Steel Tank Bands - designed to give the concrete water tank its structural strength back when the reinforcing reo inside the tank walls has rusted.

Stop Leaks early and reduce your steel reinforcement from rusting ! Refer to photos below of a tank which has collasped due to reinforcement inside the tank walls rusting through. Farmer was filling thei tank with bore water which is high in salt content as well.

Steel bands are made from -

1. 50mm x 4 to 5mm thick Duragal Flat Steel Straps with tension joiners of a minium of two per perimeter, 3 tension joiners is even better equally spaced around the tank perimeter.

2. Welded to the end of the tension joins is 30mm x 30mm SHS at 2.5 mm thick x 50 to 100mm long - each strap end where tensioner is need this is welded into position as per the bottom photo.

3. We then have a gap of 100mm between the end of the flat steel bands where joins are - with a 20mm high tensile all thread bolt ( grade 8.8 minimum ) at 500mm long with double nut and large washer each end to tension up the joins of straps.

A perfect example of why bands are required: leaks were repaired, tank hadn't been full for many years prior to repairs and then when it was filled tank collasped due to the water pressure on the old rusted walls. Refer to the photos and you will see there is no steel reo bar left in any of the wall slabs that collasped.

Not really hard to make - all you need to do is measure the perimter of the tank accurately work how many 6 meter lengths of steel straps you will need to get around that length take off 100mm for each join you will need then cut straps to length and weld on the 30mm SHS x 100mm long box section steel welded onto staps to accommodate the allthread bolts.

Eg. 23.5 meters perimeter measurement = 23,500 mm perimeter measurement divided by steel lengths of 6000mm = 3.91 ( so 4 lengths of 6.0 meter long steel will be required. )

i) So you know you will 4 lengths of strap to get around that measurement

ii) You will need to take off 400mm ( 4 joins @ 100mm gap per join ), for the join gaps in the steel where allthread tensioners are to be positioned.

iii) 23,500 mm - 400mm = 23,100mm length divided by 4 = 5,775mm for the flat strap lengths ( you can get these cut to length by the steel supplier, or just the last length to size which ever you prefer.

iv) Weld onto each end the 30mm x 30mm SHS x 100mm long box section steel for tensioners.

v) then with all thread and nuts and bolts for the straps to the tank.

Remember to tension up the straps as much as you can (using a pipe length on the end of ring spanner to tension up) and then retension on a hot day as the steel will heat up and stretch slighlty in hot weather.

1. Steel Bands - In general most farm gate stock yard contractors / local welding steel manaufacturers will have no       trouble making up these bands. Refer to your local Rural / Produce store for contacts.

2. Steel Bands ( Leongatha ) Phil Hopwood 0407 344 781 or 0356 623 852

3. Tank Bands ( Daylesford ) Daylesford Engineering 03 53 482 586

4. Tank Bands ( Shepparton and surrounding areas ) Frank 0427 344 061

5. Tank Bands ( Trafalgar ) Little John Engineering 0418 388 344

6. Mobile Welding ( John ) 0439 615 676, area's of Cockatoo through to the Yarra Valley.

7. Bairnsdale Area - Russ Riviera Trailers - Mobile 0448 524 936

Local Area - there will be someone locally that repairs stock yards, gates, sheds etc, a small amount of welding and you can do these bands yourself. Enquire at you local rural supplies or steel merchant and they should be able to help you.

Refer to photos below for examples of tank banding solutions. Photo's showing bands are required. Without tank bands, you are tempting fate and hoping for the best with the force the water weight places on an old concrete water tank.