Is humidity rusting your blasted surface before you can paint it?

Contractors working in humid environments know all too well the problems relative humidity foists upon freshly blasted surfaces.   The moisture in the air can produce flash rust (ginger off) before it can be painted.  This problem reduces proportionate to the level of humidity – and surfaces are generally safe if relative humidity is kept below 50%.  When conditions are higher than 50%, blasters can save rework time, man hours, abrasive, compressor fuel, etc. – by cordoning of the area and employing a dehumidifier. By using a dehumidifier unit (DH) the blast will hold for days.

Without a dehumidifier, contractors often blast then hurriedly attempt to paint that portion of the surface before “losing the blast”.  Blast for 4 hours – Clean up for 2 hours – Paint for 2 hours.  This is highly unproductive – but considered the only solution.

However, when using a DH unit on – say, a tank project – contractors can (1) blast the entire tank and then (2) clean up the whole area and then (3) paint the whole tank at once. This prevents the constant starting and stopping of different procedures throughout the same day. It’s definitely much more efficient and BlastOne offers different DH units for hot humidity vs cold humidity.

Dehumidification units are available for hire as well.  Contact a BlastOne representative to learn more.