Causes and Symptoms
- The heat exchanger has rusted.
What causes rust in the heat exchanger?
In the condenser of a dryer, metals that have high heat conductivity [e.g., gold, silver, copper, aluminum] are used to ensure superior heat exchange.
These metals have electrochemical reactions with various substances in the air, such as oxygen, carbon dioxide, moisture, and chemicals, and may corrode or become rusty.
Corrosion of metals is an issue all manufacturers have to manage due to the characteristics of a dryer meaning that it is frequently exposed to moisture.
Copper pipes [Cu] LG uses in the pipeline show blue corrosion when corroded which forms a protective barrier on the surface of copper pipes and prevent additional corrosion by air or water.
After some time (1 to 1.5 years), those blue products of corrosion will remain the same without further change.
We can often see examples of such cases involving copper, such as on the Statue of Liberty in the U.S., and the roof of the National Assembly Building in Yeouido, Seoul.
The Statue of Liberty was made by building an internal frame of iron and coating the surface with copper plate.
As time passed, the copper has been corroded by the air and humidity, and the statue has turned a bluish green.
The city of New York planned to restore the statue to the original copper color, but the citizens objected to the project, claiming that they prefer the blue color.
Similarly, rust and corrosion can be found easily in objects in our everyday lives, such as coins, pots, and door handles.
The products of rust and corrosion are naturally generated when metals, such as copper and iron, meet water and air and oxidize, with the action and result playing the role of a protective film against further oxidation.
Corrosion/rust products provided a protective coat and blocks air and water from further penetration, thus preventing the corrosion from advancing further.
What is the reason we see rust on home appliances?
We often find rust on old home appliances.
Not only LG Electronics, but various manufacturers use aluminum, copper, and zinc-coated steel plates in main parts, such as motors and condensers.
This is because they use [metals] with high heat conductivity, as the parts require good heat-exchange performance.
Those metals are the proven materials that have been used across a diverse range of home appliances.
Particularly in a dryer, air and moisture are generated due to its operating characteristics.
Therefore, rust and corrosion can be generated naturally on brackets and pipelines within a condenser made of metals, depending on the product operating environment.
This phenomenon occurs in equal measure across all dryers from all manufacturers, regardless of whether the cleaning methods are manual or automatic.
Corrosion and rust prevent further oxidation of the metals of condensers.
Moreover, after one or one and a half years, those blue products of corrosion will remain the same without further change.
In case of a condenser bracket, corrosion may occur in small areas on some cut edges.
This is a natural phenomenon.
In addition, this corrosion will not be extended to the whole unit, and will not affect the basic performance of the dryer.
This guide was created for all models, so the images or content may be different from your product.
