tank surface preparation and coating tips

Tank Surface Preparation and Coating Tips

• Keep the surface clean: Moisture, salts, oil, weld spatter and fumes, dust, and ionic species on a tank’s surface affect a protective coating’s performance and reliability. The best way to clean and prepare a tank depends on its age, the types of contaminants on its surface, and the previous protective coating. Abrasive blasting and solvents are among the most common cleaning agents. When cleaning a tank’s surface, ensure that fasteners also receive proper attention.  
• Prepare the edges: Coatings tend to pull away from sharper edges, leaving a thin, ineffective layer. Clean cut edges and grind them so they’re round to improve a coating’s coverage and adhesion.
• Maintain ideal temperature and relative humidity levels during the surface cleaning and preparation process: If ambient conditions are not ideal, they may hinder your preparation and coating efforts. When preparing a tank, surface temperatures are as important as air temperatures because metal absorbs heat during the day and radiates it at night. The temperature changes could lead to the formation of condensation on a tank’s surface if you do not control relative humidity levels. Furthermore, high relative humidity levels could cause flash rust to form on the surface in as little as 30 minutes.
• Maintain ideal temperature and relative humidity levels before, during and after coating applications: You will experience the best results when you control the ambient conditions from the moment you begin preparing a tank’s surface. Allow the controlled conditions to persist at least 48 hours after the final coating application. Conditions that are too hot, cold, dry or humid will prevent a protective coating from drying and curing properly.