On Route 51, a water tank painted to look like a giant inflatable beach ball is perched high above Marion County, SC. The water tank is divided into sections, each portion given a coating of either red, yellow, or blue. Emblazoned across the tank in a brilliant red print is “Marion County,” followed by the county slogan “It’s just right!” in an elegant blue script.
Designing the beach ball-themed water tank was a job taken on by B.P. Barber & Associates, Inc. based in Florence, SC. Tnemec was contacted to lend a hand in the eye-catching project. Coating consultant Nick Vause states, “The project’s specifying engineer, who has a long and successful history with Tnemec, reached out for help regarding an eye-popping tank. When the design moved toward a beach ball pattern with bright colors, the tank started to become a very high profile and visible project, which raised the bar in terms of expectations.” With such a hyper-visible project, it was important to utilize premiere products that would create the best and brightest coating system that could withstand the test of time and constant bombardment of the elements.
To ensure that the coating would not suffer premature degradation, the tank’s steel exterior was power washed with a 5,000 PSI sprayer to rid the surface of any dirt, rust, or loose particles that could ruin the paint job. In accordance with standards established by SSPC-SP 3 Power Tool Cleaning, specifications also included preparing the steel surface to resist rust and corrosion.
The necessary specifications listed for a brilliant and long-lasting coating system included Tnemec’s Series 700 HydroFlon as a finish coat. HydroFlon, a next-generation, high-performance fluoropolymer, contains Lumiflon FEVE technology, which is a main contributor to the coating system’s hyper-durability. The high weatherability of HydroFlon makes it the ideal choice for coastal areas, where it is crucial that coating projects use products that can withstand the potential sand and wind degradation. The coating system is capable of resisting UV radiation, salt spray, and precipitation over decades without sacrificing color and gloss retention.
Completed in 2010, the beach ball-inspired palette of the water tank has caught the interest of many visitors, the tank’s appearance often prompting travelers to pull over to the side of the road in order to snap a few photos.
Information and Photos courtesy of Tnemec.