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seapug
It could be but there are many other sources of moisture in a home. Plus, if you paid for stainless steel and it's staining, there's something wrong with the materials it was made with, not the tank in the other room.

Have you tried plain old stainless steel polish?

Stainless = stain less, not stain proof! Even the best stainless will discolor in the right environment. You need Neverdull to clean it followed by a good paste wax to hold it. Test the Neverdull on an inside edge first to check the shine it makes. My open top 150 is about 8 feet away from our stainless kitchen appliances, no problems.