Tips for Protecting Municipal Water Tanks

Municipalities must keep their water tanks in good condition so the water they send out to citizens is clean and drinkable. If the water tank becomes vulnerable to corrosion, deterioration, nitrification and other such issues, the safety of the water could be compromised. For this reason, it is important you keep up with good tank maintenance in Colorado.

The water itself is already susceptible to problems like algae, bacteria and accumulation of minerals, so having a tank that could also be a source of potential water quality problems is the last thing you want.

No matter what type of water tank you have for your municipality, you’re going to want to make sure it has the proper surface coating to protect it from the most common issues facing it. Here’s a quick look at some of the most common types of tanks and the issues they tend to experience:

• Fiberglass: Fiberglass water tanks are more vulnerable to sunlight than other types of water tanks.
• Concrete: Concrete water tanks deteriorate over time, because the wet and dry cycles make the material vulnerable to potential sulfate attacks and salts. In addition, the freezing and thawing cycles may result in cracks forming in the tank, even if it’s a high-quality concrete.
• Steel: Steel tanks are susceptible to corrosion and rust, which are problems you won’t have with other tank types.

Surface coats with water tank paint in Colorado

Surface coats on water tanks protect the interior from potential corrosion and deterioration, because they offer a reliable physical barrier between the walls of the tank and the water inside. There are protective epoxy coatings that can also help provide an extra layer of chemical resistance. The best type of coating for you to use for your tank depends on the tank’s design, the type of material the tank was built with and the standards that are enforced by the American Water Works Association.

If you have polyethylene and fiberglass tanks stored above ground, you might be required to use surface coatings on any exterior walls to shield against the impacts of ultraviolet rays. If you do not use this protective coating, the exterior of the tank will begin to degrade in direct sunlight. With other materials, the exterior surface should also be coated to protect against other elements, as well as to prevent heat absorption that could create unwanted effects in the water held inside the tank.

Ideally you would complete the surface coating before the installation of the tank, simply because this is a more convenient time at which to do it. But you can implement a surface coating at any time during the life cycle of the tank to protect it from leaks, spills, abrasives, sunlight, freezes, cracks, scale, tensile stresses, chlorine losses, chemical attacks and various organic and inorganic deposits.

For more information about why it’s so important to keep up with your water tank maintenance in Colorado, we encourage you to contact the expert team at DJC Enterprises Inc. today.

Categorised in: Tank Maintenance, Water Tank Paint

This post was written by Writer