
Why is de-watering a nightmare? Once a water storage facility is drained, the loose sediment begins to dry and harden. Multiple inches of sediment that had been is a semi- liquid state and could easily be removed by a dive team, may be reduced to less than a ½ inch of hard, clay like buildup that must be scraped from the floor of the tank. The painted surface of the tank floor is better off if the sediment is removed before it is allowed to dry and get hard.
The best method for cleaning your tank is to use a qualified and experienced dive team.
Removes all loose sediment
Will not damage tank
Little if any down time, because the water is not drained the tank goes back in service quick
Small tanks can be cleaned in hours instead of days. Large tanks can be cleaned in days instead of weeks.
Once underwater, the diver carefully works off the ladder to clean a spot to stand.
He then works slowly outward from that spot, careful not to stir up the sediment and Crate turbidity. This is one of the big differences between a professional tank cleaning crew and a commercial dive crew that has been trained to work offshore. They tend to throw everything they need into the tank, and once the sediment is disturbed, it becomes a big cloud in the water. This turbidity has a negative effect on the water system. The dirty/cloudy water can then get into the system causing complaints. In addition to that, the tank can never really be cleaned on that day because the sediment that is suspended in the water causing the cloudy and high turbidity condition will eventually settle down to be another layer of sediment on the floor of the tank. There is an art to cleaning a potable water storage tank without creating turbidity.
This is from Chapter 8 of my new Book-
“ Inspecting & Cleaning Potable Water Storage”
available now at www.xlibris.com/bookstore
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