Henderson’s Pittsburg Tank & Tower Group has developed the first commercial mini-composite elevated water storage tank while using a new construction process to build it.
PTTG’s mini-elevated water storage tanks feature a support shaft made from stackable pre-cast concrete segments topped by a steel tank with a capacity ranging from 50,000 to 250,000 gallons or more, according to a release from the company.
The patent-pending design is tailored for water systems desiring a more maintenance-free, lower life-cycle-cost option that also offers speed of construction, said the release.
Many of the tanks in the design’s size range are used by small communities across the country, said Ben Johnston, PTTG chairman and chief technology officer. Johnston said the vision for creating the mini-composite elevated tank revolved around the long-term costs of a community owning a tank.
The concrete segments are used to support the weight of the water and never requires maintenance, which Johnston said is a tremendous savings over a tank’s life cycle.
Johnston said that many smaller tanks—those that hold 250,000 gallons or less—were first built across the country in the 1950s and 1960s with the help of federal funing. Those tanks are older now and need replacing, he said.
“There’s still a marketplace for that in rural America,” Johnston said.
PTTG fabricated the steel tank at its shop in Henderson, and provided manpower for constructing the mini-CET, including assembling the tank on the ground at the project site, said the release.
PTTG built a prototype of its mini-composite in 2022 at its headquarters. Company officials said building the first commercial example is a milestone.
“As far as an historic moment in the next step of evolving elevated water tanks, it’s so exciting,” said Chris Johnston, who heads business development for PTTG’s Elevated Water Tank Division. “To have one in service and have people believe in the process” is gratifying since the mini-composite “makes it easier for smaller communities to have less maintenance issues.”
According to PTTG, a company can precast the segments in a controlled environment, such as at PTTG’s shop in Henderson or another controlled location, and transport two segments on a single flatbed trailer without a need for escort vehicles. Segments can also be poured on-site.
Ben Johnston said a tank can also be built and painted on the ground, reducing the amount of work done at elevated heights and improving the safety of the process.
The company’s first mini-composite elevated tank, which holds 100,000 gallons, was engineered, fabricated and erected in Purcell, Mo. in January, according to the release.
The construction took just 131 days, said Chris Johnston.
“That’s a faster install than a regular multi-column or sphere tank,” Chris Johnston said. For those types of water towers, “From contract date, it usually takes 270 days. But in today’s market, it’s closer to 365” days or longer because of tank companies’ backlogs.
PTTG offers standard capacities of 50,000, 75,000, 100,000, 150,000, 200,000 or 250,000 gallons, with options for larger tanks upon request, said the release.
PTTG is currently building a second mini-composite in North Hampton, Ohio. Ben Johnston said the company has another under contract in in southern Mississippi.
Ben Johnston said the cost of tanks vary, especially when considering prevailing wages from state-to-state, but a general range is $900,000 to $1 million.
