Water towers are an extremely important part of modern day infrastructure. Find out more about how water towers work and get running water into your home.
What is the Function of a Water Tower?
Water towers are the reason we have the comfort of running water in our homes. Many people think that the primary function of water towers is to store water. However, if that were the case, a reservoirs are a much cheaper option than a water tower. The main function of a water tower is to supply the correct amount of pressure on the water for it run out of your faucet.
Have you ever noticed that water towers are often very tall and placed on high ground? They are strategically placed and designed to be able to provide enough pressure to your local water supply system that it can be pushed to your home. These towers have to be tall, as one foot (12 in) only provides about a half pound per square inch of pressure (PSI).
They are built to hold at least one day’s worth of water per the demand of the municipality. Water towers are designed to be able to maintain a constant, regular pressure in your local area’s water system. They are part of the reason water is one of the most reliable and important utilities.
How do Water Towers Work?
Water towers are built to keep and maintain regular pressure in an area’s water supply. In addition, to providing constant pressure, they also are a central location for the pumping and pressurizing of the water. In addition, water towers decrease the need for pumping stations in areas surrounding the water tower.
As stated above, water storage is not the main function of a water tower. That being said, they also are important in maintaining an area’s water supply. They help by allowing the water tower to recover and be pumped up to the tower during times off-peak times, which lowers the amount of electricity used to power the pumps.
In order to work, the water must first be pumped up into the water tower. Whenever water is needed, the water is pumped where it needs to go. These pumps use gravity to supply the proper pressure to the water line. This is also the reason water towers are so tall. Using gravity requires the towers to be taller than the buildings or homes they are getting the water to.
Water towers also decrease the need for large, expensive water pumps. Because the water is so high above the ground, municipalities can use much smaller pumps.
During times of peak demand, both the pumps and the water tower work together to get water into a building. Whenever demand is at all-time lows, the tower recovers and refills itself. They are also designed to be able to run for at least 24 hours if the pumps fail or if electricity goes out.
In Summary
Water towers still play a critical role in supplying water in the United States. They provide the pressure the water system needs to run water into our homes.
The technology behind this valuable piece of infrastructure is actually quite simple that uses gravity to maintain a constant pressure on a city’s water supply.
