Bottom time got eaten up by a stuck bolt on a cathodic protection job

I was out on a pipeline inspection near Port Fourchon last month and spent almost 45 minutes just fighting a single seized anode bolt underwater. Had to surface twice for fresh cutting wheels because the grinder kept binding up in the silt. Anybody got a trick for keeping corrosion off bolts in high-current zones?

2 comments

2 Comments

wadem892d ago

Swear 45 minutes on one bolt? That's brutal, man. Hope the pay was good.

cameronn622d ago

Yeah I heard about that job from a buddy who works that area. 45 minutes per bolt is rough but sometimes the rust lock is just that bad. I had a similar one last year on a Ford exhaust manifold and it took me almost an hour with the torch and impact gun. The customer was watching me the whole time too which never helps. At least if the pay was flat rate you could make up for it on the next job. Still though that kind of stuff makes you wonder if it's worth the headache sometimes.