Salt away or salt off

[idonthaveaname]

We all want to keep the salt out of our motors and wash it off our hulls but what is the best thing to use? I am sure there are other products...

What do you use?
What do you like?
What's the best price?

 

[F_R]

Re: Salt away or salt off

WATER is the solvent for salt.

 

[racerone]

Re: Salt away or salt off

A lot of these product are on the shelf , why you ask.-------------People buy them.--------Just like fishing lures , they need to catch people ( their money ) and manufacture does not care whether the work or catch fish !

 

[dingbat]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Water is my answer to all three questions. For stubborn salt, mix vinegar in the water

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Salt away or salt off

I've used them both. Now using Salt-Off since it's a little cheaper in West Marine (being the house brand).

Really don't know how effective they are. I have noticed the few salt deposits inside the thermostat housing are now kind of soft and mushy, where before (using these products) they were hard and crusty. I just figure that it won't do any harm and for my frequency of use it is relatively cheap insurance.

 

[GA_Boater]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Water is the cheapest, easiest to use and works. Flush as soon as possible after getting off the water, don't let the deposits harden. Don't forget the trailer.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Salt away or salt off

A lot of cynics here I see. I have been in the water (salt) all my life and well aware of what it does to everything. That said, I tried Salt Away and compared it to plain water. There is a difference. The salt literally washed off without effort. The area washed only in water left a salt residue. I was asking only for alternatives. Salt Away is crazy expensive but if it removes the salt and saves corrosion it is worth it. Can one get by with just water and perhaps some vinegar? Sure. I can tell you plain water is not a solvent for salt and manufacturers don't necessarily makes something that doesn't work just to take your money (obviously it wouldn't be around very long if that were true).

 

[gm280]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Look at the label on the can you are presently using that you like and it should tell you everything in their mixture. Then you will know what the manufacture used. You can then mimic it or something close and see how it works.

 

[racerone]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Water will dissolve remove actual salt.------The white powder that you see all over a motor may not be salt.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Sorry, I disagree with you, and agree with the "plain water salt solvent" group. If you flush your motor with water after use, the salt will not be an issue. I had a motor that I flushed with freshwater, for years. No corrosion whatsoever. After I kept the boat in saltwater, corrosion was everywhere.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Do some digging on the active ingredients in Salt-Away and get back to us. Give you a hint....soap and sulfamic acid (<5%). If there was a "miracle juice" for motors OEMs would have jumped on the bandwagon long ago?

I can tell you plain water is not a solvent for salt.

Why does salt crystals dissolve in the water? | WyzAnt Resources

Let?s first take a look at salt and water at the molecular level. Salt, also written out as NaCl (Sodium Chloride), is made up of positive sodium ions (Na+) along with negative chloride ions (Cl-). Because we have a positive and negative, the two are attracted to each other forming an ionic bond, which results in NaCl. When many sodium and chloride ions attract to one another, they form a salt crystal. When this formation occurs, you get a sodium ion that is surrounded by 6 chloride ions and a chloride ion surrounded by 6 sodium ions to form a cube. Now let?s look at water (H20) on the molecular level. A water molecule is made up of two hydrogen atoms bonded to one oxygen atom. The oxygen molecule has a great attraction for the electrons that are found on the hydrogen. As a result, the electrons spend most of their time near the oxygen than the hydrogens. This then makes a slight negative charge around the area of the oxygen and slight positive charge around the hydrogen.
So, when salt crystals are placed in water, the positive end of the water molecule attracts the negatively charged chloride ions and the negative ends of the water molecules attract the positive sodium ions. As a result, the salt will dissolve once the attraction between the water and the ions overcomes the attraction the ions have for one another. Once dissolved, the positive sodium ions and negative chloride ions will associate with the oppositely charged polar ends of many water molecules.

