By: Kendall Smith, Induron T&D Market Manager
Induron Coatings has been a major supplier to the electric utility industry for almost a decade now and employs individuals who have serviced the industry for many more decades. A few of us even go back to the early 1980s when thousands of electric transmission structures were purchased and installed around the country every year. Utility companies were protecting these structures from corrosion with multiple thin coats, which often only lasted 8-10 years.
As the galvanized T&D transmission and substation structures began to corrode (yes, galvanizing does rust), the utility companies began to realize that the cost of protecting these structures was in the number of climbs. For instance, reducing the climbs from 4 to 2 would save millions of dollars.
Consequently, coatings companies began to work with utilities to formulate high-build and surface-tolerant coatings that reduced the number of coats and the amount of surface preparation. These new-and-improved coatings lasted 5-times as long as the 3-coat systems.
In the 1990s, Induron introduced the Induraguard 9200 as a workhorse coating by adding ceramic pigments and other lamellar pigments that improved the labyrinth effect, reduced the “time of wetness” at the substrate, and increased edge retention.
Induron also added a 100% SBV epoxy sealer to supplement the traditional single-component primers still used today. In comparison to traditional primers, Induron’s Ebond Sealer provides increased moisture and chemical resistance. Not only have these coatings saved utility companies millions of dollars, but they also provide protection that rivals the protection provided by more labor-intensive coating systems. Utilities have been sole sourcing this type of system for 60 years with excellent results in instances where full removal of old coatings would cost significantly more and need to be recoated at about the same intervals.
All in all, Induron’s extensive knowledge of its products’ capabilities and customers’ businesses empowers us to supply our customers with the best possible coating solutions.