HOLD THE WALL TRUE BEFORE IT COSTS YOU A TANK

What fails in a tank band

Water pushes outward hardest at the bottom of the tank, so the lowest bands work the hardest and fail first.

What we find: - Corrosion where the band sits against damp concrete or in the splash zone - Tension lost over decades as the band creeps and the wall settles - Broken or seized tensioning lugs that can no longer be adjusted - Bands that were spaced too far apart when the tank was built - Bands cut or damaged by later plumbing or fencing work

How the problem is diagnosed

Vertical cracks in a concrete tank wall are the tell. A horizontal crack is usually a joint. A vertical crack means the wall is being pushed apart, and that is a band problem.

We walk the tank and look at every band: corrosion, straightness, lug condition and spacing. A band that has gone slack will move under hand pressure or sound dead when tapped. We also check whether the wall has already gone out of round, because a wall that has moved permanently needs more bands, not just tighter ones.

How the repair is done

Sound bands with working lugs are cleaned, treated and re-tensioned in sequence so the load goes on evenly around the tank. Tensioning one side hard is how walls get pulled out of shape.

Corroded or broken bands are cut out and replaced with new galvanised or stainless band and new lugs. Where the original spacing was too wide for the tank height, we add bands rather than overtension the existing ones.

If the tank is also being lined, bands are always done first. A liner fitted to a wall that is still moving will not last.

What it costs

Band work is priced by tank height and by how many bands need replacing rather than re-tensioning. Re-tensioning existing sound bands is the cheapest structural work we do.

Indicative ranges are below. Every job is quoted firm after inspection.

How long it takes

Re-tensioning a set of sound bands is usually a single day. A full re-band on a large tank takes two to three days.

The tank normally has to be drawn down for band work, because tensioning against a full tank is neither safe nor accurate. We will tell you how far down it needs to go when we quote.

What warranty applies

Workmanship is warranted by us and the band material carries its manufacturer warranty. Both are written on the quote.

We will not warrant band work on a wall that has structural damage we recommended repairing and you chose to defer. If that is the situation we will say so in writing rather than take the job on a false promise.