Home to the Cal Ripken Experience, the City of Pigeon Forge sought to design a water tank that exhibits its love of baseball. The City’s 250,000-gallon tank overlooks the local attraction and baseball stadium, which hosts camps, tournaments and spring training sessions.
“Early on the decision was made to have the tank look like a baseball sitting on top of a bat,” says Mark Goulet of NexGen Coating Resources, Inc. “Tnemec helped provide coatings to accommodate the design while also protecting the tank.”
After completing the surface preparation requirements, Series 94 Hydro-Zinc was spray-applied as the primer, providing the steel with long-term corrosion protection. Applicators then brush- and roller-applied an intermediate coat of Series 73 Endura-Shield and a topcoat of Series 700 Hydroflon, Tnemec’s high-performance fluoropolymer finish.
“During the design phase, the specifier and owner decided to use Tnemec’s innovative coating, Aerolon, on the interior bottom of the tank bowl to help reduce sweating and condensation issues,” explains Goulet. “This new technology will help protect the tank from accelerated corrosion.”
The interior dry portion of the tank was coated with Tnemec’s insulating coating, Series 971 Aerolon Acrylic, which utilizes aerogel particles to create a protective layer that controls condensation and moisture accumulation. Applicators applied two coats of Series 971, totaling 80-100 mils dry film thickness (DFT). A topcoat of Series FC20HS Pota-Pox was applied due to its ability to cure quickly at lower temperatures.
This new tank is now part of a thriving water supply system in Pigeon Forge. The water system consists of approximately 181 miles of water main piping, fire hydrants, 20 water tanks and 19 water pump stations. The Pigeon Forge Utility Department serves 4,076 residential customers and 1,511 commercial water customers.