Powercrete Installation Procedure

General Powercrete Installation Procedure

     Here is a very general guideline of the things we cover when training crews; or training trainers with regard to field applying Powercrete J, Powercrete R65/F1 or Powercrete R95 as a hand applied ARO or field joint coating. 

1. Preheat the pipe to 120 to 125 F prior to blasting
2. Blast the pipe with suggested grit size
3. Verify that proper anchor pattern has been achieved
4. Re-preheat if necessary to bring pipe surface up above the dew point (or higher if you are wanting to cure faster)
5. Make sure steel and adjacent coating are free of oil, dirt, dust, etc
6. Mix the Powercrete - normally pouring the B into the A
7. Using either a drill or doing it manually, mix the epoxy thoroughly without introducing air into the mixture
8. Mix epoxy until it begins to have a glossy look (typically 3-5 minutes by hand).
9. Pour a bit of the mixed epoxy back into the B container and coat the inside in order to use up all hazardous material in the B container.
10. Pot life will vary significantly based on ambient weather conditions.  The hotter it is, the quicker things cure.  Generally speaking you might have:
1. ~18 minutes for Powercrete J
2. ~8 minutes for Powercrete R65/F1
3. ~15 minutes for Powercrete R95
11. Apply 1st thin coat and let that coat sit until it is tacky
12. Apply next coat, beginning to build coating thickness as needed
13. Monitor the pipe for potential drips until the epoxy has begun to gel and get tacky.