Stainless steel sinks

[mustang94]

Well I thought stainless meant stainless, well my bathroom sink and out side sink keep getting rust spots. I use some stainless steel cleaner about once a week now, but the little spots keep coming back. Now not sure what to do because I am starting to see a few pits now. HHhhmmmm....

[Yosemitebob]

More than you will ever want to know about stainless, yes, there are different qualities:
The basic alloy. Type 304 (18-8) is an austenitic steel possessing a minimum of 18% chromium and 8% nickel, combined with a maximum of 0.08% carbon. It is a nonmagnetic steel which cannot be hardened by heat treatment, but instead. must be cold worked to obtain higher tensile strengths.
The 18% minimum chromium content provides corrosion and oxidation resistance. The alloy's metallurgical characteristics are established primarily by the nickel content (8% mm.), which also extends resistance to corrosion caused by reducing chemicals. Carbon, a necessity of mixed benefit, is held at a level (0.08% max.) that is satisfactory for most service applications.
The stainless alloy resists most oxidizing acids and can withstand all ordinary rusting. HOWEVER, IT WILL TARNISH. It is immune to foodstuffs, sterilizing solutions, most of the organic chemicals and dyestuffs, and a wide variety of inorganic chemicals. Type 304, or one of its modifications, is the material specified more than 50% of the time whenever a stainless steel is used.
Because of its ability to withstand the corrosive action of various acids found in fruits, meats, milk, and vegetables, Type 304 is used for sinks, tabletops, coffee urns, stoves, refrigerators, milk and cream dispensers, and steam tables. It is also used in numerous other utensils such as cooking appliances, pots, pans, and flatware.
Type 304 is especially suited for all types of dairy equipment - milking machines, containers, homogenizers, sterilizers, and storage and hauling tanks, including piping, valves, milk trucks and railroad cars. This 18-8 alloy is equally serviceable in the brewing industry where it is used in pipelines, yeast pans, fermentation vats, storage and railway cars, etc. The citrus and fruit juice industry also uses Type 304 for all their handling, crushing, preparation, storage and hauling equipment.
In those food processing applications such as in mills, bakeries, and slaughter and packing houses, all metal equipment exposed to animal and vegetable oils, fats, and acids is manufactured from Type 304.
Type 304 is also used for the dye tanks, pipelines buckets, dippers, etc. that come in contact with the lormic, acetic, and other organic acids used in the dyeing industry.
In the marine environment, because of it slightly higher strength and wear resistance than type 316 it is also used for nuts, bolts, screws, and other fasteners. It is also used for springs, cogs, and other components where both wear and corrosion resistance is needed.

My best guess is that the heavy-duty cleanser was used to scour the kitchen sink was the likely cause of the rusting. Bleach can strip away the protective chromium oxide layer and leave the steel below exposed to the elements, especially if left to dry on its own. Additionally, stainless steel with less chromium content (which is to say, cheaper stainless steel) is more vulnerable to rusting.

The solution is actually fairly simple. Scrub the stainless steel surface to remove all rust and dry it thoroughly. The layer of chromium oxide will reform on its own over the next few days. Stainless steel takes a lot of work, most people don't realize this when they get it. I constantly am wiping out the sinks, I never leave any metal in them sitting.

[mustang94]

WOW... nice little write up. My stainless steel sink in the house has been there for 20 plus years and really goes through a lot, dirt, rock, mud, oils, steel pans, paint cleaning, steel wool used to even help clean, soft scrub and the list goes on and on. We have had this motor home now for about 2 months, the bath sink has never seen any thing in it wash water and soap to wash your hands after doing your business. Well up until I started using the cleaner for stainless steel. This out side sink is about the same but has seen a few silver wear peaces and a little pickle juice... LOL... and at this rate both sinks will have to be replace in less than a year.

[mustang94]

Dam just read this....
Can Stainless Steel Rust? Expert Advice on Avoiding Stainless Steel Sink Problems | Buffalo Plumbing Showroom
One substance that can cause rust-like eruptions if left in contact for an extended period of time is Triclosan. Triclosan is an organic chemical made up of three chlorine molecules that is used in most anti-bacterial soaps, such as Dial. The fact that it can corrode stainless stainless steel may be of concern not just for your sink, considering it is regularly used on your skin!
LOL.... we use anti-bacterial soap in both places and in the kitchen sink we us regular old dish soap... Hhhmmm....

[Yosemitebob]

Originally Posted by mustang94@hot.rr.com

One substance that can cause rust-like eruptions if left in contact for an extended period of time is Triclosan. Triclosan is an organic chemical made up of three chlorine molecules that is used in most anti-bacterial soaps, such as Dial. The fact that it can corrode stainless stainless steel may be of concern not just for your sink, considering it is regularly used on your skin![/COLOR]
LOL.... we use anti-bacterial soap in both places and in the kitchen sink we us regular old dish soap... Hhhmmm....

Now that is interesting, as I always use the anti-bacterial soaps. Maybe that is why our last MH looked like, yep you guessed it, and that is one of the reasons we picked the present MH, no stainless.

[DocMike]

Now that is interesting to know. All my office sinks are stainless steel, as soon as I get up from here I am checking the soaps we are using here!


Doc


SHOOT! We have 0.5% Triclosan or 61% Ethyl Alcohol!

[mustang94]

Well in a few weeks time I will find out if my rust spots stay away... I will use Dawn dish soap and soften my hands as I wash them... LOL...

[fhenn]

Coat the stainless steel with baby oil, we use to do that at the convience stores kept them realy looking like new first remove the rust tho

[Mr Sunshine]

I wax our SS sink with whatever car or RV wax I have handy. Seems to clean and protect.

[mustang94]

Well I like to say its been about a month with out using that soap and my sinks have never been better. Dawn is the secret to a rust free stainless steel sink....

[DocMike]

Mustang,

I insisted that the cleaning service washes all Stainless Steel sinks with Dawn at the end of thier visits and guess what...no more unsightly rust stains in the sink. WHO KNEW??

Doc

[blw2]

late to the conversation, but one other thing....obviously not directly related to your problem, but is similar for future reference....
it's not considered good practice to use carbon steel to clean stainless steel.... as in wire brushes, steel wool scouring pads, etc.... because the carbon steel will leave deposits on and in the SS, that will rust. It's why, as an example, welders will use stainless steel wire wheels when cleaning up welds in stainless steel, not carbon steel brushes.

I'd imagine the same might hold true for carbon steel, or even cast iron cook wear and utensils in a kitchen sink....

[nautiquecowboy]

We also have those rust stains in the bottom of our bathroom sink we decided to go ahead and clean it ourselves instead of taking the chance of letting Camping World replace it and destroying our bathroom all the pieces

[sky_blue]

I definitely know about stainless steel. Having had a sailboat, I once bought some "stainless steel" nuts and bolts at my local hardware. Never again. Within 4 months they started to rust. I replaced them with good quality stainless from West Marine and never had any more issues.

[DocMike]

I set up an external WiFi antenna for my RV. TO do so I had to go to Marine websites to get 1" 14 count antenna mounts and magnets...cost a bit more but will be some time before it rusts.


Doc