Owners and operators of liquid storage tanks are responsible for arranging professional inspection services to be carried out regularly. All commercial and industrial water and chemical storage tanks must be rigorously examined by industry standards, ensuring safety and integrity are maintained for their entire lifecycles.
What is Hydrotesting/Hydrostatic Testing
Following the creation of a brand new storage tank, one of the final mechanical tests suggested is a hydrostatic test. A hydrostatic test can test pressure vessels such as pipelines, plumbing, gas cylinders, boilers, and fuel tanks for integrity and leaks.
The test requires filling up the vessel or pipe system with a liquid, commonly water, which may be colored to aid in visual leak spotting and pressuring the vessel to the particular test pressure.
Pressure tightness can be examined by shutting off the supply valve and detecting whether there is a pressure loss or not. The location of a leak can be visually spotted more easily if the water contains a colorant. Strength is usually tested by measuring the permanent deformation of the container.
This test procedure shall be carried out to detect the leak in shell weld joints and to observe the load stabilization of liquid in interval level height. During the hydro test, all instrumentation shall be excluded to avoid damage to the instruments.
Importance of Hydrotesting in Water Tanks
New tank construction and major adjustments to existing storage tanks have many testing preconditions that are intended to assure the integrity of the equipment. Hydrostatic testing, as the name implies, is basically testing a tank by filling it with water.
- The first and most evident reason to fill up the tank with water is to ensure no leaks. The tank is filled with water at an advised rate and then inspected after 24 hours to secure that there are no cracks, pinholes, or other inconsistencies in the welds.
- The second reason for the test is to verify the mechanical strength of the tank. Whenever there are weak spots, they will be obvious when the tank is full of water, which is much less dangerous for workers and the environment than when the tank is full of toxic chemicals.
- The final and most serious observation made during a hydrostatic test is the foundation’s strength that supports the tank. The foundation is one of the leading causes of tank damage.
The hydro test is also a stability test allowing the client and builder to survey and confirm the tank base settlement is within acceptable range using a test medium such as water, which typically has a specific gravity more significant than the cargo the tank is designed for.
How to Know If My Tank Needs Testing?
First, a bit about hydro-testing paintball tanks. Paintball high-pressure air tanks will need to be hydro tested every three or five years, depending on the bottle manufacturer.
The date of manufacture will be labeled on the tank, and it is your duty to have it re-hydro-tested when your tank lapses. Hydro testing requires pressurizing your tank to a degree much higher than the tank is rated to handle.
If your tank can pass the pressure test without failing, then it will be valid for another three to five years. If it fails, you will need to purchase a new tank.
CO2 and SCBA cylinders typically require hydro-testing every five years, though some newer models only need the test every ten years. The CO2 tank hydro test cost is usually around $20.
Wrapping Up
Knowing the importance of hydro testing your water tank is as important as maintaining it. It may not occur to you, but due to the usage of your tank, it is expected that there will be normal wear and tear, which can result in leaking or bursts when pressure mounts from normal wear and tear.
If you’re looking for the best quality water tank in the US, American Tanks is the company to call! We’ve been doing tank water quality testing for over 20 years, manufacturing products using the strictest quality control practices.
We also provide industrial water tank maintenance services, concrete water tank inspection, general water tank maintenance, water tank inspection, and more! At American Tanks, we are committed to inspecting and hydro-testing your water tanks to prevent future failure.
Contact us today to get a quotation for the services you need.