Feb 14 2010
CHLOR*RID International, Inc., the world's leading source of soluble salt testing and soluble salt removal products, announced today at the PACE Show in Phoenix, that its Chlor*Rid line of salt testing and removal products is protecting steel from costly premature failure of protective coatings. Steel is used in America's largest infrastructures and industries, including bridges, aircraft, mining, ships, marine structures, cars, buildings, storage tanks, pipelines, power plants, paper mills, etc.
The U.S. Federal Highway Administration estimates that the annual cost of steel coatings failures caused by salt corrosion is over $6 billion. A large portion of that money can be saved with proper surface cleanliness prior to coating using Chlor*Rid soluble salt testing and removal products. With proper salt removal, coatings are more able to last their intended lifespan, preventing costly corrosion and rust damage.
Steel must be coated to protect it against corrosion. Coatings perform best when applied to a salt-free, clean surface, since all coatings and paints are formulated to be applied to a contaminant-free surface. If the steel is coated with salts remaining, there will be corrosion and premature failure of the coating. Left unchecked, salt contamination corrodes deep into the substrate, making decontamination even more urgent and challenging. "Clean uncontaminated steel will not rust, even in 100% humidity, for thousands of hours," said Gerald Stoltz, National Shipbuilding Research Program.
The National Association of Corrosion Engineers Int., Inc. (NACE) and the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC) are taking steps to confront the salt corrosion problem. They have established industry guidelines for measuring soluble salts that U.S. companies and government organizations, such as the U.S. Navy, have also adopted requiring that salts be tested and removed.