It goes without saying that waste management is a dirty business. Water and sewage treatment plants across the country take on the less-than-luxurious job of managing and treating some of the most vile substances that humans are capable of producing. It should be noted that these plants also have to work with these substances in massive quantities, flowing in day in and day out, which leads to an obvious wear and tear on the equipment. Forgetting the actual filthy nature of the substance being dealt with, the sheer volume alone is enough to do serious damage to storage tanks and the like. So much damage is being done, in fact, that the wastewater management infrastructure here in the United States is in poor shape, with hundreds and hundreds of billions of gallons of sewage overflowing every year due to the lack of proper maintenance. Consistent cleaning, preparation and maintenance of tanks that serve to literally hold waste and sewage seems like an absurd concept, cleaning what will only again get filthy, but just because the industry is dirty in nature does not mean that the equipment can be left unmaintained and cleaning and preparation can be forgotten.
Depending on the type of surface, different preparation and maintenance practices will come into play. Concrete, for example, is naturally a strong material as we all know, but is especially vulnerable to corrosion in wastewater management and storage roles. The concrete needs to be prepared by using durable linings that will protect it from deterorating, but this is too often glossed over and the concrete it simply pressure washed or sandblasted instead, which is not enough. Ductile iron pipe, another common material used, also require a heavy duty lining for protection. Ductile cast iron fittings, as well as stainless steel, can both be properly prepared by the correct abrasive blasting or power tool cleaning and coated with a high performance industrial coating, such as an epoxy/urethane or polyurea system.
Finding your local waster water treatment painting contractors is the first step in turning a deterorating waste water tank into a clean, well maintained, waste water tank, ready to take on some more filth. Industrial painting contractors or sandblasting professionals will have the tools needed for the job, especially if abrasive blasting is the route that is best for the material being prepared, but it is still important to ensure they are properly experienced and certified for the work. If not, the job may need to redone in a much shorter amount of time than originally bargained for. It is crucial to make sure industrial painters doing any coating work are SSPC Certified Painting Contractors. It is also just as important to make sure that the proper applications are being utilized, such as polyurea coatings or 100% solids epoxy, to ensure that the coating holds up and does not need to be reapplied. Water and wastewater coating contractors and painting or sandblasting contractors alike should all be comfortable working on scaffolding and rigging to ensure the entire surface is prepared. Readers on the east coast in NJ, NY, PA or CT can contact local contractor Alpine Painting directly for the above services, online or at 866-596-0349.
By: Dave Scaturro, Sales Director for Alpine Painting.
Credit to: O’Dea, Vaughn. "Preparing Surfaces at Wastewater Plants." Paint Square. Sep 2012: 20-29. Print.
