What are immersion heater spanners made of?

29th February 2020


	What are immersion heater spanners made of?


	Shop for Immersion Heater Spanners


			All immersion spanners are made from steel, a strong material that is resistant to bending or breaking under pressure. You’ll quite often see different types of steel listed in their descriptions in catalogues. The most common types for this tool are explained below.

			High quality steel
			High quality steel has a carbon content of between 0.45% and 1.5%. The higher the amount of carbon in the steel, the better quality it is.

			High quality steel is both hard and tough, which means it is difficult to scratch and resistant to being broken under extreme force.

			Heavy duty immersion heater spanners are made from a thicker version of this material for even greater strength and resilience.

			Zinc plated steel
			Zinc can be plated onto steel through a process called electrolysis.

			Zinc plating acts as a protective barrier against corrosion. Before the steel can rust, the layer of zinc plating has to corrode through first so the zinc acts as a physical shield to prevent the steel from coming into contact with the air. For further protection from corrosion, a chromate conversion layer can be added, which also makes the tool look shinier.

			Pressed steel
			‘Pressed steel’ refers to steel which has been heated and then rolled out over a mould before being left to cool. Pressed steel is stronger than die cast steel, which has been melted and poured into a mould before being left to set. The stronger the steel is, the less likely it is to bend under pressure.

			When looking around for which type of immersion heater spanner to buy, you may find that some of the above terms are used together. For example, you might find an immersion heater spanner that is made of zinc plated pressed steel.

			The most important thing to look out for is that your immersion heater spanner is made of high quality steel. You may be subjecting it to a good deal of force, so it’s important for it to be strong and tough!