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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4770
Location: Bemidji, MN
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 Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:12 pm Post subject: Westy kitchen wall rust - propane combustion |
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this is just my crackpot theory (but i maintain i'm correct) on why the kitchen wall rusts... propane.
when propane, C3H8, is burned in a stoichiometric fashion, meaning perfect air ratio, forms carbon dioxide and water. combustion is never perfect so it also forms carbon MONoxide and soot. but there's another impurity.. that safety stink ethyl mercaptan, C2H5SH. notice the sulfur group in the formula? when that burns in the presence of oxygen, sulfuric acid is formed, highly corrosive.
and that's not all... when propane is burned, the CO2 produced is readily dissolved in the moisture of combustion and forms carbonic acid. so now we have 2 acids formed, exhausting thru a poorly gasketed surface against the sheet metal of the van. the acid water drips down between the gasket and sheet metal, collects in the panel flanges, and voila! kitchen seam rust.
it's just a crackpot theory. disproven by all the other seam rust locations but might be a contributor.
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-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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SCM
Samba Member
Joined: January 26, 2011
Posts: 3114
Location: Bozeman MT
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 4:46 pm Post subject: Re: Westy kitchen wall rust - propane combustion |
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Interesting theory. My guess is that, while you're correct in an academic sense, those things are near-insignificant compared to the effect of just plain moisture settling in a place without much air circulation.
CO2 is present everywhere, not just from burning propane. A bowl of water left on a desk will reach a mildly acidic pH at equilibrium. I don't think the tiny bit extra from propane exhaust would make that any worse. Similarly, I suspect any sulfuric acid formed would be a miniscule amount.
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'91 Westfalia GL Automatic (GTA "Turbo" Rebuild w/Peloquin) and 2.3L GoWesty Engine |
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32574
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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DanHoug
Samba Member
Joined: December 05, 2016
Posts: 4770
Location: Bemidji, MN
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| Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 5:48 pm Post subject: Re: Westy kitchen wall rust - propane combustion |
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| djkeev wrote: |
There are two other threads in active discussion on this topic right now.
Here are the links...... we probably don't need a third going at the same time.
Dave |
right. feel free to whack this thread. i don't think i can delete posts.
_________________
-dan
60% of what you find on the internet is wrong, including this post.
'87 Westy & '89 Westy both 2.1 4spd
Past projects can be found at--
www.thefixitworkshop.com |
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