Overview of Cathodic Protection (Anode Bag) Testing

The earth has a natural electric current that occurs in water and land alike. These electrical currents have an adverse affect on metal objects that are in the ground or in the water. This adverse affect is called electrolysis and will literally drill a small hole through a metal object. Underground propane tanks are subject to electrolysis and need to be protected to avoid the deteriorating effect that results. To protect a tank from electrolysis, an anode bag is attached by wire to the tank and placed in the hole with the tank before it is covered with backfill. This sacrificial anode bag absorbs the electrical currents in the earth that would have ordinarily targeted the tank resulting in damage to the container. In short, the sacrificial anode bag acts as a "decoy" for the damaging currents that can harm a tank in an underground environment.

The national fire protection agency (NFPA) has required that under ground tanks (or piping) needing cathodic protection installed after Aug 5, 2010 be inspected periodically and Lynx can help.

1. Lynx Propane Software helps you stay in compliance with these regulations by providing a field to store the next anode test date in.
2. Lynx gives you the ability to get all of the underground tanks on to a single route filtered for next anode test date.
3. This route can then be compiled just like a delivery route and a serviceman can go out and perform all the anode tests in the most efficient manner. When the test is completed Lynx can put the Under Ground tanks back on their original route for you.

Before you can begin this process you need to know that an underground tank must be tested upon installation and the testing needs to be documented. Further testing needs to be done initially after 12-18 months and then every 36 months thereafter(see NFPA 58 for specific details and exceptions). The latest 2 tests must be kept on file. You can scan your paper tests and attach them to an account on the Account Files tab of the account. See Adding Account Files for help on this.

The first order of business for anode bag/cathodic protection testing is to set the next test date for a tank. This process begins by finding the tank you would like to set the test date for:
To find the tank, use one of the following methods: Methods of Finding a Tank

1. Regardless of how you get to the tank, the detailed information screen for that tank will be displayed.

2. Left-click the button.

3. Verify the tank's disposition is set to "Under Ground"

4. Use the drop down calendar to select the next anode testing date.

5. Once you're done, left-click the button.

Once you have all of your anode testing dates in the system and attached to the appropriate tanks, as mentioned earlier, Lynx gives you the ability to get all of the underground tanks on to a single route filtered for next anode test date. Here's how:

1. First, create a route designated for anode testing only. For help on this see Add a Route.

2. In this example, the route "Ad-hoc Under Ground Anode Test Route" was created for this purpose.

3. From your new route, left-click the button.

4. This will display the routing options dropdown.

5. Left-click .

6. Left-click .

7. This confirmation window will pop up:

8. Once you have selected the appropriate date(most likely today's date) and left-clicked the button, all under-ground tanks in the system will load into the route.

9. It is recommended that you verify all of the tanks have an anode testing date attached by looking through the column of the route.

For a visual aid example showing the Next Anode Test column, click here.

If you notice any of the tanks do not have a next anode test date, here's the quickest way to assign one:

1. Right-click on the record (tank) that is missing an anode test date.

2. This will display the routing options dropdown.

3. Left-click which will display the detailed account screen for this tank.

4. Left-click the tab which will display the tanks tab window.

5. Left-click the button.

6. Left-click and then use the drop down calendar to select the next anode testing date.

This route can then be compiled just like a delivery route and a serviceman can go out and perform all the anode tests in the most efficient manner. Here's how:

From the anode testing route. . .

1. Left-click the button.

2. This will display the routing options dropdown.

3. Left-click

4. Left-click

5. This will display the tank plotting window which displays all of the stops of the route and driving directions (before Lynx has optimized them).

6. Left-click

7. Lynx will then calculate the most effecient manner of driving to all of the listed locations, after a few seconds you should see the route re-arrange, left-click the to exit this window and go back to the anode testing route.

8. Left-click the button, which will display the routing options dropdown.

9. Left-click

10. This will display the generate tickets window

11. Verify all of the dropdown-lists and fields are filled with the correct information.

12. When you're ready, left-click the button which will generate the individual tickets for each selected stop on the route and display them.

13. From here you can either print out the tickets by left-clicking the print button, or back up the tickets to a USB drive if you're using the Lynx On-Truck System.

14. When you're finished, left-click the to return to the anode testing route.

As stated previously, further anode testing needs to be done initially after 12-18 months and then every 36 months thereafter. Lynx makes it easy to adjust the return date of the tanks needing testing every 36 months. Here's how:

From the anode testing route. . .

1. Check () the tanks that you would like to change the anode test return date to 36 months out ONLY.

2. Left-click the button.

3. This will display the routing options dropdown.

4. Left-click

5. Left-click

Lastly, Lynx can help put the Under Ground tanks back on their original route. Here's how:

From the anode testing route. . .

1. Check () the tanks that you would like to move back to their original route ONLY.

2. Left-click the button.

3. This will display the routing options dropdown.

4. Left-click

5. Left-click

6. When you're done you can left-click the close button to return to the Lynx Main Menu.