There are serious environmental problems involving the Domestic Hot Water Storage Tank (Domestic Hot Water Storage Tank) industry in Canada.
Everyday, large Industrial Grade DHWST's are being replaced by smaller, disposable tanks. Why is this a problem? My response/question is: Do you care about our environment?A large Industrial Grade DHWST is equipped with a man-way in order to provide preventative maintenance. With a proper preventative maintenance plan...your tank will outlast the life of your building. The smaller/disposable tanks are not equipped with a man-way, so preventative maintenance is impossible.
We were speaking with a facility in Vancouver and inquired about their tanks. The Operations Manager said that they were convinced to remove the ‘big old tank’ and put in an 8 pack of smaller tanks. We asked how often they were replacing their tanks. His answer was every 2 years.
I’m going to do some simple math. A large Industrial DHWST with a man-way requires a reline every 12 – 15 years. So let’s go with the low number for this example.
12 years (Lifespan of lining in a large DHWST) ÷ 2 years (Lifespan of a disposable tank) = 6 (Amount of times that the disposable tanks are replaced over a 12 year period.)
Still with me? Now, they said that they have replaced their one large DHWST with 8 smaller ones; this is where it gets crazy.
8 (Amount of tanks) x 6 (Amount of times that the disposable tanks are replaced over a 12 year period.) = 48 (Amount of tanks hitting our landfill sites every 12 years).
This is unacceptable!!! 48 tanks from one building over a 12 year period. I raise the question; do you have any idea, pertaining to the number of facilities in Canada that are being convinced to switch to disposable tanks? Tons!!!!! Sadly, their plumbers, whom are inaccurately educated on preventative maintenance procedures for large DHWST’s, are persuading these companies to “upgrade”.
In scenarios like this, large tanks are specified by engineers then replaced by plumbers. Does this make sense? I hope it has nothing to do with the fact that this is establishing residual income for plumbers. Something needs to change. We need accountability.
Let’s say only 100 condos in Toronto and 100 in Vancouver have decided to make this switch…that is 9,600 tanks hitting are landfill sites over a 12 year period. This number is grossly underestimated; in reality there would be tens of thousands. This is unacceptable. Not one tank should enter our landfills.
Spread the word and help prevent the negative environmental impacts on our local Canadian communities.
View this 8 minute video for imperative preventative maintenance strategies and information on Domestic Hot Water Storage Tanks.
Regards,
Jason
Jason Rusnak
Director of Business Developement
Provincial Tank Lining and Inspections Inc.
C. 519.387.2635
www.Provtank.com
