What is your opinion of these two products? . I have a small bottle of salt away here for flushing my outboard and washing the boat down after each trip and getting close to running out. I just purchased a 5 liter of Desalt for when the salt away runs out so obviously the two products do the same job but does any of them do it better than the other.

kingfish15 wrote: I've used salt away for a while and been really happy with the cleaning results i get with using it, i personally wouldn't use it for an out board as it can cause a clog up with residue from the solution. Cheers

krow wrote: Saltaway say it doesn't leave ANY residue.

Shanedog wrote: I thought the residue was supposed to protect your motor? I've been leaving it in after flushing as the instructions suggest, is this a bad idea?

We are talking sea salt here (NaCl)... not high mineral content of fresh water (circles on the car after washing)
The best soln is to flush the engine while the engine is still hot, and internals havnt dried out.
 We flush at the ramp, remove the tell tale plug,(johnson/ evinrude) made an adapter and plug the fresh water hose in, engine in vertical position  Merc and other brands have similar hose plug in systems).... This cabn be done with the engine still sitting on salt water at a dock or mooring.
 Then when home, another flush in a drum with fresh water and a little CAR detergent ....
Couple times a yr, a long flush in the drum with a dilute soln vinegar .. this then removes any fresh water mineral build up.

After flushing always let the engine drain well in vertical position .
 We use the boat at least a couple times a month, and for at least a good hr... this allows a lot of salt water to run thru the engine , which dissolves any (if any) build up...

Using engines for sort and occasional periods, far greater flushing maintenance should be done.. AND regular full annual maintenance which should include removal and checking of hoses, ports, thermostats and galleries (when impeller thermostats removed) replaces.
 If you park up over winter.. service, and winterize the engine, or get it winterized at the service.

Basically its about good flushing....before deposits build up.
 Once they have built up there is NO MAGIC soln or product that will remove them easy....
 Think about it.. u have very dense encrusted salt build up in a gallery cnr.. what ever you use flows OVER its surface.. not thru it. Therefore its a matter of having something in soln that will create the right pH (acidity) with the right ions that will slowly remove the surface a little faster... and not attack the iron/ aluminium of the engine parts.
 It can also be sped up by softening the deposit 1st... Products like marine CRC, some silicones are very effective in doing so... This means getting excess into ports and galleries thru hoses, thermostats, and spraying in with long tubes letting soak.  Doing so on regular basis also has the risk if attacking seals, impellers.

Bottom line it comes down to flushing , preferably with engine warm, before dried out....and then when think enough , double the time (the best medium to dissolve salt is HOT water).... when using  salt deposit PREVENTIVE detergents/ products  or not.

Durbans Formula . BeforeAfter

Car wash or dishwasher liquid not good due to additives. .....I've proved that grated and disolved Sunlight soap in a drum has more benifets for internal cleaning and waterpumps. I run my V6 in a drum after use and desalted clogged telltails in small engines also.......

if you want to check how good your flush down procedure is working, just pull your internal anodes off and have a look, it takes 1 minute. you might be surprised at the amount of salt build up...

where do you buy desalt?

if you want to check how good your flush down procedure is working, just pull your internal anodes off and have a look, it takes 1 minute. you might be surprised at the amount of salt build up...
 That is not a check...
If the anode has not any "salt" on it it means there is a issue with it
1/ not grounding electrically properly
2/ or someone has sprayed and or cleaned with CRC or similar type product
3/ you have a fresh water anode rather than a salt water anode
 One is Zn based the other Mg based.. off the top of my head cant rem which is which.
The white "Salt" is NOT SEA SALT (sodium chlorate)...it is a mixture of magnesium and Zinc oxides.

 The anode due to its mixture of metals, and choice of metals is designed to corrode before the aluminium alloy of the engine and housing in a given environment
Check the sacrificial anodes make sure there is full electrical continuity between the surface and engine.....
Clean only with a wire brush
NEVER spray anything that may inhibit air contact with the surface of the anode...CRC polish, oil, grease anything