Making the choice to replace or repair equipment is often a calculated decision that takes many elements into account. While cost is always a consideration for businesses, downtime and safety are also factors that should be reviewed. FRP tanks, AKA Fiberglass Reinforced Tanks, are a common option for the industrial market. If you’re looking at FRP tank repair or replacement, here are some things to remember about maintenance. Read more »
Owners of plastic water tanks will notice that the both tank and ducts experience corrosion and physical wear and tear over the years. This creates a situation where the owner has to schedule replacements and hope that the system doesn’t leak in between. And depending on what tools you have available to you the repair may cost more than the replacement parts themselves. Read more »
Fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) is a popular method of making tank repairs. FRP tank liners have a lot of design flexibility. You can customize FRP liners to fit your needs. FRP has a high strength to weight ratio. It is lighter than metal but retains the strength. FRP tanks can be installed underground without tearing up the entire system. Still, for all the benefits, you can’t just leave your FRP tanks alone and expect them to operate efficiently without regular maintenance. You should also be prepared to watch for problems with your FRP tanks, to make fiberglass repairs before big problems ensue. Read more »
Corrosion is a chemical reaction that occurs on the surface of different materials, especially metals. Most people are familiar with rust, which is probably the most common type of corrosion. Corrosion is considered a natural process that transforms the metal into undesirable substances. When you have storage tanks, rust is an enemy. Fiberglass liner repair and fiberglass tank liners can help prevent corrosion and keep your equipment in service longer. Read more »
Commercial water tanks are a considerable investment for any company. As a result, manufacturers will use every resource at their disposal to maximize the tanks’ lifespan. In the past years, carbon-steel storage tanks have proved highly prone to corrosion, with leaks developing in about five years. Read more »
From making fire water readily available to safely storing corrosive materials, fiberglass tanks serve a variety of important purposes. In this post, we’ll take a look at both why these tanks are so useful and the advantages they offer from a repair and maintenance standpoint. Read more »
Fiberglass is a popular material used in boat hulls, sports equipment and industrial tanks. When you need fiberglass tank repair, it isn’t always just as easy as melding two pieces together. You have to be concerned with the adhesion, the surface and contaminants, and the type of bond needed to hold the pieces together. Read more »
Repairing fiberglass can give it new life, but it is not as easy as sticking a patch on a crack. If the right care is not taken, it can result in further damage or an incorrect repair that has to be redone later on. Not only does this add to the time needed to take care of the repair, but wastes materials and effort, as well. Here are some things that can happen to cause problems with fiberglass repair. Read more »
Here we look at a San Francisco historical building currently occupied by a restaurant that required reinforcement for some old concrete sections. Read more »
Utility poles have not changed a whole lot over the years in the United States. They are still primarily made from wood, which makes them sustainable and easy to manufacture. They aren’t perfect, however. As reliable as a wooden utility pole can be, it is still made from a substance that breaks down over time and is vulnerable to the elements. Standard electrical poles will sustain damage when they reach the end of their 30-year lifespan and need to be replaced. Maintaining and replacing utility poles is a significant job.
While wooden utility poles are still the norm throughout the United States, there are other options that have proven to be much more useful and reliable, chief among them is fiberglass-reinforced plastic, or FRP. Using fiberglass repairs like FRP wraps and even utility poles fabricated with fiber reinforced plastic can improve reliability and reduce repair frequency and cost.
What is FRP?
Fiberglass-reinforced plastic is a composite material made from a polymer that is reinforced with fibers, think carbon fiber. FRP was first used in utility poles in Maui in the 1960s, but it didn’t become widely used until relatively recently when modern manufacturing technology enabled lower cost FRP utility pole construction and improved techniques for FRP repairs in the field.
What are the Advantages of FRP Over Wooden Utility Poles
The biggest advantage that FRP has over wood is its durability and longevity. While wooden utility poles generally have a lifespan of 30 years, FRP poles and FRP wraps can last as long as 80 years before they need to be replaced. Wooden utility poles are also vulnerable to rot as well as birds and insects that bore into them, something that cannot be said for an FRP pole. FRP is also becoming much cheaper to manufacture, and the poles themselves can be installed quickly and easily. FRP may not have the sustainability of wood, but it really is the next best thing. With time, the FRP manufacturing process will become easy enough that FRP utility poles could become more convenient and cost effective than wood.
If the process of replacing a wooden utility pole with an FRP pole seems like too much unnecessary work, you might be happy to learn that fiberglass repairs using FRP wraps can be used to repair or protect wooden utility poles and provide similar benefits of an FRP pole by protecting the wood pole with a coating of fiber reinforced plastic, particularly around compromised areas of the poles. FRP wraps are easier to manufacture than an entire pole, and they can be used to extend the life of an existing wooden pole by installing an FRP wrap in the field as needed or as a preventative measure.
Even though wooden utility poles still vastly outnumber FRP poles, FRP might still represent the future of our country’s energy grid. As FRP becomes easier and more cost-effective to manufacture, we will almost certainly begin seeing more of it in our utility poles in the future. Picon FRP is a local FRP expert serving the San Francisco Bay Area, if your aging infrastructure needs inspection, repairs, or replacement we can help provide solutions for you including FRP wraps, industrial coatings, tank linings, trailer linings, and much more. Contact us online or by phone at 510-232-0065
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