Rust Patrol in the Marine Environment

Can You Safely Use Rust Patrol in the Water?

I recently had a conversation with a customer who sells into the marine environment. His customer, a marine service and maintenance company, was asking if there would be an issue using Rust Patrol in and around water.

Is It Safe?

A major cause of corrosion comes from moisture and humidity in the air. Float a chunk of metal on salt water and the problems are exponentially increased. One of the things about which people have questions is whether or not Rust Patrol can be used in the marine environment without washing off into the water. Too much oil in the water is detrimental to both wildlife and the environment – not to mention people.

A Beautiful Thing.

I think the concern of wash off comes from other products in the category of rust prevention and lubrication. By and large these products passively sit on top of the metal, making them easy to wash off in water, causing contamination. The beautiful thing about Rust Patrol is the way it works. Magnetically drawn toward metal, it actively moves to get down to the oxide layer and, since it’s based on nano technology, bonds with it at the molecular level. If you have metal submerged in water, this bonding action keeps Rust Patrol adhered to the metal and not floating off into the environment.

Now, you don’t want to apply Rust Patrol over the water, where it might drip off or something, but once it’s cured (about 5 minutes), you can wipe off the excess if you want, and you’re good to go. Properly applied, you will have a level coating thickness of 0.4 – 0.5 mil for Multi-Purpose, 0.75 – 0.8 mil for Heavy Duty, and 0.9 -1 mil for Lubricating Oil. That’s an almost imperceptible layer of anywhere from 0.0004 of an inch to 0.0008 of an inch. By and large the competition will be anywhere from 3-4 mils, even up to 10 mil for the thicker, goopier coatings. 

As I said, Rust Patrol is almost imperceptible compared to that. And those goopier coatings, just in general, are usually much more hazardous to the environment than Rust Patrol, being based on 60, 80, even 100 year old technology.

Testing, testing…

Of course, you don’t have to just take our word for it. According to our independent lab, seawater immersion test (ASTM D1141), their results show Rust Patrol’s performance to be true.

“…the original inhibitor application was still present on the coupons.”

After 25 days (600 hours), there was no visible sign of corrosion on the Rust Patrol panels. The bare carbon steel coupon panel however, was showing signs of the onset corrosion. Finally, after 22 weeks (3,696 hours), the Rust Patrol panels began to show evidence of staining. The test was abandoned at that point, being considered a success.

But here’s the crucial point of this article. At the conclusion of the test, the Rust Patrol panels were tested for any degradation of the coating. Again, from the lab… “Further, at the conclusion of the testing, the Rust Patrol inhibitors were still present on the coupons from the initial application at the start of the exposure testing.”

Rust Patrol didn’t wash or leak off the panels. If you have parts that are submerged or moving in and out of the water (boat lifts, trailers, etc.), you need have no concern that Rust Patrol is winding up in the environment instead of staying on your metal. And frankly, Rust Patrol will have a difficult time protecting your metal if it’s not on there in the first place!

Just a quick note…

Rust Patrol is easy to apply for whatever method works best for the application - spray, dip, or brush. To get the proper application thickness, we recommend coating the surface and, if possible, suspending for 10 seconds or so (this works best for a dip coat, and allows you to reclaim the runoff. This will produce a coating thickness of 0.4 - 0.5 mil for Multi-Purpose, 0.75 – 0.8 mil for Heavy Duty, and 0.9 – 1 mil for Lubricating Oil. If you do leave a thicker coating, this will only allow Rust Patrol to last even longer.

Pick Some Up Today!

Rust Patrol is the perfect product for work boats and pleasure crafts alike, or any of your tools, parts, and equipment in and around water. We know you'll be infinitely pleased with its performance.  Why not pick some up today!