Carbon Steel vs Stainless Steel HX

[DBakes15]

We are pricing out a HX from thermaline and wondering if anyone has had issues with their Carbon Steel HX. Obviously we'd like to go SS but if we can save some money here without sacrificing to much then we'll go Carbon Steel. Let me know what you experience is between the two.

Cheers

[jebzter]

A carbon steel frame, with stainless wetted surfaces, that will work, though you will have to take care making sure the carbon steel parts are properly coated to prevent rusting.

[TGTimm]

Our Mueller Aquatherm had CS endplates. It served us well for 15 years and still looks pretty good.

It needs a new home--PM me if interested. I have two sizes.

[CPESystems]

Honestly, the main difference is going to be aesthetic. Carbon steel ones are painted and the paint can chip, which can result in rust spots if you don't re-coat it. Stainless steel wont chip and is nice and shiny - especially next to all your shiny steel tanks.

We have also just updated our heat exchangers, and they'll run you a little less per equivalent unit: https://www.cpesystems.com/collections/heat-exchangers

[UnFermentable]

Honestly, the main difference is going to be aesthetic. [/url]

This for sure. Have seen carbon steel end plates that have been in service for 10 years+ that don't show any significant signs of ageing. I'd be more worried about the gasket material than the end plates. Heat exchangers do not get dinged up too much in my experience, so you shouldn't have to worry much about the rust. You can always remove rust, chemically treat, and re-paint if needed.

Of course we all like shiny things!