# What are water towers made from? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112 "2013-06-16T06:35:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/1 "2013-06-16T06:35:03Z")
What kind of material are water towers made from? The kind that look like this [File:Olcott water tower.jpg - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Olcott_water_tower.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/2 "2013-06-16T06:54:21Z")
Metal. Usually steel. I have also seen towers made of concrete and brick. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/3 "2013-06-16T07:55:59Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Metal. Usually steel. I have also seen towers made of concrete and brick. Wouldent steel rust? ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 8:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/4 "2013-06-16T08:05:26Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > Wouldent steel rust? No more than the pipes carrying that water to your house would. ---
**Author:** ![boytyperanma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4491bb/32.png) [@boytyperanma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boytyperanma)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/5 "2013-06-16T10:56:42Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > Wouldent steel rust? Eventually. They just use thicker steel. Ships are made of steel too. It takes a very long time for steel to rust through. The underground tanks I’ve used for irrigation systems are epoxy lined, I’d expect the water towers are the same. ---
**Author:** ![matt357](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecd19e/32.png) [@matt357](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt357)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/6 "2013-06-16T11:13:26Z")
So are the water towers made from stainless steel or just carbon steel, and is it galvanized? ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/7 "2013-06-16T11:29:25Z")
> [@matt357](#): > > So are the water towers made from stainless steel or just carbon steel, and is it galvanized? Stainless steel ones tend to be left unpainted. eg > **[Stainless steel water tower in Warren, MI (Google Maps)](https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/stainless-steel-water-tower/view/bing/)** > > Stainless steel water tower (Google Maps). Designed by Eero Saarinen, it stands 132 feet tall at the GM Technical Center. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/8 "2013-06-16T12:34:06Z")
Do they have a sacrificial anode, like water heaters. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/9 "2013-06-16T13:23:21Z")
Around the English countryside, concrete from the samples I’ve seen. And I just saw one. [Unrelated, but a sincere wonder: these are I suppose water storage tanks for when there’s a drought; but they don’t look as if they’d hold more than a few field’s worth, and there aren’t that many about — so what’s the use ?] ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/10 "2013-06-16T13:51:53Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > [Unrelated, but a sincere wonder: these are I suppose water storage tanks for when there’s a drought; but they don’t look as if they’d hold more than a few field’s worth, and there aren’t that many about — so what’s the use ?] Water tanks are what creates the water pressure that is seen at the tap. You can pump water up to the tanks anytime and then it will provide water pressure for an extended period of time, even if there’s a power failure. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/11 "2013-06-16T15:59:04Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > [Unrelated, but a sincere wonder: these are I suppose water storage tanks for when there’s a drought; but they don’t look as if they’d hold more than a few field’s worth, and there aren’t that many about — so what’s the use ?] They’re for creating pressure, not storage. That’s why they’re up high. A lot of the [water tanks](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KrxxIZepYA/T9d1lTS5gpI/AAAAAAAAHJw/icZM93R-UOA/s1600/Schermafbeelding+2012-06-12+om+18.52.00.jpg) on top of buildings in New York City are made of wood. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/12 "2013-06-16T16:02:20Z")
> **[Water tower](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_tower)** > > A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjunction with underground or surface service reservoirs, which store treated water close to where it will be used. Other types of water towers may only store raw (non-potable) water for fire protection or industrial purposes, and may not necessarily b Water ... ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/13 "2013-06-16T16:18:07Z")
Thanks. I did think this morning that they might be places one could dump a weighted body in the tank — assuming one was into that sort of thing — cos I doubt they are inspected very frequently. On the other hand one would have to lure the victim up there since carrying a dead 200lb man up there would be a bitch, and very few people are going to accept an invitation to look at the view from up there in the middle of the night. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/14 "2013-06-16T16:37:26Z")
> [@Claverhouse](#): > > I did think this morning that they might be places one could dump a weighted body in the tank — assuming one was into that sort of thing — cos I doubt they are inspected very frequently. On the other hand one would have to lure the victim up there since carrying a dead 200lb man up there would be a bitch, and very few people are going to accept an invitation to look at the view from up there in the middle of the night. It’s easier to get the victim up there if the tank is located on the roof of a hotel: Woman’s body found in water tank of skid row hotel > **[Woman's body found in water tank of skid row hotel](https://www.latimes.com/local/la-xpm-2013-feb-20-la-me-body-water-tower-20130220-story.html)** > > Woman's body found in water tank of skid row hotel ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/15 "2013-06-16T17:22:27Z")
I’ve overseen the construction of several water storage tanks (i.e. water towers). They are typically ordinary carbon steel (not stainless or galvanized), and are carefully spray-painted inside and out. On every project that I’ve worked on, we hired a specialized inspector who inspected the spray painting, and made the painting contractor go back and correct every painting defect. A water storage tank is typically inspected and cleaned every 5 years, and repainted every 20 years. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/16 "2013-06-16T17:59:54Z")
[Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/10707024@N04/3279119925/) is a pic of the water tower in a village located about 5 miles from us. I was talking with a village council member one day, and he said they have to pay someone to wax the inside of the water tower every 6 months. (Or maybe it was every 12 months – I forget.) He said it was a big expense. ---
**Author:** ![MindsEye\_Watering](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindseye_watering/32/3619_2.png) [@MindsEye\_Watering](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MindsEye_Watering)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/17 "2013-06-16T18:39:22Z")
[Peachoid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peachoid) in Gaffney, SC. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/18 "2013-06-16T19:33:28Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Do they have a sacrificial anode, like water heaters. Some have something like that. They’re usually insulated now, and the inner surface would be something that that doesn’t corrode easily. One of the mysteries I found an answer to long ago was how they kept the water from freezing in cold climates. The answer is mostly that they don’t. Water towers can’t be used above a certain latitude because the cost of preventing freezing would be too high. Otherwise they keep ground water circulating in the tank to prevent it from freezing entirely. It will freeze mostly at the top. Valves, ports and other structures at the bottom will be protected by a steel cage to prevent an ‘ice fall’ as the water level lowers and ice remains at the top of the tank. Sometimes enough of the water freezes that pumps have to be used to maintain pressure. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/19 "2013-06-16T21:03:56Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > A lot of the [water tanks](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6KrxxIZepYA/T9d1lTS5gpI/AAAAAAAAHJw/icZM93R-UOA/s1600/Schermafbeelding+2012-06-12+om+18.52.00.jpg) on top of buildings in New York City are made of wood. One of my favorite episodes of Dirty Jobs had [Mike Rowe helping with the construction of a wood water tower in NYC.](http://www.rosenwachgroup.com/rosenwachtank/press.php) These are made by one or two companies that have been around for something like 100+ years. [ ---
**Author:** ![JBDivmstr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b4bc9f/32.png) [@JBDivmstr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JBDivmstr)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2013, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112/20 "2013-06-16T22:42:31Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > [Here](http://www.flickr.com/photos/10707024@N04/3279119925/) is a pic of the water tower in a village located about 5 miles from us. > > I was talking with a village council member one day, and he said they have to pay someone to wax the inside of the water tower every 6 months. (Or maybe it was every 12 months – I forget.) He said it was a big expense. Wax? Every six months?! IMHO, an epoxy coating would be cheaper, in the long run. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-water-towers-made-from/661112.md?page=2)