Heavy-Duty Alkaline Cleaner with Flash Rust Protection – 5 Gallon Pail (Cortec® VpCI®-416)

Description

VpCI®-416 is a heavy-duty, strongly alkaline water-based cleaner and degreaser that tolerates hard water and runs anywhere from 50 °F to 300 °F. What separates it from a generic caustic is the multi-metal inhibitor package: a part cleaned in VpCI-416 and left to dry carries flash-rust protection for up to six months in indoor storage. The 5-gallon pail makes 25 to 100 gallons of working solution.

VpCI-416 is the cleaner Cortec recommends when the next step is not immediate: parts going from the wash line into storage, sheet metal waiting for paint, and above all metal fresh from an acid rust remover or pickling bath that would otherwise flash rust within minutes. It removes heavy hydrocarbons, grease, drawing and buffing compounds and machinery compounds; it is low to moderate foaming even at low temperatures, so it works by spray, steam or immersion; it is freeze-thaw stable, contains no nonylphenol ethoxylates, and is accepted in food plants with indirect food contact. In the Cortec Product Consultation Guide it is rated 2 (inside storage) on carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, aluminum, galvanized steel, copper, brass and solder, and Cortec’s dip-tank guide names it the strongest post-clean rust preventer of the cleaner/degreasers on all metal types.

Typical applications

• Cleaning oil-contaminated machinery and parts
• Removing protective oils before painting or machining
• Power washers, steam cleaners and dip tanks
• Parts protection during dry indoor storage
• Neutralizing metal after acid cleaning, pickling or VpCI-422 / VpCI-423 / VpCI-426 rust removal
• Removing drawing, stamping and buffing compounds from sheet metal and stampings
• Hard-water plants where other cleaners lose performance

How to apply VpCI-416

1. Pre-clean. Remove chips, loose soil and heavy grease so the bath lasts longer.
2. Dilute. Mix with water; hard water is tolerated. Start at 5 to 10 % and adjust.

3. Concentration in water	Mix	Use
   1–3 %	—	Very light cleaning; add heat or agitation
   5 %	6.4 oz/gal	Light cleaning
   10 %	12.8 oz/gal	Medium cleaning; neutralizing after acid rust removers or pickling
   20 %	25.6 oz/gal	Heavy soils, faster cleaning
   30 % to concentrate	—	Toughest contaminants

4. Apply. Spray, steam clean or immerse. Low to moderate foam lets it run in a spray washer as well as a dip tank; confirm foam at your pressure and temperature first. Working range is 50 to 300 °F (10 to 149 °C); about 122 °F (50 °C) is the recommended ceiling where operators contact the solution.
5. Neutralizing after rust removal. Rinse the derusted part in water first so acid is not carried into the cleaner, dip briefly in 5 to 10 % VpCI-416, and let it air dry on a clean surface. The transparent dry film prevents flash rust.
6. Inspect and rinse. If soil remains, scrub or pressure-rinse, or return the part to the bath. Where parts go straight to paint or plating, rinse before the cleaner dries.
7. Dry and protect. Air dry. The dry film protects for up to six months indoors; for outdoor or longer storage follow with a VpCI rust preventative, coating or VpCI packaging.
8. Bath maintenance. Cover the tank, skim oil, and check concentration by refractometer or pH. Non-flammable; store at room temperature.

Checking concentration

Concentration (% by volume) = 3.85 × Brix + 0.10 for VpCI-416 in DI water, valid across Cortec’s 0 to 25 % chart. Target readings are about 0.5 °Brix at 2 %, 1.3 at 5 %, 2.6 at 10 % and 5.2 at 20 %. Neat pH is 12 to 12.7, and working solutions run from about pH 10.4 to 12.2 across the chart, the steepest and most useful pH curve of the Cortec cleaners, so a pH meter makes a good secondary check on this product. Field water hardness, oil load and other chemistry shift readings, so build a site-specific reference chart with your own process water. See the refractometer and pH charts for every Cortec product.

Compatibility

Cortec’s elastomer testing rates VpCI-416 fully compatible with neoprene at 100 % and with nitrile (Buna-N), EPDM and Viton (FKM) at 33 % concentration; at higher strengths test those materials before use. Because the neat product is strongly alkaline, confirm paint and aluminum exposure times in your own bath, and rinse before the solution dries on soft metals. See the full oil and elastomer compatibility charts.

Where it fits in the Cortec line

VpCI-416 is the flash-rust specialist of Cortec’s cleaner range. VpCI-414 cleans harder and strips temporary coatings; VpCI-415 is the biodegradable, low-VOC cleaner at near-neutral pH; VpCI-418 L and VpCI-418 LM are the non-foaming grades built for high-pressure spray cabinets; VpCI-408 is the mild, non-foaming washer cleaner for pH-restricted sites. As the neutralizing step after VpCI-422, VpCI-423 gel or VpCI-426, VpCI-416 completes Cortec’s derust, neutralize and protect sequence. It runs in the immersion, agitation and ultrasonic tanks of Build-All and Magido aqueous parts washers, and in low-pressure spray stages once foam has been checked. For spot work there is EcoSpray VpCI-416 in a 16 oz pump bottle. Browse all Cortec cleaners and degreasers.

Field notes

Corroded internal parts of a process dryer in St. Paul, Minnesota were cleaned in place: descaler in 125 gallons of water run two hours, drained and rinsed, then VpCI-416 pumped in and run one hour, drained and air-dried, leaving clean parts with long-term protection. (Cortec Case History #051)

A coastal heavy-equipment dealer in Indonesia had fuel tanks rusting on nearly every stored machine. Tanks are de-rusted inside with VpCI-423, rinsed with 10% VpCI-416, flushed with diesel and dosed with VpCI-705 Bio in the fuel; no more grinding, and the method was adopted across tank types. (Cortec Case History #670)

Specifications

pH	12–12.7 neat
Dilution	Light 6.4 oz/gal (5%); medium 12.8 oz/gal (10%); heavy 25.6 oz/gal (20%)
Density	8.6–8.8 lb/gal (1.03–1.05 kg/L)
Operating temperature	50–300°F (10–149°C)
Non-volatile content	18–23%
Exposure time	20 seconds to 5 minutes
Metals	Ferrous metals, yellow metals and aluminum
Composition	Contains no nonylphenolethoxylates
Foam	Low to moderate foaming, even at low temperature; spray, steam or immersion
Removes	Heavy hydrocarbons, grease, drawing and buffing compounds, machinery compounds
Post-clean protection	Flash-rust protection up to 6 months in indoor storage
Neutralizing use	5–10 % dip after acid cleaning, pickling or VpCI-422/423/426 rust removal
Hard water	Tolerant
Freeze-thaw	Stable
Food plants	Accepted for indirect food contact
Consultation guide rating	2 – inside storage, all eight listed metals
Concentration check	Vol % = 3.85 × °Brix + 0.10 (DI water); working pH 10.4–12.2
Elastomers	Neoprene compatible at 100 %; nitrile, EPDM, Viton compatible at 33 %
Flammability	Non-flammable, water-based
Size	5 Gallon Pail
Shipping weight	46.5 lb (21.1 kg)
Availability	In stock
Cortec product number	11600355

Solvent Recycling Systems is an authorized Cortec® distributor. See the full Cortec VpCI line, browse the VpCI product selection guide, or contact us for volume pricing and lead times.