How often to clean the chrome anodes

A. Assuming you are using round tin/lead anodes and running 24/7, you should not have to clean your anodes, unless they are dead. By dead I mean no longer for whatever reason, able to conduct current. A healthy anode will have a dark brown coating of lead peroxide, a dead anode will have a coating of yellow lead chromate. Pull your anodes and check them monthly, right after a load comes out. Dead anodes are usually caused by bad contact, nothing a wire brush couldn't fix. Keep your bus work clean.

A. I assume that you have lead anodes. Depending on the use, one can clean anode with wire brush and hot water. If once a week is not possible, do it at least once a month. Why don't you think of switching over to Platinized Titanium and forget about cleaning!

A. Hi Steve. I'm sure people will need more explanation before they can help. Chromic acid mists will dry to a yellow powder/scale and will spread everywhere if your ventilation system and/or fume suppressant is not working properly. That stuff is toxic, and having that powder/scale around is unacceptable.

Or are you speaking of some sort of yellowish discoloration to the plating itself? A lot more text, and hopefully pictures, will help.

Regards,

A. Hi again Steve. Upon receiving your second posting on this thread, and understanding that you were talking about anodes, we removed your questions from the original thread we had put them on, and appended them to this earlier discussion on the subject. The yellow is lead chromate. If it's only at the solution level, it's probably not a problem; but if the whole anode is yellow, please see Steve Delaney's posting above.

Regards,

A. Good day Steve.

Steve Delaney has given very good info regarding anodes.
Yellow deposits on the lead anodes, to the best of my knowledge, indicates they are trending to be passive, as a result of high production, high ASF, trivalent chrome, low anode/cathode ratio, poor bussing contact.
How are you adding the barium carbonate? It does produce the wonderful sludges.
I always made a slurry with water with an addition.
What is your anode/cathode ASF?
What is your plating duration as time?
I have experienced this also, and regularly remove the anodes, one at a time, during daily electrolysis/dummying, and "slide" them up and down on the anode bar to "activate/clean" the anode.
Any evidence of the change in colour/appearance (as dark) of the anode contacts will also indicate poor contact/bussing (heat is generated).
Hope this helps.

Regards,

Thanks to all for their input - very helpful.
Steve

A. Hello. Yellow, crusted chromate scales on lead anodes soak clean well to remove this scale in a solution consisting of 2-4 oz/gal (15-30 g/l) each of caustic soda ⇦liquid caustic soda in bulk on Amazon [affil link] and Sodium Gluconate, typically 8-12 hours). Of course, the source of why the anodes have become encrusted needs to be identified and corrected. One example is chloride contamination.