[TowerTalk] guy anchor corrosion

[Cqtestk4xs@aol.com]

>From the Tower Pro Reflector.....It may be of use to some of you.

I am not in any way associated with the company.

Bill K4XS
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In response to your concerns about Anchor corrosion I'd like to input
my two cents.

First of all, you are not the only one with this problem.  Many in the
industry are beginning to discover the problem of anchor corrosion and
the potential hazard it may create, let alone the cost of replacing a
new tower or most importantly the loss of life.  At least you are
fortunate enough to learn about methods of correcting the problem
before it becomes a major issue.  A few towers have fallen in the
past, which has helped develop new industry standards.  

However, as Jack Boone said in his email, many towers were installed
without anchor protection to cut costs.  One of those towers had two
people on it when it fell; seriously injuring one and the other
luckily only suffered minor injuries.  This prompted some serious
research by Craig Snyder, founder of AnchorGuard, because the two
people on that tower were his brother and business partner.  

After a great deal of education by NACE engineers, Raytheon and other
corrosion experts he had enough research to develop a cathodic
protection system, that not only protects guy tower anchors, but
indicates how long the CP lasts.  This is now known as AnchorGuard,
corrosion control systems for tower anchors.  

Some in the industry feel that coating an anchor is all that is
needed.  However, there is some risk involved in this method as it can
be scratched, nicked, or chipped when moving or backfilling around the
anchor, and thus concentrating any corrosive activity in a pinpointed
area.  This could, in essence cause a greater problem than doing
nothing at all.  

As some already know, AnchorGuard is very simple to install on either
new or existing sites.  It comes with a test head that tells you the
life of the sacrificial anode as well.  The website
www.anchorguard.com has a wealth of information about cathodic
protection and anchor corrosion.  It even has animations to help you
understand the forces at work.  Spend some time perusing around that
site, you'll even find some tower alerts showing actual fallen towers
due to anchor corrosion.

It is a tough situation to be in, and believe me, many tower owners
are facing this same issue and wondering how to resolve the problem. 
Some will take the less expensive path of coating, and others will use
the tried, tested and proven method only having to do it once.  The
thing that blows me away is those who tried to save a buck in the past
are looking at trying to save another buck and use less effective
methods.  
I'd be happy to discuss any questions you may have about CP and the
available methods of treatment.

Sincerely,
Matthew Arps
AnchorGuard
matthew at anchorguard.com
605-331-6426
800-653-3392