A new bolted or welded steel storage tank can give you a gift which keeps giving all year long; peace of mind knowing you are prepared. By adding supplementary water storage, you can rest easy in the knowledge your system will have sufficient water supply when it is needed.
Installing additional water storage tanks in remote and perimeter areas can help you get ready for fire season. Having abundant water supply readily available can save precious time and make a huge difference when a fire or disaster occurs. Besides water storage for fire protection, bolted and welded steel tanks are used for redundant water supply when other storage tanks need to be taken offline for maintenance or repair. Extra storage capacity also reduces the chance of running out of potable water in event of a line rupture or natural disaster.
Even Our Tape Measures are Certified!
Superior Tank Co., Inc. is dedicated to the quality of our bolted steel tanks and has implemented the ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 quality assurance program. The program uses the internationally recognized ISO 9001:2008 program as a basis then adds other procedures relevant to the stringent requirements of the American Petroleum Institute (API) under the Spec Q1 standard.
The ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 program covers a wide variety of areas including steel tank ordering policies, engineering processes, manufacturing methods, shipping/transportation procedures and installation practices. All documents regarding the steel tanks are carefully governed and tracked ensuring any changes made after the initial order are communicated throughout the organization. Out of sync documents could result in the tank being manufactured or installed incorrectly. Also, our engineering department utilizes a central library of tank components which guarantees all steel tanks and parts are consistent from one tank project to another and components fit together properly. Another example of ISO 9001:2008 / API Spec Q1 is the method tank engineering designs are extracted and transferred to our bolted tank manufacturing department. The tank design is exported and component specifications are directly imported into the machinery used to fabricate each part. CNC machines are then used to precisely craft components to the proper size and profile. This allows complex shapes and radius cuts to be made with extreme accuracy. Tank components requiring welding are fused to one another using Automatic Robotic Technology (A.R.T.). This advance equipment allows us to produce 100% accurate and perfect welds for maximum strength. When a bolted steel tank is ready for shipment, the final Quality Control inspector verifies all tank components, hardware and materials are included. A report is completed and pictures are taken for record keeping purposes. To accurately track installation and any repair work, a field service management software is used. Various documents are signed off by the customer to signify key benchmarks.
Other processes and procedures have been established to standardize measurement tools and increase product reliably and consistency. Specific templates have been set up throughout the manufacturing facility to quickly and accurately verify certain key aspects of parts such as angles and material thickness. Even the tape measures used throughout the factory must be certified for accuracy!
The end result of this hard work is a steel tank which is exactly what was ordered, assembles as designed, and is manufactured to last.
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Evaporation = 5 ft per acre!
As most people have discovered, water loss through evaporation can be significant when water is stored over a period of time. As water has become very scarce, farmers and water districts are striving to store and conserve as much water as possible. An open air reservoir with 10,000 sq. ft. of surface area can lose as much as 175 gallons of water per hour!
A bolted steel tank or a welded steel tank from Superior Tank Co., Inc. (STCI) allows customers to store irrigation water for longer periods with very minimal water loss due to evaporation. The rate of evaporation is based on water surface area, wind speed across the water surface and humidity in the air and our steel tanks reduce or eliminate these factors. Reducing the tank diameter and increasing the tank height can significantly decrease the water surface area and evaporation rate. STCI offers a variety of steel tanks ranging from wider and shorter reservoirs to taller and narrower standpipe tanks. In addition, as both welded tanks and bolted steel tanks are commonly closed top, the amount of air movement at the water surface is very minimal, even on windy days. The only opening at the top is a roof vent to prevent negative or positive pressure buildup draining or filling the tank. The final factor which impacts the evaporation rate is the humidity level of the air. If the air is dry and can absorb additional water, than the evaporation rate will be higher. Conversely, if the air is very humid and saturated with water, the evaporation rate will be considerably less. Steel tanks are designed to minimize the amount of humid air escaping from the tank and therefore the air inside the tank is near the saturation point. This is the reason why entering a water tank on a warm day can feel similar to being inside a sauna!
All STCI steel tanks are designed for extremely high levels of humidity and the entire interior of our tanks are coated to protect the steel from corrosion. All structural components of bolted steel tanks are factory powder coated at the STCI manufacturing facility to prevent moisture from reaching the steel. Bolted steel tanks are also available with a corrosion resistant, hot dipped galvanized finish. Our welded steel storage tanks are coated in the field after installation using a liquid coating to seal the steel.
