Industrial Painting Tanks In High Moisture Areas
High moisture areas can be problematic for steel. Appropriate coatings will need to include a rust-inhibitive primer, and moisture cured top coat that will help prevent any moisture from coming in contact with the surface. Here’s PennCoat’s approach to a successful industrial coating project:
e were contacted by a local power plant to address the aged coatings on their tanks. This is a hydro power plant, which uses a lot of running water. All that water creates mist and high amounts of humidity, which collectively corrode the steel. As a result, the existing coating was beginning to show rust bleed through the edges, bolts, and some of the paneling. To try and mitigate the corrosion, the customer installed touch-up patches over the heavily rusted areas. However, it was known that the patches were only a temporary solution. So, when it came time to apply fresh paint all over the substrate, they contacted us.
Industrial Prep Work For Tanks
Even though the surface was beginning to corrode, there was still a lot of failed coatings on the substrate. With this much surface, abrasive blasting is the most economical solution. We went with a Torbo wet abrasive blast, using Black Beauty 20-40 fine grit.
Wet blasting prevents dusting, and helps control the medium from becoming airborne. Also, when blasting grit on metal, there is a possibility of creating sparks. Combining the grit with water eliminates the chance of creating sparks, keeping the installers and everyone else in the area safe.
Another consideration we took into the prep work was flash-rusting. Flash rusting is a phenomenon where steel or other metals rapidly produce rust. And due to this areas high humidity levels, we were concerned that the exposed steel on the substrate may do the same. So, we introduced a product called Hold Tight. Hold Tight is a water-soluble cleaner that removes salts and chlorides that accelerate the flash-rusting process.
After the failed coating had been removed, it was time to install the industrial coating system. The first step is to pre-prime the rusted areas. We used a high build micaceous iron oxide filled phenalkamine epoxy. This epoxy will act as a rust-inhibitive primer, to prevent the steel from corroding. Additionally, we applied the same phenalkamine epoxy over the bolt heads.
Angled steel is more prone to corrosion, so it’s important to apply a heavy build material over the rust heads. This will prevent further corrosion.
After the priming, we installed (2) coats of high solids aliphatic urethane. Each coat was 5 mils, so the finished top coat was 10mils. The aliphatic urethane is an excellent top coat because it has great adhesion. Additionally, it provides excellent UV resistant, and great abrasion resistance. Overall, despite the logistics, the unique equipment, and challenging environment, the project was completed successfully. And tank’s substrate can expect years of protection for the contentious environment that caused the substrate to corrode in the first place.
PennCoat, Inc. has been providing industrial painting, commercial painting, epoxy flooring, and polished concrete services for nearly 30 years. Our experienced installers are trained and equipped with the proper knowledge and tools to ensure that every installation is installed efficiently and safely. PennCoat, Inc. provides service toPennsylvania,New Jersey, Maryland, and Delaware. And we coverYork,Lancaster,Philadelphia,Chester,Montgomery,Baltimore,Harrisburg,Dauphin,Bucks,Berks, and other counties in the surrounding area.
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