THE PROBLEM – Leaking Fibreglass Tank Lining Repair
The leaking sectional fibreglass cold water storage tank was allowing water ingress into the plant room and the adjacent office area. The sectional fibreglass tank had begun to leak after being returned to service following a drain down period.
THE SOLUTION – Leaking Fibreglass Tank Lining Repair
As an experienced tank lining company we know that the inherent movement present in sectional fibreglass tanks means a flexible and seamless tank lining was required. Therefore we specified a spray applied Polyurea tank lining. Polyurea tank linings can elongate over 300% allowing the accommodation of any movement present without cracking or splitting.
To ensure adhesion to the substrate following the draining of the tanks the internals were thoroughly abraded to raise a surface profile sufficient for coating adhesion. Particular attention to detail was paid to the preparation of the internal bolts for the tank lining application. Any protruding bolts were cut back and all remaining nuts/bolt heads detailed using a high modulus polyurethane mastic. The reason for this detail is to present a surface with no shadowing/hidden faces to aid spray application. This is particularly important to prevent the formation of voids/caves which can occur with rapid gel coatings such as Polyurea.
Once satisfied with the surface preparation the tanks were primed throughout using Chemco RS500P, a high performance solvent free epoxy primer with outstanding adhesion properties. Following the cure of the primer the spray application of the Polyurea tank lining could begin.
All nuts, bolts, angles and edges received a heavy stripe coat of Linex XS350 WRAS approved Polyurea applied using our WIWA PU460 spray unit. The tanks were then lined throughout to a dry film thickness in excess of 2.5mm. Once cured the lining was inspected for defects and rectified where necessary.
