What is the Difference between a Vitreous Enamel and Stainless Steel Tank?
Tuesday, September 9th, 2008
Hot water is highly corrosive. Basically there are two ways to combat the corrosion of tanks:
Vitreous Enamel
Vitreous enamel is a glass coating that is chemically bonded to steel at high temperatures around 850 degrees Celsius. It is actually glass powder that is used.
The enamel coating does not rust and thus prevents the water from reaching the steel.
In addition these tanks have a sacrificial anode for additional corrosion protection. It needs to get checked every 5 years and usually replaced after 10. In areas with aggressive or hard water, this might be necessary more often.
Stainless Steel
Marine grade stainless steel includes higher levels of chromium. They create a passive film of chromium oxide which prevents further corrosion.
Tanks made of it do not need any maintenance, but they are $600 to $1,000 more expensive than the vitreous enamel systems. It is possible to recycle the stainless steel, whereas the vitreous enamel tanks are just dumped.
For anyone living close to the Ocean, it might be a worthwhile investment, but for most situations the vitreous enamel work perfectly and give a better return on your investment.
How to Decide
When I started researching, all the stainless steel tank suppliers knocked the vitreous enamel tanks and the ones selling vitreous enamel showed me proof of how stainless steel can corrode as well. In reality both systems have been around for over 50 years and proved their longevity.
If you plan to stay in your home for 20+ years or you are close to the Ocean, the extra investment in a stainless steel tank might be worth it. If you are strapped for cash and want to start savings on your electricity bill, a vitreous enamel tank is a good and durable choice.
We recommend vitreous enamel as a standard, but offer to upgrade to a stainless steel tank.
Tank Casing
One last word on the tank casing. Most tanks come with a colorbond casing. It is a coated zincalume steel base, which is used extensively in roofs, walls, fences, garage doors, etc.
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