Hospital in London - Cold Water Tank Refurbishment Project

A hospital in London had a Braithwaite panel water tank located above one of their wards. Although the tank was not very old, it was in very poor condition. The tank had originally been painted with a bitumen tank paint. And typically, over the years the old bitumen coating, or lining, had broken down. The tank was very rusty inside and there were many deep craters in the steel. The tank would have been very difficult to clean and maintain. This was one of the worst water tanks that we had seen to date. To replace a water storage tank of this size would have been expensive and time consuming. The hospital facilities / maintenance department management were looking to renovate or refurbish the existing tank in-situ. Working in hospitals takes particular dexterity when the tanks are located in close proximity to one of the wards as this tank was. Part of the criteria for this project that is was essential work to be carried out quickly, quietly and no fumes to disturb the patients or staff. Important factors for lining the tank were: To prolong the working life of the water tank, to make the tank easier for inspection and cleaning and to help in controlling the risk of Legionnaires Disease. Prior to the start of our work a by-pass system of pipework was installed near the tank by a local plumber to enable the hospital to have an uninterrupted supply of water to the ward whist we worked on the tank. This installation of this pipework would have the added benefit to the hospital in that the water tank could be isolated for future cleaning and maintenance. Our water tank lining system allows for manual surface preparation of the tank to be carried out which minimised any disturbance to the patients and the day to day running of the hospital. Our experienced technicians manually prepared the surface to the required standard. After careful cleaning, the new internal lining system, a two-pack liquid resin, was applied in several coats to ensure complete coverage of all surfaces. Following the application of the new epoxy water tank lining system, all treated surfaces were tested for overall lining thickness and for the absence of micro-porosity (holes) in the new tank lining.