Machinery that is exposed to water can be susceptible to rust. Obviously, a machine that has rust on its critical components will not be able to perform the function that it is intended to complete. Therefore, it is necessary to protect the machinery from the formation of rust. There are both solvent based and water based rust inhibitors to help keep machinery from succumbing to rust. Learn the differences between the two types and why the water based type is often the best to use in most applications.
Solvent Based Rust Inhibitor
A solvent based rust inhibitor can keep moisture away from metal and even displace moisture already on the machinery. This type of inhibitor can protect longer than the water based type, but solvent based types take longer to dry and need to be removed if the machinery needs painting or other servicing. This leads to a higher cost for the business because machinery downtime is longer since the dry time is longer.
Water Based Rust Inhibitor
A water based rust inhibitor can also keep moisture away from metal, but for a shorter period of time than solvent based types. However, it costs less to apply water based types, takes much less time to dry, and usually does not have to be removed if the machinery needs painting or other types of servicing. As a result, a water based rust inhibitor is much more practical for most types of machinery in most industries to keep them rust-free.
