Contractor: Culy Contracting
Location: Albany, IN
Structure: interior and exterior of 6,000 square foot brine tank
Year: 2005, 2013

Corroded brine tank; spalding concreteCuly Contracting performed manhole rehabilitation work for the city of Albany, IN back in 2005. In addition to manhole rehab, Culy Contracting also agreed to restore a badly deteriorated concrete brine tank. Culy's crew began interior restoration by using a vacuum truck to remove all media and other debris from the bottom of the tank. Then, surface preparation was performed with a pressure washer, and the leftover debris was again vacuumed out of the tank. After the concrete surface was properly prepared, Mainstay ML-72 Sprayable Microsilica Mortar was applied to the walls at 3/4" and smoothed out to provide a profile suitable for the application of coating. Mainstay DS-5 100% Solids Epoxy Coating was then sprayed over the mortar at 80 mils. This process was repeated on the exterior of the tank.

Fiberglassed brine tankOver the years, the exterior of the brine tank underwent numerous freeze/thaw cycles. This resulted in more cracking on the outside of the tank, and in 2013, Culy Contracting was brought in to resolve the issue. Culy's crew began by using a grinder to roughen the surface and remove any coating and loose material. After surface preparation, Madewell 1312P Epoxy Putty was applied to provide a thick coat of material to bridge the existing cracks and smooth the substrate. Then, fiberglass mat and cloth were laid over the Madewell 1312P using rollers to remove any air voids within the fiberglass. Afterward, the fiberglass was saturated with Madewell 1312E Epoxy Saturant (Resin) using a paint roller. The tank was left to set overnight, and the next morning, any loose fiberglass strands were removed using a grinder. Contaminants that may have formed on the surface overnight were also removed by wiping with denatured alcohol. After allowing the structure to dry, Mainstay DS-5 Epoxy Coating was applied at around 60 mils to cover the fiberglass. This concrete brine tank has now been restored for two years without any further cracking.