THE CHALLENGE
The clients’ 6 Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) tanks had begun to show signs of cracking and damage, due to a lack of maintenance in the 5 years since their installation. This was causing the tanks to leak wastewater and contaminates into the surrounding soil, an issue which caused a risk to the surrounding area and therefore needed rectifying as soon as possible.
OUR SOLUTION
Our team surveyed the tanks to locate the areas which required repair and replaced the fibreglass that surrounded the plinth and housing. Whilst surveying the tank our operatives discovered some further damage that required crack injection resin repairs in addition to the GRP patchwork.
Once the repairs were complete, the inside of the tanks were abrasive blasted. This provides a clean surface free from contamination and surface oxidisation, as well as a suitable profile for the coating to adhere to.
The tanks were then washed to remove any remaining embedded shot blast from the surface and then rewashed with demineralised water. This removes any mineral content that had been left behind by wastewater and leaves the surface finally ready for coating.
We spray applied a primer to the area before installing a 2 mm thick layer of HTF100F UB, a waterproof pure polyurea system that is exceptionally long-lasting and hard-wearing. This lining system encapsulates all joints and fittings, achieving a watertight membrane with excellent elongation and tensile strength. This ensures the coating is flexible enough to be able to withstand any positive pressure and movement from the tanks.
When the coating has been applied, we conducted a high-voltage spark test on all the coated surfaces and checked for pinholes and holidays that were present. These were immediately filled in, leaving a continuous protective lining for the tanks.
The client was extremely happy with the result, the 6 tanks looked brand new and were coated with a system with a 50-year life expectancy.