Loose FRP pads catch and trap water against the pipe, causing significant corrosion in a short amount of time. Since pads make inspection impossible, the problem is not apparent until the pipe fails – which can be catastrophic. Sealing the seams to prevent water intrusion is rarely effective because the pipe and pad expand at different rates. Adding insult to injury, FRP pads cost at least $1,000 each to install.

A cautionary tale about FRP wear pads

A number of years ago, we learned of a facility that decided – rather inexplicably – to replace most of their existing, undamaged I-Rod® with FRP wear pads. The new FRP pads failed in less than a year, causing damage that cost $700 per location to repair. Undeterred, the operator replaced them with new FRP pads at a cost of $1,000 per location, and again, the pads failed within a year. After the damage was once again repaired at a cost of $700 per location, the FRP pads were all replaced with I-Rod®. The brief flirtation with FRP pads ultimately caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. At the facility’s locations where I-Rod® had remained in service, there was no damage at all. The operator subsequently re-wrote their global spec to include I-Rod® on all pipe supports.