Friendship Park Water Tank

Friendship Park Water Tank in Yuma, Arizona.

The desert sun and heat had been anything but hospitable to the exterior coating on the Friendship Park Water Tower, prompting the City of Yuma Public Works Department to repaint the 2 million gallon tank using fluoropolymer technology from Tnemec. “This was an existing hydropillar water tank, in fact the only one in this part of the country,” reported Tnemec coating consultant Joe Keilbey. “Most of the water tanks in the west and southwest are ground storage tanks, so you don’t see many elevated tanks.”

Tnemec was recommended by Stanley Consultants in Phoenix, engineer for the project. “We originally gave them three different systems they could have used and they chose this one,” Keilbey noted. “They chose the fluoropolymer technology because it was the best option for life-cycle performance. And when they do recoat it, they won’t have to remove the existing coat.”

The project involved lead-abatement, so the tank was fully contained while the exterior steel was prepared in accordance with SSPC-SP6/NACE No. 3 Commercial Blast Cleaning. Series 90-97 Tneme-Zinc, a two-component zinc-rich urethane primer, was airless spray-applied on the tank’s exterior steel, followed by an intermediate coat of Series 73 Endura-Shield, an aliphatic acrylic polyurethane. Series 700 HydroFlon, a two-component fluoropolymer polyurethane, was roller-applied as the finish coat, completing the three-coat exterior system.

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 ultra-violet protection, which is especially important in desert environments.

“The system was applied during the summertime in fairly hot weather, but heat was not a problem,” Keilbey recalled. “The project came out looking great. Everybody is extremely happy with it.”
Friendship Park is located next to a golf course in Yuma. The water tank was constructed in the 1960s and coated with a red lead primer and enamel finish. The new coating system features the City of Yuma logo and name in two colors.