Corrosion2

Basics of Corrosion and Cathodic Protection

• Corrosion is an aggressive form of rusting, and rust to any tank and metallic piping will cause problems if not mitigated by cathodic protection.

• Heavy steel water tanks and metallic piping may seem indestructible, however it’s vulnerable.

• Corrosion does not discriminate and all steel water tanks are equally susceptible to the “wearing away” effects of corrosion.

• As steel ages, it begins to show its age as rust. Some rust is superficial and does not cause serious concern. However, if the steel is in a bad environment such as wet ground that contains natural or man made chemicals, the rusting process accelerates. That is the damaging effect of corrosion.

• Over time, the corrosion causes structural problems, creating pits or holes in the steel. Left alone and ignored, these holes may leak, releasing the tank contents into the ground. The concern is that the leaking tanks can migrate into a crawl space or basement of a building. Corrosion can virtually destroy a water tank, or piping, and the leaking will create its own set of problems.