TANK REINFORCEMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume 108, Issue 18168, 5 November 1930, Page 11

TANK REINFORCEMENT.

TO PATCH AN IRON TANK. The following method Is recommended for repairing an iron tank with cement. The tank should be emptied of all water and the inside should be thoroughly cleaned to remove all rust, scale or other foreign material. This particularly applies to slimy marine growths such as are frequently found in the interior of tanks. After the tank has been most thoroughly cleaned, holes should be made of about Jin diameter, and spaced about 12in apart, in the sides of the tank. Small mesh wire netting should then be placed against the interior wall and held in position by means of loops passing through the holes. A mixture of one part of cement to two parts of clean, sharp sand should then be made up with water to a moderately, soft consistency. This mixture should be applied by means of a trowel as in plastering, care being taken that the mortar is pressed through the wire netting and just through the holes in the wall of the lank. This inside lining will vary in thickness according to the size of the tank. For small sizes one inch thickness would be sufliicent, whereas for the larger sizes a two-inch layer should be a minimum. For the sake of appearance and where tanks are in a very bad condition . due to corrosion, this treatment should also be given on the outside of the tank, using a wire netting, as inside, securely held to the inside lining.

The mortar used in such repairs should be kept damp, for a period of four to seven days. The tank may then he filled with water, and with reasonable care should give everlasting service.

When cemented inside and out, including the bottom, the tank is virtually a cement one, with a galvanised iron reinforcement.

The simplest means of finally cleaning rust from a tank is to pour one part of sulphuric acid into ten parts of water—do not reverse the process—and to scrub the surface with this solution. Be careful to wash out the brush Immediately afterward.