Off To The Race(way)s! - Deja Vue

You might remember last year we resurfaced one of the raceways inside the hatchery (See Off To the Race(way)s! blog of September 27, 2018).

We started on that raceway very late in the season.  The staff was happy with the results and wanted us to resurface the other raceways but there wasn’t time before we left on October 1st.

This year we were asked to resurface 3 raceways and the supplies were ordered.

Supplies ready.  Starting to vacuum.

The first raceway to resurface is next to the one we finished last year.  The staff power-washed the surfaces but we still had to brush down the walls and vacuum all the grit.

We use a skim coat material, which is a special mortar mix for thin, smooth repairs. It is a quick-setting, time-sensitive material.

Left side completed.

The next step was application of the primer coat of the paint system. This was an odd material with the consistency of skim milk.  The top coat was a much thicker rubber material. The coating manufacturer required three coats of the top coat over the primer.  The top coat is a special, fish-safe coating.

Newly finished raceway on the left, last year's raceway on the right.

It looks really good! 

There are two other raceways we need to finish this year.  Last year these raceways contained the future-future brood (which are the three-year old’s this year). 

The large fan is used to dry out the raceway before we vacuum and brush and the skim coat can be applied.

This job is very strenuous and not a lot of fun but the staff really appreciates our hard work.