Why water towers?
This is something I’ve pondered for a while. Why are water towers so popular when it seems to be less efficient than having a ground-level or underground tank or reservoir? I mean, you have to build the thing really tall, then you have to pump water up into it, and then, I don’t know if this ever happens, but it seems to me you’d have the worry of the thing falling over.
This seems inefficient to me because it’s way easier to dig a big hole, stick a tank in there, and then fill it with water. Is there something I’m missing? Water towers seem to be pretty popular.
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Gravity-fed water to all users. Eliminates the need to pump water all over town; you just pump it into the tower.
Water pressure. Pump the water once up into the tower, and gravity gives it enough pressure that people can take showers instead of dribbles.
So you can see the graffiti better.
Aha! Well, that does make sense. :)
Also, elevated water reservoir is less likely to get contaminated than ground level ones
And one other point, if the power fails the water is already up, you can still provide water at least until the reservoir is emptied. If you’re pumping ground level water everywhere, then no power = no water, instantly.
I love water towers so much now,.
You can also pump water at night when energy costs are lower. (I have tons of water towers around me where I live).
@andrew Great answer! Most people don’t think about hourly variations in electric cost, but with smart grid, we will. Water utilities may already be dealing with that.
I’m very psyched about the answers here.. there are a couple of things you guys mentioned that didn’t even occur to me. It makes a lot more sense to me now.
Look at the shape. They’re sort of a phallic shape. Now do you know why they’re so big?
And Luling, Texas, likes to paint their water tower like a giant watermelon as a way to let people know that Luling is the Watermelon Capital of Texas. Saves the cost of putting up yet another billboard to advertise the annual Watermelon Thump.
Because they don’t have a hill or mountain to stick the tank on.
We use it as a location device. When we come back from a trip and my sons sees it (he is 3) he knows we are getting close and I don’t hear “Are we almost home?”
Above ground you get a Pound of water pressure for each Food it’s in the air…
The water towers that I’ve seen, like the one on That 70s Show, don’t seem very phallic… unless you are verry stubby… which says a lot about you
With the whole gravity thing… it sucks if you live on a hill that is the same level or higher than the water tower.
The water towers that I’ve seen, like the one on That 70s Show, don’t seem very phallic
Do not Google Image Search for ‘Ypsilanti water tower’.
That is all.
Hey if 60 or 70 feet is “stubby” I’ll take it. I just threw that thought out there after a long day. I hereby give all humans license to do whatever they want with my twisted thoughts.
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