Repairing an iron cage

Repairing an iron cage (made of rod building, thin and medium)

At Deer Island, Gulf of Nicoya, build a cage round rod of iron (corrugated, normally used for construction). The circumference is dictated by the length of rod 2, which is 12 m in total, with a diameter close to 4 meters, is 1.7 m high, for a total of nearly 20 m3 of whom are under 16 m3 water (leaving out of the water 0.3 m).

The cage was built to house a certain minimum size of fish, and the design-arriesgadamente-considered use only thin rods (XXXXX). The risk, of course, is that a very thin material would not currents and tides. On the other hand, the idea was to lower costs and a lighter cage.

A week to float, after high tide, the cage was so distorted. It seemed as if a boat passed over him, and one third from the top (which should be 30 cm above the water) were submerged.

The side submerged showed strong deformation of the rod, especially in the upper circle. There was no damage.

Review, we found that the problem resulted from the second bottom (or anchor weight, see below) that was used, which was lighter than the first, was moved first (probably washed away by rising tides in the same cage very high) and downspouts tides rope tied to the cage to the fund too tense (perhaps resolved by lengthening the rope).

This tension led to deform over the cage, especially because, contrary to original design, the tie to the two funds were not only from the bottom of the cage, but the rope came out of that fund will be split into two and one end is tied to the bottom and the other at the top of the cage. This was easily the deformation of the top.

We cut the rope that was second to bottom and moored at the bottom of the cage to the side where he had moved the fund. We cut the rope from the first fund that was tied to the top of the cage. So we tied the cage from its bottom to the two funds.

Having eliminated the excessive strain of the anchor ropes, straighten the deformed rod and returned to immerse floats (pichingas 20 liters) of the damaged part to raise this part of the cage above the water.

We reviewed the cage inside and straighten some rods. We found no further damage.

Was revised and adjusted the level of all the floats, which had changed due to the difference in tensions.

It succeeded in recovering the shape of the cage and its waterline. We closed the lid Saranan.

List the cage (still may be some adjustments    leveling better) dropped again to visit and see if the changes allow you to maintain its structure and function.

In all, three people in the water and one in the panga, we took an hour of work.

This fund is the heaviest estañón half-plastic filler concrete. The fund is smaller (should not be).

This type of situation leads us to believe that with strong currents may be best to put funds or anchors on one side, leaving the cage "dancing" with the flow, instead of seeking funds to keep it static on each side (as was done here in the beginning).