{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"464 Corrosion Coupons, Brand Building, and Having Fun at Trade Shows with Will Ritter","description":""Don't be afraid to say I don\u2019t know. - Will Ritter\u201d  Corrosion is expensive, relentless, and easy to underestimate\u2014until a \u201clasagna battery\u201d turns aluminum foil green and reminds you what electrochemistry can do in the real world. This conversation reframes corrosion coupons as what they actually are: a repeatable field test that can sharpen your decisions\u2014if you treat the process with consistency.  Respect the coupon, protect the data  Trace breaks down why coupons became non-negotiable in his systems: they turn guesswork into usable corrosion-rate intelligence. Will Ritter of MetaSpec (formerly Pacific Sensor) explains the fundamentals\u2014pre-weighed coupons, exposure time, cleaning, and calculating corrosion rate in MPY (mils per year). The point isn\u2019t that the coupon is your pipe; it\u2019s that the coupon becomes a reliable, relative gauge over time when variables are controlled.  The \u201cfive things\u201d that make results repeatable  Will outlines practical failure points that quietly ruin comparisons quarter to quarter: alloy selection (and staying consistent), surface area (and what happens when hardware covers the coupon), surface finish (including why scratches and pits matter), weight accuracy (and why kitchen\/postage scales don\u2019t belong in the workflow), and protective VCI packaging that prevents premature corrosion in storage and transit.  Brand building, trade shows, and getting comfortable saying \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d  Will shares his path from Pacific Sensor to MetaSpec and what it looks like to merge brands intentionally heading into 2026. The discussion also moves into trade show presence and digital marketing, plus a simple confidence framework: get comfortable saying \u201cI don\u2019t know, but I can find out,\u201d and build communication reps\u2014he points to Toastmasters as a low-stakes way to do that.  Listen to the full conversation above. Explore related episodes below. Stay engaged, keep learning, and continue scaling up your knowledge!    Timestamps  02:20 \u2014 Trace sets the stage: why corrosion coupons matter as diagnostic data 04:05 \u2014 What a coupon is (size, pre-weighed precision) and why tiny changes matter 06:14 \u2014 Trace\u2019s \u201cfour things\u201d water treaters manage (and what microbial control is not)  07:07 \u2014 The \u201clasagna battery\u201d: anode\/cathode\/electrolyte\/path in a real-life example 08:50 \u2014 Defining corrosion (ISO 8044 and NACE definitions referenced) 09:50 \u2014 Corrosion cost perspective: \u201c2.5 trillion\u201d and \u201c3.5% of global GDP\u201d (as cited)  10:53 \u2013 Words of Water with James   12:38 \u2013 Events for Water Professionals  14:56 \u2014 Will Ritter introduction and why the podcast helped him understand the industry 18:30 \u2014 How Will got into coupons: Pacific Sensor, mentors, and early AWT exposure 24:36 \u2014 Trade show mindset: don\u2019t be afraid to say \u201cI don\u2019t know\u201d 27:50 \u2014 Toastmasters as a practical system for better speaking and confidence 31:25 \u2014 Pacific Sensor \u2192 MetaSpec; co-branding and planned transition \u201cstarting in 2026\u201d 34:06 \u2014 Coupon basics and MPY explained in clear operational terms 36:51 \u2014 The big misunderstanding: coupons as a relative gauge (not \u201cthe pipe\u201d) 40:06 \u2014 The \u201cfive key characteristics\u201d behind usable coupon data 58:10 \u2014 Best-practice takeaway: treat coupons like a lab test brought into the field 01:06:35 \u2014 Close: why Trace \u201cowes a lot\u201d to that \u201clittle slip of metal\u201d    Quotes \u201cUse the coupon as a relative gauge of the corrosivity of the system.\u201d - Will Ritter \u201cSurface finish is critical\u2026 a change in surface finish is going to impact corrosion results.\u201d - Will \u201cTreat your coupons\u2026 like you are taking a laboratory test and bringing it into the field.\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s not a piece of metal. It\u2019s very special. Treat it as such.\u201d \u201cDigital marketing is free\u2026 small businesses need to take advantage of free resources.\u201d   Connect with Will Ritter   Phone: (713) 882- 1427  Email: williamrritter@gmail.com   Website: Pacific Sensor - Buy Corrosion Coupons and Test Specimens   LinkedIn: https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/williamryanritter\/   https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/pacific-sensor\/about\/      Guest Resources Mentioned   Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway (Audiobook)  Steel Isn't Hard (To Learn) by Shane Turcott (Paperback)  The Goal: 40th Anniversary Edition: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M Goldratt (Author), Jeff Cox (Author)  Toastmasters International  Pacific Sensor Corrosion Coupon Installation Guide  Water Treatment Flyer- Pacific Sensor  Metaspec Capabilities Presentation NACE SP0775-2023 Preparation, Installation, Analysis, and Interpretation of Corrosion Coupons in Hydrocarbon Operations  ASTM-G1-25 Standard Practice for Preparing, Cleaning, and Evaluating Corrosion Test Specimens  TP25-18 The Impact of Metal Surface Roughness on Corrosion Monitoring Water Treatment    Scaling UP! H2O Resources Mentioned  AWT (Association of Water Technologies)  Submit a Show Idea  Scaling UP! H2O Academy video courses  The Rising Tide Mastermind 304 Pinks and Blues: Corrosion Coupons  075 The One that\u2019s All About Corrosion Coupons  AWT Guidelines on Corrosion Coupons   Corrosion cost perspective: \u201c2.5 trillion\u201d and \u201c3.5% of global GDP\u201d    Words of Water with James McDonald Today's definition is any of the elements found in Group VIIA, also known as Group 17, of the Periodic Table, including fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine, characterized by the ability to disinfect water.   2026 Events for Water Professionals  Check out our Scaling UP! H2O Events Calendar where we\u2019ve listed every event Water Treaters should be aware of by clicking HERE.    ","author_name":"Scaling UP! H2O","author_url":"http:\/\/scalinguph2o.com","html":"