Mark (N1LO),
Thank you for your out of the box thinking on the problem of salt
buildup. As someone said in one of the responses, the conditions on
Aruba are really a worst case scenario.
The idea of power washing is not out of the question. Actually, one of
the P43 station owners is in the process of developing such a system,
primarily to wash down critical sections of his antennas which have
suffered from salt buildup and arching in the past. Of course residual
water will wash off his tower to some degree, but right now that is a
secondary concern since he has taken extreme measures to protect his
tower and guying systems already. The big problem is the wind, being
able to direct the water in the desired direction with sufficient
velocity at 70+ feet. Water supply (though expensive) is not a problem
on Aruba, which has one of the largest desalination plants in the world
and a mature island-wide distribution system.
I am watching this experiment closely and if it proves successful I will
urge the station owner to share the details of the system with everyone,
probably through an article in one of the radio magazines.
Thanks Mark and everyone else on the reflector. I am researching many
of the great ideas and suggestions presented so far and will let you
know what material or method is chosen to protect the P40W installation
in the next few weeks.
73,
John W2GD/P40W
>From: "Mark, N1LO" <n1lo@hotmail.com>
>To: towertalk@contesting.com, w2gd@hotmail.com
>Subject: RE:[TowerTalk] Rust Inhibiting Paint for Steel Towers
To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
>Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 05:22:39 PST
>
><<From: "John Crovelli" <w2gd@hotmail.com>
>I hope someone on this reflector will be able to help me.
>Problem: How to inhibit corrosion of Rohn 25G steel tower in salt
water
>envirnoments.>>
>
>Hi John,
> Here's an unconventional treatment that may or may not be of some use.
>Bear with me as I brainstorm out loud.
> It sounds like the salt accumulation is very substantial at your QTH.
>Another approach would be to figure out how to remove the salt on a
>regular basis.
> Assuming you have a source of pressurized fresh water on the island,
>you could plumb a water line up the tower and connect to spray nozzles
>that would rinse your tower, and possibly even the antennas.
>
>Beats replacing it every 5 years. And all done from the ground. With a
>solenoid valve arrangement, you could select one nozzle at a time for
>max spray pressure, and to provide a sequence of spray from top to
>bottom, following gravity.
> You could have a single nozzle spraying up at the antenna and rotate
>the antenna through the spray for complete wash.
> Follow up with antiperspirant and some foo-foo, and your tower is
ready
>for action! <*grin*>. A shave might be a litle more challenging...
>
> This in conjunction with a suitable coating could give you much more
>tower life.
> OK, just an idea to spur other solutions.
>
>--...MARK_N1LO...--
>
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