Tank Talk: Tank Maintenance and Cleaning Services
Published April 2017
To continue to provide the environmental services that our customers need from us. We have recently started promoting our tank cleaning and maintenance services.
Tanks can be found in all kinds of buildings, including schools, manufacturing, and any building that, at one point, used a boiler. Some tanks will get used and maintenanced regularly, while others will be forgotten, until there is an issue.
We can help with either scenario, no matter what type of tank it is. Let’s take a look at the different kinds of tanks that require service and cleaning:
Neutralization Tanks:
Neutralization tanks are attached to sewer lines and serve to neutralize any acids prior to discharging into the sewer system. These tanks are commonly found in schools and other lab-type facilities, where chemicals get, intentionally and unintentionally, poured down the drain. Even if no acids are being sewered, the tanks still fill up with sediment and can clog over time.
Here is a diagram of a tank to give you a better idea of how they work. Our service includes removal of old rock/sludge, packaging, testing, disposal, and installation of new rock. The old rock/sludge can have enough heavy metals built up to be regulated as hazardous waste, testing will inform that process.
Holding Tanks:
Holding tanks are used in all kinds of manufacturing processes. Anytime a manufacturer has large quantities of liquid product that they need to hold and use continuously they’re likely to have some sort of tank system for storage. The tanks are used to store a product necessary for the manufacturing process. Regardless of the product, these tanks will occasionally need to be cleaned out to remove sedimentary buildup, impurities, and to check the tank integrity. Often times, holding tank work is completed during regular plant closures in order to avoid interrupting the manufacturing process.
Maintenance Equipment/Tanks
If your facility operates a boiler, it’s likely you have back-up fuel tanks to continue operation in the absence of municipal gas. Virtually every school and multi-story office building is operating a boiler.
These tanks vary greatly in size depending on the size of the boiler. Many facilities are switching from #6 fuel oil to #2 fuel oil. If this is happening in your facility, the old #6 tanks need to be cleaned out before they can be decommissioned. Additionally, the #2 fuel oil tanks may require maintenance due to contamination or gelling of oil.
Download our Tank Cleaning Profile to gather information on your tanks. Then, consult our team to help get your tank service scheduled!