Water Storage Tank Maintenance Agreements

Very seldom is either the work in progress or work completed under such agreements verified by a third party inspector or owner representatives, which is especially true with elevated type storage tanks due to liabilities and climbing restrictions.

Most contractor maintenance agreements are set up to clean and coat the exterior and interior surfaces of tanks under contract every 10 years. I have seen other contracting companies who offer 8 year repainting cycles.  

A properly applied exterior coating system or interior liner should offer at least 20 years of satisfactory service with proper and periodic cleaning and maintenance.

Maintenance agreements are based on periodic failures of the coating system and interior liners. The cost is based on the periodic removal and replacement of these systems, in addition to welding and/or other types of repairs which are always in addition to the agreement.   

The quality control/quality assurance inspection of work completed under such maintenance agreements are most always completed by contractor personnel.

Very seldom is either the work in progress or work completed under such agreements verified by a third party inspector or owner representatives, which is especially true with elevated type storage tanks due to liabilities and climbing restrictions.    

The professional coatings’ inspection industry, agencies and associations do not agree with high cost maintenance agreements that are based on premature failures and fail to provide quality assurance inspection of either the work in progress or work completed under such agreements. This type of agreement does not allow for verification that the materials used and/or the work completed was in accordance with written specifications and acceptable industry standards.  

The cost for a tank maintenance agreement is calculated by contractor for specified work to be completed within a specified 10 years and periodic payment arrangements are made as agreed to by contractor and owner.  This type of an agreement is usually not put out for bid. 

Documentation is generally very limited, especially on work-in-progress blastcleaning and coating application activities. Accurate and complete documentation in accordance with standard professional inspection procedures is vital should failure analysis become necessary.

One year anniversary inspections in accordance with AWWA guidelines and procedures do not generally take place under a maintenance agreement.  No warranty is specified to complete touch-up repairs considered standard procedure for lump sum contracts obtained through standard bidding procedures.