Winter Is Coming. Are Your Water Tanks Ready?

Winter is coming across the northern hemisphere, and water utilities gear up to battle the cold and its impact on their distribution systems. Mains break and service outages keep work crews and operators busy. Water tanks may not get the attention they need. Monthly inspections may not happen as planned.

As winter approaches, temperatures outside the water tank drop. In an un-mixed water tank, thermal stratification breaks down. The warm top layer can drop to the bottom of the tank and the cold moves up, bringing bottom sediments with it and compromising water quality. As temperatures continue to drop, ice can begin to form both inside and outside the tank. In this post we look at what happens to water tanks during the winter and how you can protect your tanks.