 

[durban]

Re: Salt away or salt off

http://forums.iboats.com/johnson-evinrude-outboards/nitric-acid-durbans-desalting-outboard-motors-527764.html

paint nitric acid on the area leave for 10 to 15 min then hose off

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Salt will dissolve in water but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. What it means is that a chemical change has taken place where bonds are broken and new bonds formed which is only a rearrangement of atoms. Dissolving is a physical process where the substance, in this case salt, retains its own physical characteristics but just changes state. When salt is put in water the sodium and chloride atoms are pulled apart by the water. They disappear. But if the water is taken away those sodium and chloride atoms will rejoin. So to say salt dissolves in water is not quite true and simply rinsing your motor or hull or all your stainless or aluminum with plain water, I would think, is asking for trouble. So one should use salt away, vinegar, salt off, a nitric acid mix, soap, or something other than just plain water which is why I asked. I don’t care what you choose to do; I was only asking what you do.

 

[kfa4303]

Re: Salt away or salt off

WATER is the solvent for salt.

+1. F_R and I live near some of the saltiest water in the US and all I ever do is hose my gear down thoroughly after every trip to the beach. No need for "special" coatings and all that jazz. If you're lucky, you can take one of our many spring fed rivers to and from the beach, which pretty much takes care of all the rinsing. Otherwise, just lots and lots of freshwater.

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Well.... if you use enough water you are correct. My point was Salt Away instructs to flush for 30 seconds and then rinse or spray on hull and spray off with fresh water. Either way it's fast and I use a lot less water...then again, Salt Away is really expensive. In my area however (the Keys) water is crazy expensive as well.

 

[F_R]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Salt will dissolve in water but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. What it means is that a chemical change has taken place where bonds are broken and new bonds formed which is only a rearrangement of atoms. Dissolving is a physical process where the substance, in this case salt, retains its own physical characteristics but just changes state. When salt is put in water the sodium and chloride atoms are pulled apart by the water. They disappear. But if the water is taken away those sodium and chloride atoms will rejoin. So to say salt dissolves in water is not quite true and simply rinsing your motor or hull or all your stainless or aluminum with plain water, I would think, is asking for trouble. So one should use salt away, vinegar, salt off, a nitric acid mix, soap, or something other than just plain water which is why I asked. I don’t care what you choose to do; I was only asking what you do.

Yes, you asked what I do. And I think I made that pretty clear, I flush it with fresh water. The salt doesn't stay in there to reform, it is flushed away with the water. But no amount of flushing with anything is going to get in all the nooks and crannies like screw threads. That's wishful thinking. I don't care what you choose to do either.

Also on Florida's West Coast and 24 years in a dealers service shop.

 

[racerone]

Re: Salt away or salt off

The fact that there is quite a bit of salt present in the oceans is proof enuff that water dissolves SALT, in my opinion.

 

[minuteman62-64]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Interesting topic. This brings out the emotions similar to a "should I use biscuit joining" topic over on the woodworking forum I monitor

 

[idonthaveaname]

Re: Salt away or salt off

Don't get your panties all up in a wad there F_R. All you said was "WATER is the solvent for salt. " That's not saying what you use; that's making a statement. All I am saying is water dissolves salts but---and this is the important part--it does not remove salt completely. My second point was that water is expensive. I know some don't think so, but it is in some parts. If one can offset the cost with a company product or vinegar (and put egos aside cuz I am not here for a fight) I am all for that. It's part of the discussion to agree or disagree. Which is my third point-scientific fact as listed. I asked a chemical engineer and that was the answer I received. Truth is, I respect what you do (and I have worked and lived on the FLA coast for nearly 60 years) but when folks mention "use lots and lots of water" or "water is cheap" they are not considering that it's not cheap everywhere, many don't have springs, and in either case using an abundance of fresh water goes against my environmental soul. Just sayin what I am sayin without judgements on anyone.

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Salt away or salt off

I use Salt Away and I don't boat in Salt Water!

I live in Arizona. Our water is danged near hard enough to break off at the tap. It's as bad as saltwater in many respects.

The Salt Away removes, or better stated-nuetralize, whatever elements that are in the water. There is more than one kind of salt. Two name a few, you have: Sodium salt, Potassium salt and Iron salt.