Testing for SALT in the air

[Freenow54]

My wife is convinced that our downstairs (where the aquarium equipment is) .... has dangerous, rusting, damaging tiny salt particles in the air destroying everything down there.

From furniture, to clothes, to our furnace, everything.

Unhappy wife = unhappy life

QUESTION... what can I use to TEST the amount of salinity/salt that is in the air?

I need FACTs

I goggled it did not find anything for you, not factual but I did find some relation between humidity and concentration . A hydrometer was suggested with no real correlation. Try Hash tagging it to experts I wear a mask when I add salt to my rodi you can tell it is in the air but I would think it dissipates. Unlike a gas I do know that chlorine will destroy a furnace heat exchanger if it has communication with it

 

[ShakeyGizzard]

oops

 

[Dburr1014]

oops

Saw it, lol

 

[DCR]

Salt mist and salt creep are real and almost unavoidable. It is probably very small droplets as RHF suggests. If metal is being corroded around the tank, it is likely due to the salt. It does not happen with freshwater tanks to anywhere near the extent of salt water. It is not just humidity. I keep my saltwater tanks away from sensitive furniture and equipment.

 

[ZoWhat]

I goggled it did not find anything for you, not factual but I did find some relation between humidity and concentration . A hydrometer was suggested with no real correlation. Try Hash tagging it to experts I wear a mask when I add salt to my rodi you can tell it is in the air but I would think it dissipates. Unlike a gas I do know that chlorine will destroy a furnace heat exchanger if it has communication with it

exactly.... just like puzzle dust makes you sneeze and you smell the puzzle when opening a box.... opening a bag of salt mix introduces fine salt into the air.

I've recently been very careful opening a bag of salt and what gets stirred up.

 

[Tamberav]

OP here....

here is my wife's text to me after sharing what's been said:

Tell her to lick it to test if it’s salt

In 3rd grade they had us put salt and water mixed on a dish and put it in the window to show that water evaporated and the salt was left behind..

If my ATO runs low my return pump will suck air and get salt creep everywhere from all the bubbles.

 

[skiergd011013]

Salt is in the air near SW aquariums if you have any bubbles popping whatsoever (99.9% of tanks?). It has nothing to do with evaporation. Salt doesnt evap. I have a very small amount of bubbles that exit my skimmer, and if i angle my eyes right with the tank top and light, i can see the mist from each bubble pop, loft into the air (kind of like when you see dust in sunlight from a window). I have a metal Lasko commercial floor fan that i got brand new that has been in the same room for a few years, but never within 10 feet of my SW tanks, and the metal grill guard on it has rust all over it.

 

[Tamberav]

You could also build her a canopy if your pumps are creating a mist.

 

[WhatCouldGoWrong71]

I have a salt water pool. It doesn’t splash or mist but a couple feet away. You wouldn’t believe the damage that thing can do to metal 20 feet away.

 

[ScottD]

Isn’t this why we use stainless steel hinges and hardware for anything in or on our stands and canopies? Salt spray gets everywhere.

 

[Paul B]

I don't know but most things in my fish room are rusty. The room is as big as a good size garage and even the galvanized duct next to the tank is rusty. My tools get rusty as well as any other metal thing in there. I do live next to the sea but none of my neighbors have this problem.

It could just be the humidity from the tank, I'm not sure but in my last house the tank was on a DIY galvanized stand for 40 years and I had to replace the legs on that stand because of corrosion.
I don't think most people keep their tank long enough to have problems.

 

[Poulpo]

When I mix new salt water there is always a little cloud of salt particles that fly in the air. Less concern than lime but I always try to limit it as my home heater is close and I want to avoid corrosion. It is also advisable to clean reflectors and lens from light. Salt can block a significant amount of light.

 

[Freenow54]

exactly.... just like puzzle dust makes you sneeze and you smell the puzzle when opening a box.... opening a bag of salt mix introduces fine salt into the air.

I've recently been very careful opening a bag of salt and what gets stirred up.

I always wear a mask spooky to think of what salt powder does in your moist lungs. I see people talking about corrosion. I wonder about electronics? I have opened up some led lights that quit working and there was a lot of salt residue. I tried a fix I saw on the internet. It worked but did not have the courage to use it again

 

[VexedTomb792]

OP here....

here is my wife's text to me after sharing what's been said:

That made me properly laugh, no-one but no-one likes salt on their totes

 

[Freenow54]

That made me properly laugh, no-one but no-one likes salt on their totes

not going there. need a picture

 

[JumboShrimp]

Are you a REALLY, REALLY brave husband? Tell her to lick all the surfaces, and see whether she develops a sudden craving for 'pepper'. (lol!) ;)

 

[hobie61]

for what it is worth, my hot water (hydronic) heater register covers have rusted pretty heavily, especially near the tank. Not from splash either. Even seeped up from the basement where i mix water, etc. thru the pipe floor openings. Now i have a mess to cleanup and repaint when i get motivated. One of those things.

 

[Acro76 Verified Sponsor]

All over the room. I know someone whose research involved taking high speed microscope videos of bubble popping. Plenty of fluid gets launched into the air, and tiny droplets (mist) will spread through the room and perhaps elsewhere.

Of course, whether this problem is significant depends on whether you have a lot of bubbles popping in the open air (like the tank top).

Back when I used to do aquarium maintenance for a living, I used to take care of an aquarium that was in a living room. About 20 feet away they had a very expensive piano. The wife was convinced that the saltwater aquarium was causing the piano to rust. All the strings were starting to rust. Had to move the tank into the basement.

Anything that is aerosolized can travel a fair distance.

A reasonable solution would be some sort of barrier to stop the salt spray. I like this stuff, it's used to make yard signs and is easy to cut with a razor blade:

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

Nvr tested but it’s visible from spray which collects on the lid screen Needs a clean I push fait amount of water on pulse mode antic-sync patent child. Surface roils.

 

[Paul B]

Rusted out galvanized on my last tank stand after 40 years.