In a Texas town steeped in frontier folklore and historic preservation, the 500,000 gallon Granbury municipal water tank made a little history of its own in the spring of 2001. It became the first water tank in the United States to receive an exterior finish coat of Series 700 HydroFlon from Tnemec, a fluoropolymer coating designed especially for tanks and other exposed steel structures.
“We have a long relationship with the engineer on this project, who is very knowledgeable when it comes to coatings,” according to Tnemec coating consultant Lane Salvato. “On this project he wanted a coating that was going to last a long time. Since this was new technology and no previous job histories existed, I showed him the product’s performance data and in this case he trusted our recommendation and decided to go with it. He’s satisfied with the project and has actually specified it on several other water tanks.”
Salvato recommended HydroFlon for its durability, color and gloss retention, and ease of application. The life expectancy of HydroFlon surpasses traditional urethane topcoats and is an excellent alternative to four-coat systems since it eliminates the need for a clear coat. The technology features high solids, excellent application characteristics and superior UV protection.
Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a two-component zinc-rich urethane primer, was applied on the exterior surfaces of the tank, over SSPC-SP6/NACE 3 prepared steel. Series 73 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane, was applied as the intermediate coat. Series 700 HydroFlon was then roller applied as the finish coat, completing the exterior three-coat system. The tank’s interior water storage area lining system consisted of three spray applied coats of Series 20 Pota-Pox, a polyamide epoxy, over SSPC-SP10/NACE 2 prepared steel.
Salvato was able to match the City of Granbury’s logo which includes the slogan: “Where Texas History Lives.” Located southwest of Fort Worth on U.S. Highway 377, the city’s historic square is teeming with horse-drawn wagons and buggies, along with several registered historic landmarks and a municipal water tank that has its own claim to fame.