Posted 2008-11-04 5:18 AM (#94211) Subject: Corrosion under the mats
Regular
Posts: 65 Location: TN
Just pulled the mats and washed the trailer floor. Is there anything one can spray on the aluminum floor before re-installingthe mats to help avoid any corrosion ?
Posted 2008-11-04 8:12 AM (#94223 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
There are many types of coatings that can be applied that will be more permanent in nature. If any corrosion is discovered, it can be neutralized with the application of a mild acid. Short of these applications, the best maintenance is to flush the area with water and allow the floor to dry completely before the mats are reinstalled.
Posted 2008-11-06 8:06 AM (#94376 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Elite Veteran
Posts: 802 Location: Tenn/Ala.
What do you mean by very cold? WERM is basically about like your existing rubber mat, it is just installed in your trailer in a "liquid" form that then forms & adheres to the floor. If it is cold enough regular rubber mats don't or won't work, then WERM likely won't function well either. Otherwise, you should be fine.
RTSmith
www.SelectTrailer.com
Posted 2008-11-06 12:34 PM (#94395 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Veteran
Posts: 241
I asked my Hart dealer if they offered it and he said in cold weather it was not a good thing... Im wondering if the continuous expansion causes separation or if there is just something I am missing...
Posted 2008-11-06 8:43 PM (#94428 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Veteran
Posts: 241
I'm just curious as to why the dealer is saying WERM is not good in these cold temperatures. I live in Montana but spend a lot of the year up in Alaska as well. The only thing I can think of is that the aluminum floor shrinks and expands with the extreme temperature ranges so the rubber separates over time. Understand I know nothing about WERM flooring so I'm not saying this is the case I'm just trying to figure out why it is not recommended for extreme cold.
Posted 2008-11-06 9:03 PM (#94429 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Member
Posts: 24
WERM flooring has been used by many high end trailer manufacturers the whole time they have been in business and keep getting more.If it would not work in really cold temp. they would not put thier name on it. If you are buying a brand new Hart trailer they can just bring it to the WERM factory in Oklahoma City. As far as being to cold WERM flooring is being used in Canada by some trailer dealerships.
Posted 2008-11-06 9:33 PM (#94431 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Elite Veteran
Posts: 802 Location: Tenn/Ala.
Maybe you need to get your Hart dealer to clarify this. Hart is a top quality trailer (That we don't sell by the way) that will handle any temperature just right. Yes, rubber expands and contracts, as does aluminum. No probably at differing rates, as the rubber is pliable allowing a bit of forgiveness. I'd love a more detailed question or situation if possible.
WERM is installed on top of a primer paint. If stopping the corrosion is the point, the paint alone might do that.
RTSmith
www.SelectTrailer.com
A WERM installation center (and original skeptic) but now a strong believer. And trust me, as an engineering type, I can be a tough skeptic to convince. We have seen a number of older units come through with WERM that their owners absolutely love.
Posted 2008-11-07 8:59 AM (#94453 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Elite Veteran
Posts: 802 Location: Tenn/Ala.
No Gard, you're probably right. The primer is an etching ordance (sp?) wash primer that bonds well with the aluminum and the WERM bonds to it. But if the primer were in direct contact with urine, it probably wouldn't be as durable, now that I've had a chance to reflect on it. I stand corrected. So to clarify- to stop corrosion, do the complete WERM install, or nothing. But no halfway. By the way, finished WERM product is flexible, if the original concern is that the trailer flexes and WERM wouldn't...
RTSmith
Posted 2008-11-07 10:04 AM (#94456 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
I think AQHA is concerned about the different coefficients of linear expansion/contraction between the two different materials; rubber and aluminum. Assuming that the mechanical bond of the rubber to the aluminum is sufficient, there is no reason to expect this bond to fail because of the different coefficients.
The total amount of change in the overall flooring dimensions, in a hundred degree difference, will only be a fraction of an inch. The elastic nature of the coating will cope with this difference, just as caulking would.
A large problem in the assembly of dissimilar materials, is not so much how much they change overall with temperature, but how quickly the different materials react to the temperature changes. If a product is assembled in an eighty degree shop, and slowly heated to one hundred twenty degrees, or slowly cooled to zero, there will usually be few problems.
If however, the item is cold soaked at zero and then is rapidly heated to eighty degrees, another set of circumstances is involved. Suppose your trailer sits outside, closed up in a hot southern sun. Its temperature may exceed one hundred twenty degrees. If it were suddenly sprayed with cool well water of fifty eight degrees, you can end up with "thermo shock". If a trailer were kept in a heated structure, and then brought outside into zero degree weather, the same thing can happen.
Under these conditions, the individual materials will expand or contract quickly, at different rates. Joint or product failures can then result. Any non flexible joint can fail, if the expansion or contraction rates exceed the materials' limits.
Rubber, when stretched becomes hard, when cooled, it becomes brittle. I would think that the brittleness at a lower temperature, would be more detrimental to its longevity, than the small amount of expansion and contraction it cycles during its life time.
Posted 2008-11-07 5:06 PM (#94480 - in reply to #94429) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Veteran
Posts: 241
If you are buying a brand new Hart trailer they can just bring it to the WERM factory in Oklahoma City.
How far are the two places apart? Do you know of anyone who has done this-- I'm wondering what the added cost might be to have it done that way. If my dealer wont do it I may just go that route.
Posted 2008-11-07 7:41 PM (#94488 - in reply to #94211) Subject: RE: Corrosion under the mats
Member
Posts: 24
If you are buying a new Hart trailer and your dealer is not willing to help you just call down to the Hart factory and tell them you want WERM flooring installed in your new trailer and they will take care of it for you. They are in Chickasha,OK which is not to far from the WERM factory. If you have a used trailer go to the WERM website and find the dealer that is closest to you. If Select Trailer in Shelbyville, TN is the closest to you, you will be well taken care of.
Corrosion under the mats
