Can you mix brass, steel, and aluminum pipe fittings?
02-26-2010, 03:03 PM
#1
Can you mix brass, steel, and aluminum pipe fittings? I am running transmission fluid cooler lines between my trans and an aluminum cooler. I am trying to do it on a budget, which means shopping at Fastenal and the hardware store instead of Summit.
Anyway, I found all of the fittings I need but some are steel, some are brass and some are aluminum. I am using steel brake line to make the hard lines, and trans-fluid approved rubber hose (nylon/whatever that stuff is) to make the soft lines. Can I mix the aluminum, steel and brass fittings together?
(The stuff actually fits together, I just want to make sure they won't corrode each other, vibrate apart, damage my transmission, or cause other unforeseen problems.)
Anyway, I found all of the fittings I need but some are steel, some are brass and some are aluminum. I am using steel brake line to make the hard lines, and trans-fluid approved rubber hose (nylon/whatever that stuff is) to make the soft lines. Can I mix the aluminum, steel and brass fittings together?
(The stuff actually fits together, I just want to make sure they won't corrode each other, vibrate apart, damage my transmission, or cause other unforeseen problems.)
02-26-2010, 03:51 PM
#3
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Two disimilar metals ine presence of an electrolyte like water have potential to react.
The galvanic shows the relative postions of metals. In general you try to keep metals as close together as possible to prevent galvanic activity.
In your case aluminum and brass are pretty far apart and likely to corrode
GALVANIC SCALE
ANODIC / LESS NOBLE / CORRODED END
Zinc
Aluminum
Galvanized Steel
Cadmium
Mild Steel, Wrought Iron
Cast Iron
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (active)*
Lead-Tin Solder
Lead
Brass, Bronze
Copper
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (Passive)
CATHODIC / MORE NOBLE / PROTECTED END
*Active Stainless Steel is stainless steel that hasn’t been chemically cleaned.
.
Use the following guidelines in order to prevent corrosion:
Avoid contact between metals that are farther apart in the scale.
Keep metals separated by using non-conductive, non-absorbant materials such as tapes, sealants, etc.
Coat the more noble metal with a nonconductive coating such as an approved paint or a bituminous coating.
Prevent moisture from running off of a more noble metal to a less noble metal (i.e. a copper drain line running into a galvanized gutter or collector head).
The galvanic shows the relative postions of metals. In general you try to keep metals as close together as possible to prevent galvanic activity.
In your case aluminum and brass are pretty far apart and likely to corrode
GALVANIC SCALE
ANODIC / LESS NOBLE / CORRODED END
Zinc
Aluminum
Galvanized Steel
Cadmium
Mild Steel, Wrought Iron
Cast Iron
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (active)*
Lead-Tin Solder
Lead
Brass, Bronze
Copper
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (Passive)
CATHODIC / MORE NOBLE / PROTECTED END
*Active Stainless Steel is stainless steel that hasn’t been chemically cleaned.
.
Use the following guidelines in order to prevent corrosion:
Avoid contact between metals that are farther apart in the scale.
Keep metals separated by using non-conductive, non-absorbant materials such as tapes, sealants, etc.
Coat the more noble metal with a nonconductive coating such as an approved paint or a bituminous coating.
Prevent moisture from running off of a more noble metal to a less noble metal (i.e. a copper drain line running into a galvanized gutter or collector head).
02-26-2010, 04:11 PM
#4
So as long as there is no electrolyte present, such as water, there will be no reaction? I wonder if trans fluid has any type of electrolyte in it?
Two disimilar metals ine presence of an electrolyte like water have potential to react.
The galvanic shows the relative postions of metals. In general you try to keep metals as close together as possible to prevent galvanic activity.
In your case aluminum and brass are pretty far apart and likely to corrode
GALVANIC SCALE
ANODIC / LESS NOBLE / CORRODED END
Zinc
Aluminum
Galvanized Steel
Cadmium
Mild Steel, Wrought Iron
Cast Iron
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (active)*
Lead-Tin Solder
Lead
Brass, Bronze
Copper
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (Passive)
CATHODIC / MORE NOBLE / PROTECTED END
*Active Stainless Steel is stainless steel that hasn’t been chemically cleaned.
.
Use the following guidelines in order to prevent corrosion:
Avoid contact between metals that are farther apart in the scale.
Keep metals separated by using non-conductive, non-absorbant materials such as tapes, sealants, etc.
Coat the more noble metal with a nonconductive coating such as an approved paint or a bituminous coating.
Prevent moisture from running off of a more noble metal to a less noble metal (i.e. a copper drain line running into a galvanized gutter or collector head).
The galvanic shows the relative postions of metals. In general you try to keep metals as close together as possible to prevent galvanic activity.
In your case aluminum and brass are pretty far apart and likely to corrode
GALVANIC SCALE
ANODIC / LESS NOBLE / CORRODED END
Zinc
Aluminum
Galvanized Steel
Cadmium
Mild Steel, Wrought Iron
Cast Iron
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (active)*
Lead-Tin Solder
Lead
Brass, Bronze
Copper
Stainless Steel, Types 304 and 316 (Passive)
CATHODIC / MORE NOBLE / PROTECTED END
*Active Stainless Steel is stainless steel that hasn’t been chemically cleaned.
.
Use the following guidelines in order to prevent corrosion:
Avoid contact between metals that are farther apart in the scale.
Keep metals separated by using non-conductive, non-absorbant materials such as tapes, sealants, etc.
Coat the more noble metal with a nonconductive coating such as an approved paint or a bituminous coating.
Prevent moisture from running off of a more noble metal to a less noble metal (i.e. a copper drain line running into a galvanized gutter or collector head).
