While it is true that duplex stainless steel typically offers higher strength and resistance to Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) and chloride corrosion compared to austenitic (300 series) stainless steel, there are other factors that ultimately make it a less desirable choice compared to 300 series stainless steel. Duplex stainless steel makes up only 1% of the stainless steel market making it less readily available and higher cost especially in flanges, fittings and formed parts such as tank heads. While it is commonly stated that this added expense is offset by the ability to use material that is thinner due to the higher strength, this only applies to very large tanks where a reduction results in using a lower common plate thickness. As an example, a thickness reduction of 25% for a tank that is 3/16" thick in 300 series stainless steel still results in using the common 3/16" thick plate size in duplex stainless steel. The higher strength of duplex also has the negative result of decreased formability and machinability, adding cost to the fabrication and production process. In terms of welding, duplex stainless steel presents many problems in maintaining the proper two phase mixture which commonly leads to issues in the Heat Affected Zone (HAZ) such as loss of corrosion resistance, toughness, and post-weld cracking. This is true in all duplex stainless steel welding processes including TIG, MIG and Laser. By comparison the process of welding austenitic stainless steel is much more forgiving. The main weakness of austenitic stainless steel is its susceptibility to Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) and chloride corrosion. Three factors that all must all be present cause this type of corrosion: elevated heat, the presence of chlorides, and residual stresses. In water heaters elevated heat and the presence of chlorides cannot be controlled. However, post-weld heat treating in a vacuum furnace followed by cooling in an inert atmosphere relieves the residual stresses in austenitic stainless steel tanks and therefore eliminates the susceptibility to this corrosion. For this reason, this post-weld heat procedure is performed on all Hubbell stainless steel tanks. The heat treating process is highly controlled and verifiable, unlike the difficult to control process of welding duplex stainless steel. Therefore, Hubbell offers stainless steel tanks fabricated from the 300 series (typically Type 304L or 316L) only, as this is a far more proven and verifiable material and fabrication process which will result in longer tank life. Of course, an alternative option is to specify the Hubbell cement lined steel tank which also provides a considerably longer life and is a more economical solution compared to duplex stainless steel and 300 series stainless steel.