The corrosion of plumbing components, such as union joints, in the mechanical rooms at military facilities is a significant maintenance and cost issue. The union joints in the plumbing of many mechanical rooms – some in brand new facilities – can quickly exhibit significant damage due to the conditions that exist within these rooms. Heat and humidity can also result in condensate accumulating on the metal support brackets and under the cold water supply line insulation. Thus, in addition to the corrosion issue, there is the potential for organic growth under these conditions. This paper will describe efforts to identify, demonstrate, and validate technologies to protect, and therefore extend the life of, plumbing components in mechanical rooms at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The feasibility of employing protective and/or insulating coatings, as well as improved ventilation and/or humidity reduction technologies, will be presented.

Subject
Humidity, Water, Piping, Insulation, Joints, Dehumidification, Polyurethane coatings, Heat, Steel, Defense, Corrosion protection, Maintenance, Coating systems
Keywords:
corrosion, coatings, plumbing, union joints, Fort Bragg, mechanical room
© 2008 Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP). All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of AMPP. Positions and opinions advanced in this work are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of AMPP. Responsibility for the content of the work lies solely with the author(s).
2008
Association for Materials Protection and Performance (AMPP)
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