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TEAM
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ELEVATED WATER TANK MAINTENANCE Do you know who's taking care of your tank?
Proper maintenance of your elevated water storage tank is a matter of protecting a valuable asset that provides your community an important function, as well as an aesthetic landmark. Church steeples and water towers are typical of the structures people associate with the place they call home. Many of our long time subscribers to TTM Review might remember an article written by Jim Pandolph in November of 1992 on the subject of maintenance contracts for elevated water tanks. In the time since that article was written, the majority of the "fly-by-night" tank painters have disappeared, but problems still exist with typical maintenance contracts. The basic premise of a standard maintenance contract is to pay a fixed annual fee over a set number of years for a contractor to keep the tank in “good” condition by performing any necessary repairs. During that time, any failures in the coating system and any structural damage will be repaired at no extra expense. This sounds like a really good idea. But a closer examination reveals a number of flaws with this concept. First, few tank owners have the specialized expertise required to determine what repairs and coatings constitute a “good” condition. Typically, maintenance contracts fail to outline performance standards. Repairs may not be properly performed and may compromise the structural integrity of the tank. Since the contractor has a vested interest in finding as little to do as possible during his required inspections, critical problems could be overlooked or ignored. Second, most tank owners never inspect the tank themselves but rely entirely on the contractor to perform all work as required. Also in many instances individuals who are not qualified to make coating assessments or engineering judgments perform the contractor’s inspections. AWWA Manual M42, Appendix “C” states that; “The tank owner should employ a disinterested inspector to look over the metal surface inside and out, to determine the condition of the paint and interior metal surfaces, and what repairs, if any, are needed.” Qualified inspections should be performed by “(1) An engineering organization whose principals are registered professional engineers, specializing in inspection service and having at least five (5) years experience in the inspection of steel structures. Third is overall cost. Let's look at this deal from the contractor's side. He is in business to paint tanks. This contractor tells you that he will maintain your tank for five years and during that time he will paint it completely, inside and out. He will also inspect it on an annual or biennial basis and repair any "problems" found during that time. Who defines what a problem is? How do you know if it was fixed correctly? So, now that they have maintained your tank, what happens when the five years runs out? They want to sign you up for another contract, right? Obviously they’re going to put a paint job on your tank that will only last about five years so that they can sign you up again and start the whole process over! A TEAM employee was actually told by a leading tank maintenance contractor "I don't want to put on a paint job that will last more than five years." Is this the kind of attitude you want for a person that is supposed to be maintaining your tank? TEAM has been called upon in the past to perform a "back-up" inspection of elevated tanks that are under contract to another company. We have personally inspected tanks under maintenance contracts that have coatings peeling off, leaks, broken antennae, and various other problems. The key is that the contractor does not tell you, the tank owner, what standards and specifications he is working to. They usually don't provide you with the types of coatings they are using and won't allow you to specify a certain coating if you desire. Who's in control here? Isn't this your tank? Is there an answer to all of this? YES. A properly specified and applied coating should have a service life of 15 to 20 years. A five-year maintenance contract would expire long before a quality coating system fails. TEAM Consultants has many projects that are more than 15 years old and the properly applied coating systems continue to perform extremely well. The answer is a professionally designed Tank Management program. Rather than a contract run by tank painting contractors, an engineering firm that is experienced with water storage tank work establishes a tank management program. They are your agent representing you, the tank owner, and your best interests. The recommended procedure to maximize your maintenance dollars is to have a qualified engineering firm: 1. Perform a pre-bid assessment inspection. This inspection will establish the current condition of the tank and provide a basis for repairs and repainting recommendations. 2. Based on the findings of the assessment inspection prepare detailed specifications and bid documents. 3. Provide competent full time inspection of the work as it is being performed. 4. Provide warranty inspection to assure performance is accomplished. If you currently have tanks that are under maintenance contract, it would be advisable to have an independent, experienced tank professional inspect your tank to make sure that the required work is being performed in accordance with you maintenance agreement. Where can you find a company to provide the services mentioned here? The answer is right here at TEAM Consultants. We have the engineering expertise to design a coating system and repair procedures that will make your tank last a lifetime. Contact us for more information on our Total Tank Management program.
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