In addition to water loss due to evaporation, our bolted steel tanks and welded steel tanks reduce water theft as security devices can be optionally installed. Water sample boxes and roof hatches can be locked to restrict access to the water. In addition, roof access can be eliminated by installing ladder cages with lockable anti-climb devices.
In addition to water storage, STCI bolted steel tanks and welded steel tanks are well suited for storage of liquid fertilizers and dry bulk materials.
For existing bolted and welded steel tanks needing repairs or service, we can supply and install a variety of parts and accessories.
Have You Seen A.R.T.?
As bolted steel and welded steel tanks have evolved over the last 50 years, so has the technology and machinery used to manufacture the tanks. Superior Tank currently uses numerous advanced pieces of equipment including A.R.T. (Automated Robotic Technology). A.R.T. is used in the Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing facility to precisely weld raw materials together to form various tank components.
A.R.T. is a 300lb robot featuring 6 axis of articulation allowing A.R.T. to accurately weld joints in even hard to reach areas. All aspects of the welding process including power, wire, speed and angle of approach are regulated by the computer for extreme consistency and 100% accurate welds. In addition to the accuracy and strength of the welds, the seams are also smoother allowing for better coating coverage and corrosion protection. As errors and weak areas are eliminated, fewer parts are rejected and material waste is minimized.
A.R.T. is used for a variety of tank parts and accessories used with steel water and oil tanks. For example, tank nozzles, flanges, manways and piping are welded together in the factory. When these components are used with bolted tanks, the parts are powder coated then shipped with the tank kit to the installation site. For welded steel tank use, the parts are field coated after being installed onsite.
A.R.T. and other technologically advanced equipment allows Superior Tank to custom fabricate numerous steel tank elements with unmatched precision.
Click here for more information on A.R.T and our manufacturing process!
Steel Storage Tank Parts & Accessories Available Direct!
Superior Tank Company Inc. provides numerous components and parts including structural components, safety apparatuses, tank appurtenances and tank operation equipment for welded steel storage tanks and bolted steel storage tanks.
We supply custom structural components to fit many different steel tanks. For welded steel tanks we can provide seismic anchors, roof rafters, center poles, gussets, steel patch plates for tank bottoms, roofs and shells. For bolted steel tanks we manufacture replacement staves, tank bottoms, roof sections, roof rafters, center poles, anchor chairs, gaskets and hardware. In addition to structural items, we also supply tank safety equipment such as interior ladders, exterior ladders, ladder enclosures, Saf-T-Climb fall protection systems, tank platforms/bridges and spiral staircases. Superior Tank can provide new parts such as uni-tank flanges, cast iron flanges, nozzles, hinged or unhinged shell manways, cone deck manways or roof hatches. We also offer other general tank accessories including new or replacement weir boxes, manway cover davit arms, standard or frost free roof vents, full or half travel liquid level indicators, sample tap level gauges and multi-line sample boxes.
Most tank parts and accessories are available in several finishes and materials including durable factory powder coating, hot dipped galvanized, unfinished carbon steel or stainless steel. Our State of the Art facility allows us to precision manufacture OEM and custom parts to exact specifications. Our parts and components are specifically designed for various applications such as potable water storage, storage of water for fire protection, wastewater storage and oil storage. All parts and accessories Superior Tank manufactures and sells meet the latest standards for the relevant tank design such as AWWA D103, AWWA D100, NFPA, API as well as OSHA.
Please visit our parts page for a full menu of parts we offer:
STCI Installs Bolted Steel Tank for Fire Protection
In late 2014, Kiewit Construction awarded Superior Tank Company Inc. the contract to manufacture and install a water storage tank as part of a large rail operations center. The facility is part of the $486,000,000 Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension project located in Southern California, and includes 11.5 miles of light rail track as well as an operations and maintenance facility.
The bolted steel tank is part of the Sentinel series of fire protection tanks manufactured by Superior Tank Company Inc. The Sentinel steel tank for the project was engineered to the specific requirements of the project and was designed to store 600,000 gallons of water for fire protection. The tank meets AWWA D103 standards and applicable local building codes. In addition, the tank includes special features and complies with NFPA 22 standards to ensure the tank operates properly for fire suppression. As the tank is considered essential for post-earthquake recovery and is essential to the life, health and safety of the public including post-earthquake fire suppression, the tank was designed to Seismic Use Group III and Risk Category IV standards. This Seismic Use Group is the most stringent and requires seismic design loads be increased 50%.
