Tank Maintenance Vital After Major Weather Events

With the same kind of weather system that caused recent flooding in New South Wales and Queensland far from a one-off, water system specialist Kingspan Water & Energy says it is imperative that water tanks be maintained. 

Rainwater or stormwater tanks on commercial and council properties are a key part of water management and need regular maintenance. 

But major weather events such as storms and floods mean that tanks and other water management systems need to be checked as soon as possible after such events for any damage. 

In the most recent weather events, record rainfalls and rates were recording along the east coast of Australia. In some parts of NSW, rainfall rates were between 40mm to 70mm mm per hour.

The large amount of water moving through the area has caused billions of dollars worth of damage across New South Wales and Queensland. 

Kingspan’s general manager of service and sensor Matthew Tranby said inspections by a qualified technician were vital after major weather events.

“Routine maintenance and service is often overlooked by clients and end-users until there is an emergency or breakdown,” Tranby said.

“Consequently, this may lead to costly repairs or even fines.” 

▲ Kingspan’s services include for tanks they did not supply as well as those they did.

Kingspan has a commercial service team to provide service, inspection and maintenance work for any tank configuration, including those that aren’t Kingspan products. 

The team includes technicians, plumbers and service co-ordinators who have confined space entry and working at height certifications, working to the AS1851, AS3500, AS2304 and AS1657 standards. 

Kingspan also uses its automated reporting system, the Smart Tank Sensor, which uses the Telstra network to provide updates on how well the tank is functioning. All data can be viewed, customised, filtered and exported from the dashboard. 

▲ A screen view of the Kingspan Smart Tank dashboard.

Traditionally, most stormwater and rainwater tanks collect water for re-use within households, reducing the reliance on the mains water supply.

Tranby said that ensuring tanks and drainage systems were functioning correctly also meant water did not pool or collect on surfaces because it could not get away, leading to minor flooding and damage. 

“Using the Smart Tank Sensor allows councils and businesses to track the tank’s performance performance of all tanks across multiple locations,” Tranby said.

“If it is damaged, it can be repaired to help prevent future flooding and it should be checked after a major flood as large volumes of water can put huge amounts of pressure and stress on the system.”

▲ A Kingspan FRP tank in situ.

Kingspan’s is a leading water tank manufacturer in Australia. They have an extensive range of commercial water tanks which includes large capacity corrugated water waters and fibre-reinforced (FRP) tanks, which are suitable for a variety of applications.

Kingspan’s range of Rhino water tanks offer up to 2.3 million litres of water storage for potable water, irrigation, fire-fighting and stormwater management.

FRP tanks, also referred to as glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) tanks are a bolted modular tank that is robust, eco-friendly and provide an affordable cost-effective liquid storage solution.

FRP tanks are often used in hotels, office buildings, schools, shopping centres, mine sites and other situations where a circular tank option may be restricted due to space limitations.

Kingspan offers the complete package for organisations, businesses and councils and can assist with your next project.

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