Tank Maintenance and Repair Services
Commercial Hot Water Tanks Need Periodic Tank Lining Repair And Anode Replacement To Avoid Catastrophic Problems
Thousands of school, hospital, apartment, government and office buildings have hot water tanks working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide clean hot water on demand for personal hygiene, laundry, cooking and other uses. These hot water tanks may have been installed years ago in new buildings. Aging tank linings can deteriorate and expose the interior steel tank shell to corrosion, leading to contaminated, rust-colored water and tank leaks. Servicing them with hot water tank lining repair and anode replacement before they fail makes it easy and cost efficient to maintain the tanks in place for many extended years of service life, saving thousands of dollars in replacement costs and eliminating inopportune emergency situations.
July 21, 2009 -- Amtech's HydraStoneUSA, specializing in hot water tank repair and hot water tank lining services, now offers its priority emergency services, as well as its scheduled maintenance services, in every state, coast to coast. Recently a facilities manager showed his concern in the tone of his voice when he called Amtech's HydraStoneUSA. He was responsible for physical plant operations at a large hotel convention center in the New York City area. That morning a housekeeping manager called in a panic because newly-laundered sheets and pillowcases were tinged orange. To the facilities manager it was a surprise. To Jeff Colner, VP of Operations for the HydraStoneUSA division of Amtech Tank Lining, it was just one of hundreds of similar calls received each year.
Says Colner, "A well-built hot water tank system will provide clean, dependable hot water with no servicing of the anodes or interior relining for several years beyond the ideal period for service, before any problem is detected. Then one day there's water leaking out of the tank, or the food service manager calls in a panic because the kitchen is getting orange water through the tap. Importantly, once the ideal service period has passed, corrosion starts to erode the hot water tank steel shell and eventually rusty water and shell leaks occur without warning. When an external leak occurs, some serious hot water tank repairs may be necessary before a tank relining service can be performed. Many times this happens at the most inopportune time.
"The better hot water tanks will have a specialized cementitious tank lining when new. The less expensive tanks will have a thin mil epoxy coating. Our own lining, produced by HydraStone in Canada, is used by many hot water tank manufacturers as their original cement tank lining at the factory, or they may have HydraStoneUSA or HydraStone of Canada actually line their hot water tanks once they are installed on location. We just did some new tanks at a Hilton Hotel being built in Orlando, Florida. Our hot water tank lining, called Alkrete, has been the leading cementitious hot water tank lining for over 40 years."
Colner has been asked, "Well, what's the difference between one cement lining and another? Isn't cement just cement?" His answer: "Big difference. When someone uses over-the-counter cement to reline a hot water tank, it can look pretty good at first, but it doesn't have the coefficient of expansion of our Alkrete. That means the steel in the tank will expand and contract when heated up and cooled down at a different rate than the cement. When a tank has been heated up and cooled down a number of times, the cement lining is going to begin to crack and loosen its bond from the substrate steel. The cracks also allow the water a quick access to the steel shell, causing accelerated corrosion. I know what that's like; I've seen it too many times."
Colner continued, "Our Alkrete is a blended cement mixture that includes Calcium Aluminate and other proprietary ingredients with a similar coefficient of expansion as steel tank material, allowing the lining to expand and contract with the steel tank. Alkrete was developed in 1962 for hot water tank protection, and is the ideal potable lining material for long-term protection of steel surfaces prone to corrosion. You wouldn't want to line a hot water tank with material that wasn't approved for potable water containment. Alkrete is CSA, ANSI 61 and NSF compliant."
HydraStoneUSA maintains experienced company hot water tank repair and maintenance crews servicing all fifty states in both scheduled and emergency situations. Hot water tanks can be maintained, repaired and relined quickly, with as low an impact on a facilities operation as possible. Service is also available in all Canadian Provinces from HydraStone of Canada. HydraStoneUSA's customer list includes most major hotel chains, and hundreds of hospitals, colleges and universities, the US government and a good portion of the Fortune 500 companies. For further information contact the HydraStoneUSA Division of Amtech Tank Lining at (888) 839-0373 or visit HydraStoneUSA Hot Water Tank Lining & Repair or Amtech Tank Lining & Tank Repair
