Waterblog

The reason we prepare a surface prior to painting is not well understood.  We do it because we think we’re supposed to do it …  but why? According to The Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC)  Surface Preparation Commentary (SSPC-COM), we prepare a surface “to remove surface contaminants that can induce premature coating failure” and “to provide [...]

Corrosion is one of the primary factors causing deterioration of water and wastewater facilities.  From municipal water treatment plants to industrial waste treatment, corrosion is at work breaking down concrete and steel surfaces in clarifiers, piping, storage tanks and containment systems. Exposure conditions in wastewater facilities have become more severe. In particular, hydrogen sulfide gas [...]

In the previous surface preparation post, I discussed steel making and the necessity for abrasive blasting to remove mill scale.  But abrasive blasting, especially for maintenance work,  cannot always be achieved because a facility owner may have restrictions on dust and particulate generation and there may be (and probably is) equipment operating 24/7.  Plus, you need some [...]

The cover of the August 2007 issue of Modern Steel Construction highlighted an article within its pages: “Making Steel“. A Google search of the words “making steel” delivers over 61 million hits. One of these, Key-to-Steel,  provides several examples of the steel-making process.  Fascinating.  There’s much information available about the making of steel. Briefly, “virgin” steel is [...]

Ductile iron pipe (DIP) has become an industry standard that is used in many places within a water and wastewater treatment plant for several decades.  Although DIP is strong, flexible and easy to “tap” into, it will still break down when placed into a corrosive environment unprotected. The most common mistake I have seen in [...]