Plural component intumescent coatings often serve in harsh and demanding environments and must be able to perform while subjected to fire and explosions.

As a result, attention to detail during application and inspection processes is critical, particularly with respect to following manufacturer’s written instructions, according to the certified system design.

Any failure to do so may likely result in premature failure while in service and/or during a fire event.

This necessity for critical inspection was among the key themes of the Inspection of Intumescent Coatings forum, which was held at this week’s 2024 AMPP Annual Conference + Expo at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

The presentation was delivered by Russell K. Norris, a fire protection market manager at Sherwin-Williams. In his remarks, Norris discussed the inspection process and its checklist of items, including documents, equipment, surface preparation, and the various phases throughout application.

A critical inspection includes, but is not limited to, the cleaning and profiling of steel; plural spray equipment pump settings to ensure aproper ratio; and the monitoring of ambient conditions throughout the application and drying process. A properly applied and cured system will provide optimum fire and corrosion protection for many years with minimal to no maintenance, or until exposed to a fire, he explained.

“There are unique application characteristics of plural component intumescent coatings that require special and unique inspection, which some points of inspection are not typically included with conventional coating systems,” Norris said.

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