How works the RustStop system

Protection of the RustStop System

The RustStop System has been designed to do
what other systems cannot do....

Under normal conditions the metal of the vehicle contains a mass of Iron Atoms, Impurities and Free Electrons. The impurities are slightly positively charged and hence there is a potential difference (voltage) between the impurity atoms and the iron atoms. This means that the Iron Atoms become the Cathodes (-) and the Impurity Atoms the Anodes (+). The potential difference usually averages at about 1.1 Volts

Because the Impurity Atoms are at a higher potential (anodes) there is an attraction of the free electrons, which are negatively charged (positive attracts negative). As soon as there is moisture on the vehicle, the moisture becomes the electrolyte, which provides the path for the free electrons to travel from the iron atoms (-) and attack the positively charged impurities/anodes in the metal; this reaction is called oxidization (rust). Along coastal and surrounding areas there is a high salt content in the air due to the sea, which intensifies the rusting process as it makes the moisture even more conductive. The same situation occurs in areas where salt is used to melt icy roads.

So in order for corrosion (rust) to form,
there needs to be water and free electrons present.
METAL (Fe) + WATER (H20) + FREE ELECTRONS (e- ) = RUST Fe(OH)2
By eliminating any one of these agents rust will not be able to form.

RustStop RS2000 is the only unit that successfully combines both Impressed Current and Sacrificial Anode technologies to effectively combat rust.

Sacrificial Anode: When installing RustStop, two strips of aluminium electrodes, termed anodes are strategically attached to an area of the vehicle where most water is likely to collect or run. A positive charge of 45 volts is put onto these anodes, which causes a strong attraction of free electrons away from the metal and onto the external anodes. So the free electrons react with the external anode at +45V rather than the impurity anodes in the metal at only +1.1V.

The potential of the metal to be protected is now substantially lower in respect to the attached anodes (45 Volts), so even the impurity anodes in the metal now become cathodes. In summing it up we now have one large cathode (vehicle to be protected) and one large anode (externally attached by us), which will do the corroding instead of the vehicle.

N.B. RustStop functions extremely well due to the fact that the output voltage on the anode is approximately 45 volts, thus creating a large potential difference between the cathode (vehicle) and the anode, this in turn means the attraction of the electrons to the anodes is exceptionally strong making this system very effective.

The problem with using this method alone is that it is extremely effective in wet conditions but is far less effective in dry conditions because of the lack of an electrolyte for the free electrons to travel through.

Impressed Current: The essential factor in impressed current is that the unwanted anodes in the metal of the vehicle are suppressed by the application of an impressed current from the RustStop unit. The normal weak attraction of free electrons toward the impurity anodes is now disrupted by forcing a uniform flow of free electrons (impressed current) throughout the metal of the vehicle.

In short, the constant flow of free electrons in the metal, prevent them from reacting with the impurity anodes as rust. This method is effective in dry conditions but a car battery cannot deliver the current needed to prevent rust in wet conditions.

RustStop uses both technologies to overcome the problems with each individual method and be the most effect unit available. RustStop is the only system on the market that has developed a Rust Stabilizing Converter (Rx25) to complement the electronic unit by increasing its ability to protect rusted areas.

Rust is the interaction between Free Electrons, Water and Oxygen. The Rx25 stabilizes this interaction and releases the Free Electrons, so that they can now be attracted to the +45V charge on the anodes. This effectively converts the existing rust back to a stable state and controls further rusting. So RustStop is effective on new and used vehicles.