Category: Water Storage Tank Design

  • Best Water Storage Tank Project Results Come From Good Beginnings!

    Good results are essential for water tank projects involving the storing of potable water.

    Though the fabrication process itself is critical, it is good planning and communication during water storage tank design and engineering as well as other pre-construction steps that generate the best results.

    A time investment in effective planning covering all steps of the engineering and fabrication process leaves less room for unexpected problems.

    Therefore, project managers should be involved in all parts of project planning to aid the design process and facilitate tank construction according to properly developed plans.

    • Water Storage Tank Design Planning – While project managers may not be designers, they provide essential information to water storage tank engineering teams about the specific project, aiding the development of the most appropriate design. This can ensure the resulting vessel will perform as needed, offering the best value to the customer. 
    • Pre-Fabrication Budgeting – For accurate budgeting, water storage tank engineering teams and construction contractors must again work collectively, especially at times when materials and labor prices are fluctuating. Water storage tank design developed alongside budgeting details makes staying within budget more possible. Tank contractors staying involved in the design planning are instrumental for keeping everyone aware of what project implementation within the required budget must entail to keep it so. 
    • Pre-Fabrication Scheduling – Scheduling can seriously affect water storage tank company projects if not well managed. Information on materials scheduling, foundation construction, tank testing, painting, and other inclusions discussed before starting the project helps the engineering team generate a project schedule that can feasibly be followed. 
    • Pre-Fabrication Safety Planning – Lastly, before any water storage tank company begins fabrication, a safety protocol for all construction processes should be planned and documented to reduce risks right from the start. Safety must be a priority and planned before any materials are brought in or construction crews are assembled.

    Water tank projects are complicated jobs that require communication and cooperation between water storage tank design teams, tank project managers, and fabrication teams to reach a good end result.

    The best way to keep all essential parties on the same page and looking at the same details is by including them all in various planning stages before work even begins.

    The collective knowledge provided by water storage tank company experts handling different parts of the project will combine to provide critical help to water storage tank engineering teams and others for an error-free, on-budget, on-time fabrication project!

  • Water Tank corrosion Can Crop Up Faster Than You Think!

    The biggest concern that owners of potable water storage tanks must contend with is the problem of corrosion and how to combat it.

    It is a topic that corrosion engineers consider daily, their entire careers being built on understanding how it happens and what can be done to prevent or slow it.

    To fully grasp the complexity of the problem and the importance of adequate water storage tank maintenance, tank owners should understand this, too.

    Fact About Metal Corrosion

    There are four important factors to understand about metal corrosion to fully acknowledge how water storage tanks rust and what has to be done to prevent it:

    1. The only metals that can corrode are those containing iron or iron oxide; the higher the iron content is, the faster, and more easily the metal will corrode.
    2. Corrosion is caused by oxidation, and the result of oxygen and water together being in contact with iron-containing metals.
    3. Environmental conditions like temperature, humidity, and electrical conditions can affect how quickly iron-containing metals will oxidize.
    4. Metal thickness combined with iron content also affects how quickly an iron-containing metal will begin corroding; higher-content, thinner metals that are uncoated can start with surface corrosion in as little as 5 days.

    Water Storage Tank Design

    Based on these four simple factors, corrosion engineers design water storage tanks, protective tank coatings, and tank protection and maintenance techniques to withstand the conditions that cause corrosion.

    Every tank design is affected by water and oxygen in some way, whether due to the metal being in constant contact with water on the inside or due to high humidity, salt air, high temperatures on the outside, multiple types of metals that interact with each other and the water, etc.

    There are countless reasons why corrosion due to oxidation can begin with water storage tanks, as thick and durable as they may seem to be.

    Bringing Needs and Design Together

    Considering all of this, it is essential that tank owners understand what tank design will serve their needs best, what kind of protective coatings can prevent exposure to oxygen longer and more thoroughly, and whether alternative measures like cathodic protection should be used as well.

    Coatings, regular draining and cleaning, sludge removal, and cathodic protection all fall under critical water storage tank maintenance designed to prevent oxygen and water from acting on the metal and causing corrosion.

    With water storage tank conditions conducive to allowing corrosion to begin in as little as a few weeks, tank owners must take their tank selection and maintenance very seriously to slow the course of oxidative corrosion.