2. amps-preamps
  3. 1365587629

Chemistry question on aluminum

Hi,
I am not sure if I am getting paranoia about this...

Nowadays, there are many equipment (amps, speakers, etc) that are made from aluminum; from a slab, ingot, extruded and other processes. And I am a sucker for the raw industrial silvery color Aluminum looks. I just dig them. (Think YG acoustics, Audiomachina, Modwright, Jeff Rowland, Acoustic Signature TT, et al)

But I live in the hot and humid tropics. A friend, knowing that I failed Chemistry in school, put a scary thought in me that white powdery substance will form and corrode them in the long run.

Anyone care to give me a Chemistry 101 lesson on this with respect to Audio equipment?

Thanks.
hamburger
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 
What's the alternative, steel?
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Salt water air will penatrate treated and untreated aluminium almost as quick and turn it to dust quick.

For homes next to the beach I'd recommend keeping AC on all the time to keep the moisture at its minimum.
brownsfan
1,508 posts
 
I would be concerned if I lived very close to a beach with salt spray present in the air. Absent salt spray, Drrsutlif's comments are accurate. As far as aluminium and alzheimer's disease, that arose from a finding that amyloid plaque contains elevated levels of aluminum. Current thinking is that this is a coincidental not a causual relationship.
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,218 posts
 
Aluminum melts at 1220˚F, so depending on how hot it is where you live there could be concerns. Just something to be equally paranoid about.
rlwainwright
1,904 posts
 
Unless your listening room is situated on the face of the planet Mercury, I don't think I'd worry too much about high ambient temps...

-RW-
More to discover