Overlooking Interstate 95, the City of Hollywood’s 1-million gallon elevated water tank is one of South Florida’s most recognized landmarks with its sea turtle motif that is protected against endangerment from ultraviolet (UV) light by a fluoropolymer coating system from Tnemec. “The old coating system on the tank had a clear coat finish that had delaminated in spots,” Tnemec coating consultant Mike Kendig explained. “The fluoropolymer coating system from Tnemec was selected for its outstanding resistance to UV light degradation and unprecedented long-term gloss and color retention.”
After the tank’s exterior was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP7/NACE No. 4 Brush-Off Blast Cleaning, it received a prime coat of Series 135 Chembuild, a modified polyamine epoxy for marginally prepared steel and tightly adhering old coatings. Series 1075 Endura-Shield II, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane that is highly resistant to abrasion, wet conditions and exterior weathering, was the intermediate coat, followed by a finish coat of Series 700 HydroFlon, an advanced fluoropolymer. Two coats of Series 700 were also used for the lettering and mural. “There were 19 colors used in the mural, ranging from tank white, to different shades of blues, greens and browns,” Kendig noted.
The tank’s interior and exterior coating systems were applied by Utility Service Co., Inc., which was general contractor for the project. “It turned out great,” acknowledged Curt Dimsdale, project engineer with Utility Service. “We were able to create the different levels of water that look like waves that served as the background for the fish, the turtles and the lettering. Everybody was just amazed at how the finished product looked like the concept drawings.”
Assisting Utility Service on the project was Jim Kelly, of Industrial Commercial Signs, who painted the mural and lettering, and an electrical contractor who lighted the tank’s exterior. “The lighting system goes all the way around the balcony and the base of the tower,” Dimsdale noted. “The city’s intent was for the tank to be a showpiece for the local community because of its high visibility.”
Interior steel was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP10/NACE No. 2 NearWhite Metal Blast Cleaning above the water line and SSPC-SP7 below the water line, followed by three coats of Series N140 Pota-Pox Plus, a polyamidoamine epoxy. Series N140 is certified in accordance with ANSI/NSF Std. 61 for use in potable water.
More than 1,100 gallons of the various coatings and thinners were required to complete the project, which was voted Tnemec’s 2011 Tank of the Year. Constructed in 1955, the tank was the first legged bowl design to be designated Tank of the Year since Tnemec initiated the competition in 2006.