Gowrie, Iowa

After yesterday, today was a gift from God.  Literally.  Based on yesterday's high temperature and humidity, we were all braced for the most difficult day yet on our hitch.  The forecast for today was hotter than yesterday, with higher humidity, and a higher heat index (110 degrees).  We had two tanks on the agenda, which set the potential for a long, hot, grueling day. 

Then we arrived at the tower, where we discovered that both tanks were right next to each other.  To futher help us, both tanks were inspect-only jobs, so we didn't have to break out all of the cleaning equipment.

Once I reached the top of the tower, I discovered that the catwalk and top of the tank both had useful railings for hoisting gear and tying off.  Most towers have railings, but many are not helpful to the process.  My setup work on the catwalk was all in the shade, which might be the first time I've been able to work mostly in the shade during the hot spell of this hitch.  A light wind picked up and kept the temperature down while I was working on top of the tank.

Everything about today's jobs went right.  We completed the inspection on the tower quickly (by 10:00) and set up the below grade tank.  The below grade tank took about 30 minutes to inspect, and while the diver and dive controller were finishing the paperwork, I was able to load up the inspection gear. 

We were done with both inspections and on the road at noon.

The below grade tank (left) and tower were right next to each other. 

Looking from the top of the tower down to the below grade tank.

This tower had safety railings in all the right places.  The safety railings and cages on many towers have a habit of hindering progress more than they help. 

View from the tower.

The picture I sent my wife from the top of the tower.

Leaning over the top of the tower and shooting down to the below grade tank.

The inspection gear staged at the below grade tank.

Denison, Iowa - My First Coulee Top

The only type of tank I haven't done yet on this hitch is called a Coulee Top.  We tried to do one about a month ago, but there were cell towers on it and had the utility reschedule. 

A Coulee Top is an older tank with a steep roof.  They are often Circa 1920-1930 (sometimes older), and several don't have modern safety features. 

This tank had a ladder with a fall cage, but no other fall protection.  Fortunately, the tower was only about 90 feet tall (total). 

Staging the gear on the roof was very challenging.  For towers, we use a pully system to pull our gear up to the catwalk, then I go up to the top of the tank and pull all of the gear from the catwalk to the top of the tank (near the hatch).  A Coulee Top has a  lip that overhangs the side of the tank by 12-18", so gear has a bad habit of getting caught under that lip.  Once a piece of gear is on top of the tank, there is no level space to stage it, so everything must be tied off to whatever is available (in this case it was the ladder) to keep it from sliding off the roof. 

This was a challenging tank... probably the most difficult setup I've done so far.  The sun was beating down on us with 97 degree temperatures (the heat index was around 110) and very high humidity.  Much like the reservoir we worked on in Hanna, Wyoming, I couldn't wait for this one to be done.  We were done around 1:30 and drove 90 miles back to Boone.

This tower is a very large Coulee Top.  They are usually much smaller and lack any modern safety features.

The top of a Coulee Top tank is very steep.  There are no flat areas to set gear - everything must be tied off to the ladder.

Looking down at the catwalk from the top of the tank.

The roof of the Coulee Top extends over the side walls of the tank, so it is necessary to feed the down line over the last ladder rung when pulling up gear to avoid rubbing the line on a sharp edge and possibly dropping 10-50 lbs of gear.

Looking at a hydropillar off in the distance.  I would have preferred working on the hydropillar instead of the Coulee Top.

We went out to Golden Corral for dinner after completing the tank.  This caboose was in the parking lot.  I love trains. 

Madrid, Iowa

On the 29th, we cleaned and inspected a short tower (105 feet) in Madrid, Iowa.  I have been working on increasing my speed while setting up and breaking down now that I have a solid grasp on my responsibilities.  The total time of the job depends greatly on the tender's speed with setup and breakdown (we call it "mob" and "de-mob").  This tank was mobilized, cleaned, inspected, and de-mobilized in about three hours.  We were back in the truck by noon.

What a mess!  Actually, this looks disorganized because I had to pull the hard pipe out of the hatch to fill it with water.  Doing so makes it possible to "prime" the hose.  By closing off the pipe at the bottom when we fill it, we can create a syphon in the hose and clean a tower without using a pump. 

Shenandoah, Iowa

On the 28th, we drove to Shenandoah, Iowa to inspect three tanks at their water plant.  Two of the tanks were old - built circa 1934, and the water works plumbing didn't appear much newer.  This resulted in some quirky aspects to the job.

The two old tanks were side entry, which is challenging because the diver had to enter the tank with all of his gear on through a port hole.  Our gear (dry suit, 35 lb. helmet, 100 feet of umbilical) isn't designed to easily push through a horizontal hatch that's four feet off the floor.  Like many other jobs, we completed this one by improvising.

The third tank was a large underground tank, which was an easy setup and inspect. 

Since all three tanks were located on the same property, we were able to complete inspections on all three by 1:00 in the afternoon.

From there, we drove to Boone, Iowa to stay the night for our next job.

This water works building was built in the 1930s and resembled something from an old fashioned suspense film.  There were pipes going everywhere, and doors with glass windows labeled "LABORATORY" and other interesting labels. 

This was my first experience with side entry tanks.  They were a unique challenge - I'm glad I wasn't the one diving them.

A blurry picture, yes, but one of the few I've been able to snap of a diver in a tank.

The strap going from the post to the hatch is holding the ladder... which we dropped in the second tank and had to recover after the diver went in. 



Pipes EVERYWHERE!



This valve was leaking pretty good - you can see water flowing out the top.  There were many leaks in this plant. 

You are looking at vice grips that are holding a valve shut.  Based on the surface corrosion, I'm certain they'd been there for years. 

The third tank was a newer underground tank outside the water plant.

The tank is under this lawn.

After work, we went out to dinner at a buffet called Pizza Ranch.  Their sign made me chuckle... made me wish I had my "lil cowpoke" with me.