Water tanks are widely acknowledged to play an important role in any infrastructure or plant operation, but sadly, water tanks have fallen off the radar in terms of ongoing inspection and maintenance.
Neglecting regular inspections of a water tank can compromise its safety and shorten its operational and service life. Raven Tanks has recognized this challenge and is committed to addressing it by providing lifecycle and post-sales support services.
Our clients often struggle to achieve the best long-term management of their assets and maximize the performance of their water tanks without the support of an expert partner.
Clean water, produced by filtration systems, is stored in water storage tanks until needed. Available in various designs, sizes, and performance capabilities depending on the application, these tanks are essential for many operations across the industrial, commercial, and municipal sectors. This makes selecting, installing, and maintaining the right tank crucial.
A leaking tank can cause cosmetic issues, costly repairs, or tank failure. More importantly, a tank leak can cause significant environmental contamination as well as workplace injuries. Finally, regular tank inspections are critical for detecting and resolving potentially catastrophic tank issues.
Why is Water Storage Tank Maintenance Important?
Maintaining your tank is a cost-saving strategy in the long run. Regular inspections and upkeep can extend the lifespan of a storage tank for decades, or even a century. While maintaining a tank requires an initial investment, it is much more affordable than purchasing a new tank—or multiple tanks—within the same time frame.
A water storage tank is a valuable asset for any facility that invests in one, and just like other essential equipment, it requires consistent maintenance to ensure its continued functionality and longevity.
Maintaining it Properly Provides a Number of Advantages, including:
- – Service life is extended. Tank inspection and maintenance operations that are scheduled on a regular basis allow industry professionals to identify existing damage and potential sources of damage before they become major issues. This, in turn, reduces the negative impact on the tank’s integrity.
- Improved equipment performance. As problems are identified and resolved, the system’s performance improves.
- – Improved water quality. Repairing problems in the water storage tank and its connected system reduces the risk of contamination and other negative effects that can affect the quality of water in potable water tanks.
- – Reduced repair and replacement expenses. By detecting issues such as corrosion or coating delamination before they become major issues, equipment damage is reduced, resulting in fewer costly repairs and replacements.
Storage tank and water tower maintenance are critical to the performance and longevity of your storage tank. Regular water tank inspection identifies existing and potential failures, allowing maintenance and repairs to be performed, and limiting ongoing damage. Infiltrations that allow contamination, corrosion, coating delamination, and other tank or tower issues are corrected, improving tank or tower performance and lowering costs associated with performing more extensive repairs when inspections are missed.
Routine cleaning and storage tank maintenance reduces the risks that have a negative impact on the quality of water or other fluids, as well as the tank’s integrity. Bacterial growth and sediment build-up are reduced, protecting the tank’s interior lining and lowering the cost of recoating.
Overall, storage tank and water tower maintenance will protect your equipment and keep it operational for a longer period of time. Resolving tank issues as soon as possible saves money on costly repairs later on and protects your water supply. Using professional storage tank maintenance services is a wise investment in your company, its equipment, and its bottom line.
Inspection Methods for Water Storage Tanks
The first step in any maintenance operation is to inspect the equipment’s condition. Inspections of water storage tanks can be classified as wet or dry.
- A licensed professional must drain the tank of water before performing a dry inspection, as the name implies.
- Wet inspections are performed without the tank being emptied. Depending on the tank, a disinfected diver or a remote-controlled vehicle (ROV) enters the structure to identify potential problems. If significant issues are discovered, such as peeling paint or thinning steel, the tank will need to be removed from service for repairs.
Inspection operations, regardless of method, generally begin at the bottom of the tank and work their way up to the legs, rods, struts, and ladder. Tank conditions to look for include the thickness of the steel, the thickness of the paint, and the coating’s adhesion levels.
