Cali Kid Corals

does rust do harm?

DirtyDrew

DirtyDrew

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i have some stainless steel hose clamps i use on my system and they are starting to rust. is this going to mess with my water chemistry or make do any other harm? if so what else can i use?
 
http://www.marinedepot.com/Plastic_Hose_Clamp_1_inch_Hose_Clamps_for_Tubing-Spears-FT1513-FIFTTUHC-FT1515-vi.html

The answer is yes especially if they are in direct contact with you main water system. I use these for anything that gets wet. The steel ones are ok if they are connecting dry parts of the plumbing. [for example I use plastic clamps for my return pumps in the sump and metal clamps for my hoses that run ito my chiller].
 
Not that this will matter for MOST people, but...they do fail. I don't know the failure rate though. A couple years ago, I had to rebuild a laser cooling unit which was 10-15 years old. I had to replace 100% of the those type of plastic hose clamps. Every single one of them got brittle and broke. I have no idea if it happened over 5 years or 15 years. Personally, I'd feel safe using them for 5 years, but I'd replace them after 5.
 
Oh nothing wrong with a little GFO in your tank :D

Its not something I'd submerse in water, however if it rusts simply because of salt creep, meh.. no biggy.
 
well i have some clamps submerged and they are starting to rust. i am going to replace them really soon, but i was wondering if it does any harm to my water quality. they are only three months old.
 
I don't think it's a toxicity problem. I've have had metal hose clamps in my tank in the past without problems. I'm sure others will disagree about that.

Regardless, in my experience stainless steel will actually rust more slowly when submerged than when in the air but exposed to lots of moisture.
 
Gomer said:
rust proper (iron oxide) is more or less safe (think GFO), however the other metals in the SS may not be.
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sfsuphysics said:
Oh nothing wrong with a little GFO in your tank :D

Its not something I'd submerse in water, however if it rusts simply because of salt creep, meh.. no biggy.
Click to expand...

Man I love you guys :) I don't even have to say it :lol:
 
I don't use clamps, tie wrap/zip tie the hoses in my tanks; three of them per connection, the middle one facing the opposite of the outer ones. Never had a leak issue.
 
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