Brass and Stainless Steel Compatabilty

[hd54kh]

Quick question I have a plumbing project coming up and have a surplus of 3/4" brass and stainless steel fittings. Can these be interchanged and attached to each other. My thought is being dissimilar metals will there be any reaction?

Thanks

Sawyer

 

[jrsavoie]

I have used them together without issue.

 

[Firebrick43]

its possible but with no leaks and ph balanced water I would say unlikely as well

 

[hd54kh]

Thanks guys, I am using them to install a descaling filter for my new yet to be installed water heater. The instructions don't like copper in the mix, everything from my well pump to the pvc leading into the house is already brass.

An old project I did had left me a small collection of brass and stainless steel fittings and *******. With the cost of materials anymore it would be great to save $$$ and empty another box off the shelf.

Sawyer

 

[Showkey]

Will Using Dissimilar Plumbing Pipe Metals Accelerate Pipe Corrosion?

There are three commonly used metals for potable water plumbing pipes, including stainless steel, copper, and brass. These metals are used because of their durability and long lifespans. However, mixing these metals is not generally advised due to the potential for sudden pipe corrosion and...

www.nuflowmidwest.com

From the link:

“The Reason Some Stainless Steels and Brasses Do not Work Together​

The metals should have no more than a .15V to .25V on the anodic index or metals that are extremely close together as listed on the index. In the case of stainless steel (410) and brass, they are seven metals apart, which means they would be likely to corrode if connected directly. When it comes to stainless steel (301, 304 and 310) and brass, they are only two metals apart, which means they can be safely connected together with minimal risk of galvanic corrosion.”

 

[hd54kh]

I just checked the fittings and they are marked 316. So it seems I should be ok.

Sawyer

 

[gearhead1]

I concur, brass and stainless aren’t too far away from each other on the galvanic chart. That should be ok. Remember stainless is steel with chromium and nickel. Brass is copper and zinc. Zinc is at the bottom of the chart, but copper is next to stainless.

The Galvanic Series – the essential guide

Have you been wanting to understand more about the Galvanic Series - what it is exactly, and how it can help you make decisions about joining metals? A lot of industrial and commercial applications involve the combination of two or more metals. In such cases, how does one choose which metals to...

www.engineeringclicks.com

 

[nadogail]

316 is the Cadillac of Stainless, we used it extensively, along with plastic at a Printed Circuit Board Manufacturing plant I was employed at.