CHLOR*RID® and HoldTight®102 are INDEED Very Different! 

ChlorRid has published a white paper, “CHLOR*RID® and HoldTight®102 Are Very Different”. In this we completely agree. Let’s examine their claims. In this paper, about the only fact they got right is the title. 

ChlorRid constantly harps on how bad amines are for salt removal (presumably since HoldTight®102 is amine-based), yet “an amine” is the first item listed as an ingredient in their Patent Abstract (238,594). Their patent further states: “In removing chloride ion or flash rust from the surfaces discussed above, a dilute aqueous solution containing an active agent is applied to the contaminated surface. The active agent may be selected from the group consisting of an amine, anionic surfactant, organic carboxylic acid, organic sulfonic acid, and mixtures thereof. 

The preparation and composition of these various active agents is well documented in U.S. Pat. Nos. …” It further goes on to state: “Both the …amine and [other] solutions were effective in removing chloride from the surface of the steel test samples.” ChlorRid has stated in their own patent that an amine is effective in removing chlorides. 

First they claim that only low pH (i.e., acidic) cleaners will remove salts from steel and they cite a paper by Dr. Simon K. Boocock, "SSPC Research and Performance Testing of Abrasive and Salt Retrieval Techniques", JPCL (March1994). They frequently quote this article as if it has anything to do with field salt removal. Dr. S.K. Boocock was simply trying to figure out the best way to extract chloride ions from lab panels and compared nitric acid with demineralized (“DI”) water to extract salts. He determined that nitric acid was better than DI water. Nitric acid is effective in removing salts because it also removes the steel the salt it is connected to. If you remove the substrate, you remove the chlorides! Duh…. 

Since ChlorRid does not contain nitric acid, what does this paper have to do with their product? Nothing. By the same logic, since orange juice is acidic we should be able to use it to remove chloride from steel--after all it does have a low pH. More voodoo science nonsense. Dr. Boocock never looked at basic or amine-based extraction methods and, to be honest, they are not appropriate for this application. Taking an article on laboratory extraction methods and equating it to removing salts in the field is the type of misrepresentation that constantly occurs in articles written by ChlorRid. 

According to ChlorRid, basic or alkaline cleaners do not work. Walk into any grocery store and look at the cleaners on the shelf. Except for citric acid-based cleaners, almost all the cleaners are alkaline. Ammonia, which is the basis for the amine molecule’s is a cleaner and is alkaline. Drano, Boraxo, Windex, Mr. Clean and most cleansers and detergents are alkaline. Despite all the fancy language, with both ChlorRid and HoldTight®102what breaks the bond of the salt with the steel is the wetting of the surface aided by the pressure of the water and surfactants in both products. When trying to remove soluble salts , what counts is getting the water to the salts. The solubility of the salt does the rest. 

At the concentrations (2% of ChlorRid) and pH (6.5) we are talking about, the acid probably does little except contaminate the substrate with acid salts and anionic surfactants. Since non-ionic cleaners do not contribute ions to the cleaning solution, they will dissolve soluble salts better than salt-based (acidic) cleaners. There is no chemical reaction occurring with the removal of soluble salts. It is a solubility issue. 

If there is a chemical reaction with ChlorRid, it is with the steel. The acid, if left on the surface, will react with the steel to form corrosion cells that will cause the steel to rust. This is why it is important to remove ChlorRid before painting. 

Does ChlorRid remove chlorides, sulfates and nitrates? Yes, but in-turn it leaves other salts on the surface that cannot be measured using their ion-specific tests. ChlorRid discourages the use of conductivity testing, which is currently mandated by ISO and IMO and will probably soon be required by NACE, SSPC and ASTM when the new standards are in place. 

The reason ChlorRid discourages the use of conductivity testing is that often after using ChlorRid the surfaces may be more contaminated with salts than before you started. It just doesn’t show up in THIER CSN test, which is clearly engineered not to detect the salts ChlorRid deposits on the surface. 

Why Does HoldTight®102“Inhibit” Rust Simply because after cleaning the surface with 102, there are few ions on the surface to conduct the current required to create a corrosion cell. Why might the steel begin to rust after 48 to 72 hours? Contrary to ChlorRid’s assertion that attempts to smear 102, it has nothing to do with a deteriorating “boundary layer”. Once the surface is dry there is no boundary layer. Unless you have the area hermitically sealed, natural pollutants, salts in the air, or even someone walking by and touching the surface or sneezing can provide the contaminants necessary for rusting to occur. 

First they complain because there is a boundary layer then they complain  the boundary layer deteriorates. 102 was designed specifically to “leave no residue” which, as ChlorRid points out, it does not. To set the record straight: the boundary layer does not deteriorate, it evaporates and it does so in the same time frame as the water, so when the surface is dry, the amine is gone. 

We would like to thank ChlorRid for pointing out that HoldTight®102 does not leave any film that would interfere with paint. ChlorRid is surprised that HoldTight recommends good quality water for washing. Simply stated, the better the quality of the water, generally, the better the results. Would you rather wash your hands with dirty water or clean water? ChlorRid would leave you to believe you can use their product with salt water – Good luck. 

ChlorRid doesn’t care about the quality of the water because their product contaminates the surface with salts even if you use good water. About the only item that ChlorRid actually got right is that you should not use HoldTight®102 through UHP pumps. As the pressure in the water increases, carbonates could precipitate out clogging nozzles and leaving deposits inside the pump. HoldTight agrees with UHP pump manufacturers, that it is a prudent precaution to put NO ADDITIVES in the water flowing through those very expensive pumps. 

Those who use ChlorRid in this manner are playing a high risk game. The better procedure is to use either 102 or ChlorRid AFTER the UHP operation in a lower pressure wash down pump. ChlorRid states: “In very simple terms, to adequately remove salts an acidic product is required. To inhibit flash rust an alkaline product is used. Neither of the two can operate effectively in a cross functional fashion because it is chemically impossible to do so.” It should come as no surprise that neither statement is correct. 

HoldTight®102 has a 20+ year track record of working effectively to remove ALL salts and prevent flash rust. The “facts on the ground” speak for themselves. To inhibit flash rust, there are two options: Remove all the ions from the surface so you do not have a corrosion cell or put on a film that will not evaporate from the surface, but that then must be physically removed before a coating is applied. . 

ChlorRid cites a study that said surfaces free of salts will not rust even in 100% relative humidity. “Dr. Gerald Stoltz, in his research report Executive Summary to the US Navy, NSRP 0329, June 1991 states – “properly cleaned steel will not rust, even in 100% humidity, for thousands of hours." If ChlorRid truly cleans the surface of all soluble salts, why doesn’t it inhibit flash rust for 1000’s of hours instead of NOT AT ALL? Could it be because it leaves behind acid salts? I think they just admitted their product does not properly clean steel of all salts; it just removes the salts they want you to test for. 

Don’t fall for their slight of hand. Use a product that truly removes all the salts. Are HoldTight®102 and ChlorRid different. – You bet they are! From the HoldTight® Team