From rusty eyesore to eye-catcher is an appropriate description of an 18-yearold water tank following its renovation with interior and exterior coating systems from Tnemec. “It started out as a rust bucket,” recalled Tnemec coating consultant Steven Schatz. “Following the renovation, which took two months to complete, both city officials and the tank’s owners were very pleased with the way it looked. The painting contractor, Utility Services Company, Inc., even nominated the project for an American Water Works Association tank award.”
The project’s engineers chose Series 700 HydroFlon, a fluorourethane known for its durability, color options, gloss retention and ease of application, according to Schatz. HydroFlon surpasses the life expectancy of traditional urethane topcoats and features 62 percent solids, low volatile organic compound (VOC) content, superior UV protection and excellent resistance to abrasion and chalking.
The applicator spray-applied a prime coat of Series 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc, a two-component, moisture-cured zinc-rich aromatic urethane, on both interior and exterior steel. The first organic zinc-rich primer to be ANSI/NSF Std. 61 certified, Hydro-Zinc offers superior bonding to steel surfaces that are abrasiveblast cleaned in accordance with SSPC-SP10 for tank interiors and SSPC-SP6 Commercial Blast Cleaning for exteriors. The prime coat was followed by two interior coats of Series 20 Pota-Pox, a polyamide epoxy, at 4.0 to 6.0 mils DFT each. On the exterior, a coat of Series 73 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic urethane, was roller-applied at 2.0 to 4.0 mils DFT. The HydroFlon finish coat was roller-applied at 2.0 to 3.0 mils DFT.
The water tank is located on a vacant industrial site, which holds the potential for attracting new manufacturers and jobs to the City of Mexico. “City officials wanted to renovate the water tank to make a good impression on would-be buyers,” Schatz added. At least one VIP was impressed. During a visit to his hometown following the renovation, U.S. Senator from Missouri Kit Bond remarked on the improved appearance of the water tank and its positive effect on the overall appearance of the plant location.