Fire Protection Water Storage Systems
Engineering + Permit + Installation… We provide the complete package
Fire protection water storage tanks provide a vital service in protecting residential, commercial, and institutional facilities. During firefighting situations, the demand for water can exceed the supply available from the local municipal water pipe system, particularly in suburban or rural areas.
Local fire codes of municipalities and counties may require fire protection water storage tanks as an economical alternative to upgrading the municipal water distribution system. In many cases, upgrading to meet the fire flow required by fire code is cost prohibitive and very disruptive to the community.
The use of a fire protection water storage tank can greatly improve emergency support efforts. In some cases, these tanks may be required in order to obtain property insurance for your building. In the end, they help control liability in regards to safety, the environment, and decrease the risk of financial liability as a result of a fire.
IWS Will Handle Everything for You
- Complete Engineering Design
- All Permitting Needs
- Economical and Affordable Fire Protection Water Storage Tanks are made from durable materials made to last
- Tanks that meet and exceed the requirements by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)
- Professional Installation by Tank Manufacturer Trained Installers
- OSHA Confined Space Certified Installers
- Maintenance and Service
As a licensed engineering firm in Texas, we offer complete permit submittal packages. Along with the tank design, we can provide the tank foundation design as well. Then, as an authorized installer for many different water storage tank manufacturers, we can provide the installation of the water storage tank with all required firefighting adapters and nozzles.
All of this allows us to provide you with a streamlined quote package and take care of all the details. Ultimately, this reduces the time and effort you have to devote to implement your fire protection water storage tank needs.
Fire protection water tank options
There are several types of fire protection water storage tank options including corrugated, steel welded, steel bolted, fiberglass, and concrete. For projects that require smaller storage volumes, fiberglass tanks can be an economical solution for the fire protection water storage tank. For most projects, a corrugated, bolted steel liner water tank has the most advantages over other types when considering cost, quality of tank materials, tank erection time, and product durability.
The corrugated, bolted steel liner water tanks offer quick, on-site construction and eliminate welding or field coating. This dramatically reduces the costs of these tanks over other options. Structurally, they can be designed and specified to withstand winds up to 165 mph, seismic activity, and snow.
Constructing a Fire Protection Water Storage Tank
How does a fire protection water tank system function?
A fire protection water storage tank is used to provide buildings with access to an alternative water source in order to extinguish a fire in a timely manner. This alternative water source is needed when the water supply from the municipal water distribution system isn’t adequate in quantity or pressure, defined as “fire flow”.
The primary goal of a municipal water distribution system is to provide sufficient water of an acceptable quality to consumers. Another major goal is to supply enough water to respond to emergency conditions such as fire hazards. Engineers design and size municipal water distribution pipes, pumps, storage tanks and other appurtenances to supply fire flow needed within the system. When a fire occurs and fire hydrants are used, much more water and pressure than usual must be provided to supply the required fire flow.
However, older municipal water distribution systems may not provide adequate fire flow since early design standards didn’t include this requirement. In addition, the expansion of the water distribution system may have failed to keep up with the growth of urban development. Therefore, the ability of these systems to fight urban fires is insufficient. This is when a fire protection water storage tank may be required.
The water storage tank volume is designed based on the calculated fire hazard risk to a particular building, dependent on the type of business, size of the building, and location. The NFPA provide requirements for this volume calculation.
NFPA® 22 Fire Protection Standard
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA®) 22 Standard for Water Tanks for Private Fire Protection sets the minimum requirements for the design, construction, installation, and maintenance of water tanks and their accessories.
Every system design and installation by Innovative Water Solutions LLC ensures compliance with this code standard. Learn more about NFPA® and Code No. 22.
How our process works
After contacting us, we will either discuss your needs on the phone or schedule a meeting with our engineer. During the meeting, you will be able to discuss the following:
- Potential tank locations and size options
- Tank access issues
- Usage options (pressurized vs. non-pressurized)
- Much, much more
After gathering the necessary information about your facility, we will start on developing your fire protection water storage tank package, including:
- Engineering design proposal
- Multiple cistern options (if desired and space available)
- Complete transparency of costs
- Cistern / system images
- List of References
While designing the system, a quote would have been created. Upon approving the quote, we will send you a contract for the installation work. At this point, the following items will occur:
- Schedule the system construction
- Introduce you to our construction manager
- Pre-construction meeting so everyone is on the same page
- Document any requested changes
At this point, our experienced crew will install the system as planned. Then, we will provide a walk-through to discuss operation and maintenance needs. We pledge the following:
- Clean up the jobsite each day
- Our crew will understand the system plan completely
- Ensure that you are happy with the final product
- We will be there for any future system needs
