CoatingsPro Magazine

SEP 2015

CoatingsPro offers an in-depth look at coatings based on case studies, successful business operation, new products, industry news, and the safe and profitable use of coatings and equipment.

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36 SEPTEMBER 2015 COATINGSPROMAG.COM program, downtime of the asset can be minimized, and overall frustration that comes with assets that have not been properly maintained may be avoided. A good management program can also help prevent adding to the national corrosion costs of approximately 40 billion dollars for potable water storage and transmission systems. A ll protective coatings eventually " fail." W hat is important is managing the failure and the assets that the coatings protect. Q: W hat are some key aspects to consider when developing a management program for protec- tive coatings? A: T he professional ser vice group needs to have a comprehensive understanding of protective coatings, including which ones to use for what ser vice and which ones not to use, as well as an understanding of designing for corrosion prevention. Let's face it, many assets, especially the roof structure of tanks years ago, were not designed for corrosion prevention. T he structures were, in fact, designed in such a way that promoted corrosion. T hese ty pes of issues must be given careful consideration when develop- ing a management program. W hen the asset is to be rehabilitated and recoated, some design changes w ill be needed to help arrest the issue of poor access for proper surface preparation and protective coating application. W hat's more, the group needs to make sure the owner understands why the assets and coatings need to be managed. Often, the resistance to set up and maintain a management program is due to cost. Te owner must be educated on the pitfalls of not spending the money to develop and maintain a program. Te cost of repairs can be many times more than the cost for regular maintenance controlled by a management program. W hen educating the owner and developing a program, the developer or professional services group must understand the position that the owner has in having to answer to many for the funds that they are spending or that need to be spent to manage and recoat an asset. Additionally, the life of an asset should be considered. How much longer is it expected to perform? In areas of population growth, some older water tanks simply do not have enough capac- ity and will need to be replaced in a few years. W hen these types of tanks have to be rehabilitated to carry them for their last few years, the type of protective coatings to be applied and overall repair work must be consid- ered. A management program for these types of tanks should be developed to require less funding, so that more funding can be focused on water tanks that are expected to perform for many more years. Q: W hat can be done to overcome challenges encountered when implementing a coating manage- ment program? A: Make sure the ow ner is involved w ith the decision-making process and understands exactly what is going on. Offer to go to public meetings w ith the ow ner to discuss the need for implementation of a protective coating management program. One of the ways to educate the ow ner and to make assurances that this plan is the right thing to do is to develop presentations. T hese presen- tations should discuss the issues of corrosion, explain how to mitigate them, and provide examples. A prog ram that costs too much for a uti lit y d istr ict or pr ivate water supply company w i l l be a cha l lenge and may not be accepted or wel l received and eventua l ly w i l l fai l. W hereas a prog ram that is not comprehensive enough for a large municipa lit y or metropolitan area w i l l not per for m wel l and w i l l a lso fai l — but sooner rather than later. Once this happens, it becomes much more cha l leng ing to assure the ow ner that setting up the r ight management prog ram is the r ight thing to do. T herefore, a prog ram must be tai lored to suit the needs of the ow ner, and it needs to be comprehensive enough to address the issues that ex ist and be af fordable. Once the owner understands the benefts and what to expect from a protective coating management program — and also understands the Inspector's Corner Photos courtesy of Boswell's Consulting Testing Services

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