What's new
What's new

OT Corroded aluminum off gassing when heated

David J.

Cast Iron
Joined
Feb 28, 2011
Location
Michigan
Was just working on an older gas driven water pump with aluminum
housings and impeller. It had lots of corrosion, dirt, crud...the usual
in it. As far as I know and pretty sure it's only pumped water.
Anyway had to heat some of the hardware with a propane torch, got some
of the castings hot enough to sizzle the water out of them.
Some time during this started to get a strong smell....all of a
sudden real strong eye burning throat burning smell.....got the
hell out and turned the vents on. Had not used any liquid magic formula.
Any idea what that gas was?
Thanks
Davw
 
Any chance the parts you were heating up were zinc, rather than Al? Hot zinc fumes are some nasty stuff, and it doesn't take welding heat to release them. But you'd probably see some melting too, so maybe not the issue.
 
Sounds to me like it wasn't pumping just water …..I know from experience some crop spray chemicals will give the effects you describe when the metal they're dried on to (usually invisibly) is heated.

I've seen and built (and used) petrol driven water pumps to transfer ready mixed spray from a ''mother tank'' to a crop sprayer.
 
It was aluminum castings, was not near the seals.
Pump is used by a local fire department to pump
hydrants prior to winter freeze up.
What ever it was was nasty....hit pretty quick
and hard. Eye watering, throat burning etc.
I've never been very sensitive to stuff but
this was bad.
Don't have a clue to what it was.....
Dave
 
Maybe the Fire Department ran some sort of preserving fluid etc etc through / sprayed it on the pump after use. ………….dunno about the US, but I know the UK fire service ''have their own way of doing things'' …….some of them a ''trifle strange'' to say the least.
 








 
Back
Top