Rust after trip to Galveston

JaxDad wrote:

jparker66 wrote:
I understand the formula that results in rust; however, when you are camping for 5 days at an RV park that is right on the Gulf, your solution will not work. We had blowing salt water on our camper and truck for 5 days. A heavy salt film was on everything. Yes, when I immediately got home, I thoroughly washed both the truck and my camper.

If your camper has. Visible rust after just 5 days you'd better consider some serious protection for that unit. It obviously hasn't been very well prepared and / or finished very well from the factory.

That's what I was thinking...Even our golf cart which was a rental at an ocean front rv park in myrtle beach is not rusted....

Veebyes wrote:
...Spend a season on the shore with mostly onshore breezes & you have given your RV its premature death sentence.

This is the main reason we sold our MH and bought a disposable 5'ver to leave behind. We now travel in a small 5'ver until we get to the coast when the other one comes out to play for the winter.

That disposable 5'ver has a sealed bottom, all screws that are exposed are SS, is washed daily after the dew, and anything that is steel is oiled (spray ATF) monthly. Yearly the AC unit is coated with Corrosion-X.

After all that, salt air will still win in the end.

jparker66 wrote:
I understand the formula that results in rust; however, when you are camping for 5 days at an RV park that is right on the Gulf, your solution will not work. We had blowing salt water on our camper and truck for 5 days. A heavy salt film was on everything. Yes, when I immediately got home, I thoroughly washed both the truck and my camper.

If your camper has. Visible rust after just 5 days you'd better consider some serious protection for that unit. It obviously hasn't been very well prepared and / or finished very well from the factory.

Rust is like cancer. It gets into places that you cannot see & cannot reach to wash out never mind apply some protectant like a body undercoater rust inhibitor as used in new cars.

RVs are not made with the same fastener materials as boats.It is mostly cheap steel screws holding them together & the frames get a one thin coat of paint. What is out of sight is out of mind.

Spend a season on the shore with mostly onshore breezes & you have given your RV its premature death sentence.

I need to bookmark this thread. I'm parked about 60 feet off the beach just north of Corpus Christi, TX and have steady breezes from the Gulf every day. I'm already encountering some rust / corrosion on some door locks. I can imagine it will be a real problem since I'm going to be in that campsite for a couple of years.

Dave H M wrote:
Locally, I could not find ospho any more.

However the paint and prep section of Home Depot had it (titled bare metal prep) in gallon jugs. It is the lime green stuff labeled that it contains phosphoric acid.

Ummm, watch out for the skin and eyes.

I've used phosphoric acid based cleaners and preppers on rusted steel for 20 years. Everything from Martin-Senour auto body products to common household stuff. Lately, I've used liquid water softener cleaner. It is usually available at the big box stores and is a lot cheaper than other commercial paint products. Look on the label of the green bottle for the acid ingredient.

As always, when using acid based products, use safety protection and cautions listed on the bottle. I sometimes have a pail of water with baking soda handy for overspray or skin contamination.

My painting dril is like this: Remove rust scale and pitted steel rust with a wire brush (mechanical or powered), apply phosphoric acid solution, let stand for adequate time (steel will turn white), reapply acid solution and rinse/brush with water to remove reacted rust. Depending on surface and use, I will then spray a rust-combinative treatment primer or primer alone. I don't use cheap stuff here. The paint is an inconsequential cost of the project. I overcoat with a tough paint like an oil enamel or urethane top coat.

Good luck with your trailer and the rust. Using a rust remover and top coating is going to be the solution for the beach events.

I use this http://www.amsoil.com/shop/by-product/other-products/cleaners-and-protectants/heavy-duty-metal-protector/?code=AMHSC-EA

It works great

wbwood wrote:
How long were you there? We've stayed at the beach for 2 weeks at a time and even had our TT stored at the beach for months and never had an issue.

As they say it's all about "location, location, location."

Park your rig where they're is crashing waves, diving pelicans, strong winds, or heavy dew and your miles may vary. Even within the same RV park some sites will be worst for rust then others.

The time of year has an impact even. Warm southern winds seem worst then cooler northern winds during the winter. I thought I knew rust coming from the rust belt, but that Texas gulf coast is a whole new education.

Locally, I could not find ospho any more.

However the paint and prep section of Home Depot had it (titled bare metal prep) in gallon jugs. It is the lime green stuff labeled that it contains phosphoric acid.

Ummm, watch out for the skin and eyes.

You have discovered why large motor yachts are priced about half price when they come from salt water as compared to ones that are kept on Lake Michigan for example. Same thing for used golf carts. They are really cheap in Florida compared to northern states.

Problem is it just isn't the obvious rust you can see. It gets to your frame, behind your dash, and other places.