Water Tower Demo

Do you have access to a crane to allow your team to disassemble the towers with blow torches, etc from the top down piece by piece? Fictionalizing the empty top tank (or pieces of it) from the steel support and then using a Helicopter to air lift it to the ground may be an option (but is expensive obviously).

Sometimes there is no quick and easy way.

GA Sapper. Use a professional Scaffolding company. Having done this kind of work, using Tubelock, you won't need the tower to support the scaffold at all, just brace off it. Much safer than cutting up something hanging over your head (OSHA would have a hisssy fit). Cut everthing to the size needed to fit your removal equipment, leave a 'hinge', and push it inside the tank.

Is the lower part of the tower built of brick/stone.

Have you got room to drop the towers in a controlled way? A guy over here built a TV career using this method.

Hang a skirt around the whole structure from the top.

Cut arches around the bottom leaving only thin "legs" but putting in timber to support the structure temporarily.

Build a fire..........

I accept no responsibility etc. etc.

Hi,

You speak as though you are a fairly experienced demolisher of plant and therefore you will be aware of the risks associated with this type of work. This latest venture adds the dimension of height to the tasks. Clearly there are H&S issues what ever method you chose but you will be responsible for what ever transpires!

Cutting the tank into 'bite sized pieces is not difficult and you are protected from falling off. If the tank(s) are one the sectional variety then severing the bolts is probably the quickest route, otherwise burning galvanised plate is very dirty, environmentally. Note the issue of ventilation within the tank until the top is removed.

You do not indicate the type of supporting structure or the capacity of the tank(s)but at 150ft this will be of considerable magnitude, therefore the task will involve a good deal of planning ( please also write a full method statement before the first torch is lit)!

Given that some one had to build it in the first place there is merit in studying the modus operandii because adopting a reversal of the way it was done may prove the easiest (sorry least fraught) way to do it. 'Iron fighters' of old were very ingenious and rarely had the comfort of any craneage let alone a great big (over sized) one and frequently used shear legs and tackle to raise the members into place. You could adopt a similar method by leave one corner of the structure higher than the rest to provide the support for the lowering tackle.

Severing the junction points i,e bolted/flange connections after hooking the tackle on would afford you control over the process, before lowering the members to the deck.

The advice offered by ''Sapper'' is sound and would permit a safe working environment, chucking lumps of steel work down 100+ ft is not an ideal way of proceeding .

None of these suggestions are particularly sexy and will take time but with thought the exercise should be completed without drama.

Think twice and cut once!

Perhaps using ultra high pressure water jet cutting could eliminate the dirty and unhealthy flame cutting of galvanized, or other material, plus make the cutting faster?

Chris

Thank you. U offered good advice. Maintaining "high ground" is a good idea. I think I'll work with that. Thanks again!!//tb

Think outside the box...sell the tank to whoever will remove it, and then you don't have to remove it. I have sold old water tanks to small municipalities or manufacturing facilities before. With teh cost of steel over the past 10 years, it was cheaper than buying new.

I haven't cut down any tanks, but saw a few made inside a winery. Those tanks were up to 30m (100ft) high.

Suggest that you might use the reverse of how those tanks were built. (And very similar to the suggestion from PWSlack earlier)

Build an internal crane and support the tank from inside. Cut off rings from the base level, remove that material and then lower the tank to present the next portion for cutting.

Depending on material gauge/hardness, it might be possible to use a "nibbler" to cut the material. Almost all work done from ground level, no "smoke" or noxious gasses from OXY on gal or paint, you determine the size of each piece cut off, no dropping from great heights, but maybe a bit noisy.

(I suppose the winery where I was didn't have the challenge of cross wind and stability that would be present for this job, so external adjustable guy ropes may also be needed.)

another idea. i worj=k wirh a tank builder who uses a synchronized jacking system to build tanks, one ring at a time. Per haps a reversal could work in your case? Call Mike Windsor,620 423 3010 ext 138 if you wish to explore.