Corrosion of Alde Convectors

grassgd

Finished repair and installation of the convectors which I repaired by cutting off the corroded ends and coating with 2 part epoxy. 

I mechanically cleaned the inside of the convectors and EPDM hoses to remove the white coating shown below:



This picture shows the white power that came out:



This shows a before and after cleaning of a convector:



I don't really know what the white coating removed was.  Don't think it was any type of corrosion because it was also in all the EPDM hoses.  My guess is was either a deposit of scale or a deposit resulting from the corrosion inhibitor in the original glycol.

I also trimmed some of the EPDM hoses where I was concerned with the integrity where there was excessive budging form the corrosion. I used some marine stainless steel railing to make connectors in lieu obtaining replacements form Alde since I had to accommodate for the shorter convectors and trimmed EPDM hoses.

Here is a picture of an example where I used a longer SS connector due to a shorter convector and trimmed EPDM hose:




Another picture showing the SS connectors being used:



I actually salvaged the original Alde check valve from the corroded aluminum pipe and installed it in a piece of stainless steel pipe.  

manyman297

I may have asked this before but have we heard of any corrosion happening on Rhomar-filled systems? I did a fluid exchange (Rhomar to Rhomar) last summer after two years and it looked practically new and no signs of crystallized chunks during the exchange. 

pthomas745

We have all been anxiously waiting for the answers to this question, but it might take several more years for to find out.  Since the Alde Change thread and the corrosion threads were started, we learned so much about the glycol and how the Alde convectors and hoses were put together, etc.  Was the glycol the cause of the corrosion?  Or, was it the construction of the hoses and convectors with the insufficient clamping and sealing of the convector stubs?

Looking at the Alde construction of the newer trailers, it seems there are much better clamps, better hose connections (precisely measured hoses, etc).

On the other side: we have plenty of members with the older "Century" trailers who cleaned their corrosion, sealed the stubs in various ways, used better clamping methods/ideas, and stayed with the Century glycol. In a couple of years, we will have better answers about how those installation changes held up.