(June 2005) KANSAS CITY, Mo. – For more than eight years, Tnemec’s 91-H2O Hydro-Zinc® – the first organic zinc-rich primer to be ANSI/NSF Standard 61 certified for potable water – has coated thousands of water tanks and millions of square feet. As owners, specifiers and fabricators have realized the benefits of reduced application and maintenance costs, this has revolutionized the water tank and storage market, according to Chase Bean, vice president of sales, Tnemec Company, Inc., Kansas City, Mo.
Tnemec has introduced the next generation of Series 91-H20, called Series 94-H2O. The same organic moisture-cured zinc-rich primer is now available in a single-component form, is low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) and low HAPs (Hazardous Air Pollutants), making it perfect for use in areas with strict environmental regulations.
“We specifically developed Hydro-Zinc for use on water tanks. It can be shop-applied to both sides of a steel plate, eliminating the need for two different primers and allowing for faster application and substantial cost savings,” according to Bean.
HydroZinc also offers the water industry the ability to reduce maintenance costs as it extends the service life of steel substrates. According to industry research, organic zinc-rich primers typically extend the service life of two-component epoxy and epoxy/aliphatic urethane systems by 40 to 50 percent.
Series 94-H2O, greenish-gray in color, can be spray-, roller- or brush-applied to steel plate surfaces in water tank fabrication shops. It is certified in accordance with ANSI/NSF Std. 61 for use on the interior of potable water tanks of 20,000 gallons or greater and meets AWWA D102 Standard for Inside System No. 5 and Outside System Nos. 4 & 6. Hydro-Zinc’s unlimited maximum recoat window allows for topcoating without extensive surface preparation.
Tnemec’s Series 94-H2O Hydro-Zinc has been used on several projects nationwide, including water tanks in Wheaton, Ill.; Gulfport, Miss.; San Diego, Calif.; Milton, Fla.; Renton, Wash.; Grandbury, Texas; and Marion, Ky.