Water towers are nearly unmistakeable. They loom high above cities, and most people can identify exactly what they are upon a single glance. They are an important part of a city’s water management system, and serve a greater purpose than simply storing water. So, taking steps to help them perform to their full potential is key to successful water tower management.
The Purpose and Function of Water Towers
Municipalities use water towers to store and supply water to their local cities. However, being a water tank is not even their primary function. Actually, reservoirs do the most significant amount of water storage for many regions.
The main purpose of a water tower and water tower systems is to pressurize water for successful distribution throughout the city. The height of the water tower serves as a function to create the necessary pressure to send water through the system. Hydrostatic pressure and gravity are what makes this possible, and promises stable water pressure for the community.
Benefits of Automated Water Tower Control Systems and Monitoring
With ever-increasing advancements in technology, it may be no secret that automated controls and remote monitoring for water towers can significantly enhance their maintenance and operation. There are many benefits for applying these systems to your water tower management strategy.
Remember, an important part of maintaining system operations is regular and proper water tower control system maintenance. This will ensure your automatic water tower smart solutions are working properly and providing you accurate data.
Maintaining Water Levels
Turning the management of water levels into an automatic process can significantly enhance the functionality of a water tower. Automated control systems can provide the flexibility needed to meet water demands throughout the course of the day and into the night.
The reason this is so valuable is that while water demands traditionally follow a predictable trend throughout the day (high demand) and nighttime (low demand), sometimes situations may arise that require water supply unexpectedly. Automated controls can handle such situations, and adjust pump speeds to meet demands.
Reducing the Effects of Environmental Challenges
Cold weather can impact how a water tower performs, and automated controls can help combat these impacts.
One example of this is that automation of pump controls can help ensure that water turnover within the tank continues in order to prevent freezing. Freezing within a water tower can be accompanied by occurrences such as cracks and leaks within the tank as the water expands. Freezing can also alter the control valve’s ability to sense if a tank is full, which can cause an overflow.
Remote Monitoring Sensors and SCADA for Water Towers
It is important to note that control systems are not the same as monitoring systems. But the use of both hand-in-hand significantly enhances the way water towers are managed.
Detecting Abnormal and Emergency Conditions
Because there are a variety of sensor types available to monitor water tower conditions, there are many equipment problems and maintenance concerns that can be identified through remote monitoring. If a pump or valve is not functioning correctly, this can be determined via remote monitoring data.
In the case of emergency situations, alarm systems linked to remote monitors can alert you to a problem even from far away. Often, by looking at monitoring data, the problem can be diagnosed before arriving on-site. This allows a prepared and rapid response to critical situations.
Working in Unison With Control Systems
Remote monitoring sensors are key to running effective automated control systems. Sensors and controls can be paired to work together. For example, pressure and flow sensors can signal pump controls to turn on and off. Some water towers have heating systems for cold weather, and use temperature sensors to initiate heating mechanisms automatically.
Making Strategic Management Decisions
The data provided by remote sensors and even trends in water usage and pressure requirements can open doors for effective management and maintenance strategies. Forewarning of infrastructural wear can help to develop preventative maintenance schedules.
Being able to get ahead of maintenance demands can aid in developing a highly efficient water distribution operation.
Improves Operational Safety
Because remote sensors provide information that allows you to understand the state of your water tower and how it is performing, the need for sending a technician climbing up the tower to check gauges is reduced significantly.
SCADA for Water Tower Management
Remote sensors used for monitoring the different aspects of a water tower’s functionality can be set up to report data to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems automatically. This real-time data can be stored, analyzed, and even visualized to understand trends in the various aspects of your water tower’s current or past state, such as flow rate and water pressure. The remote reporting of such data can help with water tower control system troubleshooting and optimization. However, water tower control systems installation is very difficult in applications of SCADA and is often more expensive than other options that allow you track changes in water level, such was water levels falling with level sensors.
