Date:         Thu, 6 May 2010 13:38:41 +0300
Reply-To:     Janne Ruohomäki <janne.ruohomaki@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Janne Ruohomäki <janne.ruohomaki@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: stainless steel coolant pipes
Comments: To: Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To:  <r2pf700b5ac1005060221l87b0a612q4840eaa222a187c5@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

On Thu, May 6, 2010 at 12:21 PM, Andrew Grebneff <goose1047@gmail.com> wrote:
> Apparently stainless will result in electrolytic reactions when there is
> aluminum in the circuit.
>
> I have been advised to use aluminum pipe.

Electrolytic reactions are mostly eliminated if You dont connect the
stainless coolant pipe into the vans body or aluminum parts of the
circuit. Stainless (and all the metal parts of the circuit) need to be
insulated from each other.  No metal to metal connections. Same with
aluminum radiator, I dont think it is grounded in our vans ? The head
is abviously, but then again it has 1000x thickness of the radiator.

If You put to different metal pieces (aluminum and steel for example)
into a bucket so that they have no physical (electrical, metal to
metal) connection to each others and pour some salt into the solution,
pretty much nothing happens. Until You connect a wire from metal piece
to another. Voila: You have just created some bubbles with Your
galvanic couple.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galvanic_corrosion

But nevertheless You have been probably advised correctly: assuming
aluminum head and aluminum radiator, with aluminum pipes You would
only have aluminum in Your circuit and thus no galvanic pairs, no
matter how You install them.