The exterior powder coating on this Sentinel tank is a custom color to match the other structures on the site and Superior Tank Company Inc. manufactures tanks in a wide variety of standard and custom colors. The high gloss powder coating was applied at the factory using specialized equipment and is expressly formulated for maximum UV resistance. For exceptional corrosion resistance, encapsulated nuts and bolts were used throughout the tank.
The steel tank was installed by the Superior Tank field team and erection took only twelve days. As other elements of the project were occurring simultaneously, Superior Tank had to coordinate the Sentinel tank installation with the general contractor to eliminate scheduling conflicts. As only basic assembly work was required on the job site, local traffic and site disruption was minimized.
Read More “STCI Installs Bolted Steel Tank for Fire Protection”
This is NOT your Father’s Bolted Steel Tank…
Bolted steel tanks have been used for storage for many years and some older tanks are in use today. Since the first bolted tanks were put into service decades ago there have been numerous advances in their design and construction.
Modern bolted steel tanks are designed differently than from tanks 30 years ago. Bolted steel tanks are now designed using 3D modeling software, increasing the speed and accuracy of the process. Select projects are designed using simplified Building Information Model (BIM) software which encompasses the entire project from design to manufacturing then installation. The BIM system can store beneficial ancillary information such as weight and dimension of components and materials used to build the tank. Design standards such as the AWWA D103 have improved over the last several decades resulting in longer lasting and better performing tanks. In addition, new tanks are more structurally sound thanks to advances in seismic and wind design methods.
In addition to tank design, the manner in which bolted steel tanks are manufactured has progressed. Originally, steel tanks were manufactured by fabricating raw material by hand or with basic equipment. Small variations in the individual components led to leaks as parts did not fit together properly. Today, bolted steel tanks are precision fabricated using specialized machinery in State of the Art factories. CNC automated machinery ensures extreme accuracy and reduces the fabrication time. Tank accessories are joined together using robotic welding equipment for 100% perfect joints. In addition, by earning ISO 9001:2008 Certification and following strict procedures, manufacturers can guarantee product consistency and quality.
Innovative options such as factory powder coating have significantly increased the longevity of bolted steel tanks. The powder coating application process includes spraying a SiZr liquid seal to the prepared steel. The powder coating is applied dry to the steel in an environmentally controlled area to eliminate surface imperfections. The coating is electrostatically applied for 100% coverage without runs, drips and voids. Powder coating formulas are now specially designed for the application; epoxy coating on the interior for continuous emersion and TGIC Polyester on the exterior for outstanding resistance to UV exposure. Once the powder coating is thermoset using mild temperature ovens, it chemically reacts with the steel to form a permanent bond. As all steel components including inaccessible areas such as the underside of the tank bottom are sealed with powder coating the entire tank structure is protected against corrosion.
The hardware used with modern bolted steel tanks has also improved since bolted tanks were first used. To ensure maximum durability of bolted steel tanks, new nut and bolt options were introduced. Encapsulated nuts and bolts are best suited to specific uses and protect against hardware corrosion. In other applications, hot dipped galvanized nuts and bolts are the best alternative. In addition, the strength of the hardware has increased and bolts used today have a tensile strength of over 120,000 lbs per square inch and now Grade 5 and Grade 8 bolts are used in place of Grade 2. Such advances in tank design, manufacturing processes and materials allow bolted steel tanks up to 3,500,000 gallons to be built.
A final significant improvement which has improved the longevity of bolted steel tank is the introduction of heavy duty synthetic gasket material which is used in place of putty mastic. New gasket material such as ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) is specifically formulated for storage of potable water, wastewater and even brine water. The thick gaskets are precisely fabricated to fit into the seam between the steel tank panels and provide decades of leak free service. The gaskets remain flexible and therefore they are able to prevent leaks even as the steel expands and contracts due to temperature fluctuations and seismic movement.
When all of these advances are considered, it is easy to see how modern bolted steel tanks are very different than your Father’s Bolted Steel Tank.
“Tank In A Box” is a good neighbor
As most water districts and municipalities have experienced, every new construction project generates some opposition from people living in proximity to the project. In a recent project located in Westlake Village, CA, some residents have been openly very critical of the 5,000,000 gallon concrete water storage tank under construction. One local resident stated he counted 58 concrete trucks entering the construction site every 4 minutes and the construction has nearly caused two separate traffic accidents.
Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon with concrete tank and welded steel tank construction. These storage tank projects can generate significant negative impact from traffic due to high volumes of deliveries and the large number of workers needed. In addition, considerable noise is created by generators used for welding, concrete pumper trucks and air compressors used for sandblasting and paint application.
However, there is a solution which minimizes site impact. Bolted steel storage tanks from Superior Tank are manufactured in a State of the Art factory and then shipped to the job site via semi truck or ocean container hence the term “Tank in a Box”. Bolted steel tanks require only very minimal labor to bolt the tank together and fewer workers are required reducing site traffic. Steel tank panels are manufactured to the exact size needed and no fabrication is performed on site. The durable powder coating with unique SiZr seal is applied at the factory thereby eliminating sandblasting and painting on site.
In addition to improving relations with the surrounding community, a bolted steel tank can save a water district or utility considerable time and money. While is it not possible to eliminate all site impact when constructing a new water storage tank, a bolted steel “Tank in a Box” can be a good neighbor.
New Design Choices in Steel Storage Tanks
Superior Tank Co., Inc. is proud to announce the newest design addition to our line of bolted steel storage tanks. We now offer bolted steel tanks with the flat panel design as an alternative to our traditional steel storage tanks with the chime panel design.
The new flat panel steel tank design allows us to manufacture bolted tanks up to 3,500,000 gallons. Our traditional, chime panel API 12B design tanks are limited to 2,000,000 gallons. These new larger flat panel steel tanks feature extra thick carbon steel panels for additional strength and rigidity. Unlike other flat panel designs on the market, our steel tank panels do not taper at the edge, therefore maintaining maximum strength. As our conventional bolted steel tanks with chimes, our new bolted storage tank design benefits from our advanced factory powder coating technology. The steel staves are prepared to “Near White” then sprayed with liquid SiZr seal to prevent corrosion and undercutting if the coating is damaged by a dropped tool or thrown rock. The powder coating is electrostatically applied for 100% coverage and edges receive double coating for durability. Unlike other manufacturers, we apply powder coating to both interior and exterior sides of the panels resulting in unsurpassed durability. Our steel tank panels pass through special ovens and the heat permanently sets the powder coating. Other companies use very high temperatures to fuse the coating to the panels. This extreme temperature can cause steel tank panels to decrease in strength as much as 30%. For customers preferring galvanization, we also manufacture flat panel steel tanks and components with a hot dipped galvanized finish.
Our flat panel bolted steel tanks are equipped with single, double or triple rows of high tensile steel bolts for improved strength. We use single, double or triple row gaskets to provide a continuous seal and prevent leaks. All of our bolted steel tanks use heavy duty EPDM, Viton or Buna-N gaskets for extraordinary longevity. The gaskets will not shift or ooze over time and remain flexible.
Similar to the chime panel design, our new flat panel bolted tank design is well suited to water and oil storage as well as dry bulk storage. All of our bolted steel tanks assemble in 1/3 of the time compared to other types of tanks and provide decades of service.
Now our customers have the ability to select their favorite design: chime panel API 12B configuration which has withstood the test of time, or new larger capacity Flat Panel Design. It’s your choice….
Announcing New Tank Leasing Program
As capital improvement budgets are squeezed, funding for new storage tanks to expand infrastructure or replace aging water tanks becomes a significant obstacle. Superior Tank Co., Inc. recently announced a new steel storage tank leasing program. Water districts, municipal utilities and private companies can now lease bolted steel storage tanks for terms ranging from 24 to 60 months at VERY attractive rates. The leasing program allows purchasers to conserve cash and spread payments out over several years. Revenue from operations is used to make lease payments instead of using scarce capital funds. At the end of the lease term the storage tank ownership is seamlessly passed to the buyer.
Commonly, rates and terms will vary depending on the funding source and tank purchaser. One funding source will be considerably more competitive than others based on the particular project. Our tank leasing agency works with numerous funding sources and will customize a package most advantageous to the buyer. The higher volume of leases ensures our buyers are getting the best possible terms.
A wide range of bolted steel storage tanks from 10,000 to 3,500,000 gallons can be leased under the terms of the program. Many types of steel tanks can be funded via leasing including tanks used for storage of potable water, water for fire protection, rain water harvesting and wastewater. In addition to the cost of the bolted steel tank, the installation expenses can be included in the lease.
