| ADAPTABILITY OF SIZE AND DESIGN | ||||
| FTC GRP / FRP Panel water tanks | Fiber Glass Hand Lay-up water tanks | PVC water tanks | Steel water tanks | Concrete water tanks |
| • Can easily be extended at any time as storage requirement increases. • Can be relocated easily from one location to another several times.• Flexible sizes and shapes by design could range from 1 m³ to 10,000 m³.• Tank length & width canvary from 1 m to 50 m with 0.5 m intervals.• Tank height can reach up to 5 m. for standard tank & 8 m for custom designs.• Tank shape can be rectangular, L-shape, U-shape or even complex. |
• Flexible in size and shape dependant on volume. • Cannot be used for large size tanks.• Larger sizes impractical to relocate due to one-piece design• Cannot be extended. |
• Pre-determined sizes. Size limitation in the production moulding process.
• Not suitable for large tanks. |
• Flexible size and shape by design could range from 1 m³ to more than 10,000 m³. • Height can go up to 12 m.• Cannot be moved from one location to another. • Cannot be extended in size or volume. |
• Flexible in size and shape.
• Unable to increase size or volume. |
| CORROSION PROPERTIES | ||||
| FTC GRP / FRP Panel water tanks | Fiber Glass Hand Lay-up water tanks | PVC water tanks | Steel water tanks | Concrete water tanks |
| • Not applicable (No steel in direct contact with water). • Materials used to rectify corrosion may be toxic. |
• Not susceptible to corrosion. • Any process to protect the steel from corrosion is easily scratched, as a result of accidents during handling and assembly, which in turn cause corrosion. |
• Not susceptible to corrosion. | • Highly susceptible to corrosion causing frequent and costly maintenance. • Materials used to rectify corrosion may be toxic • Any process to protect the steel from corrosion is easily scratched, as a result of accidents during handling and assembly, which in turn cause corrosion. |
• Water absorption in poorly or untreated concrete tanks is high causing corrosion to the internal steel reinforcement that in turn causes expansion cracks to the concrete. |
| DURABILITY | ||||
| FTC GRP / FRP Panel water tanks | Fiber Glass Hand Lay-up water tanks | PVC water tanks | Steel water tanks | Concrete water tanks |
| • No service failures reported in 25+ years • Hot pressed sheet mould compound (SMC) at 150 °C and 100 Kg pressure per cm² produce a uniform panel of solid homogeneous construction.• Average serviceable life for panels in normal conditions with out maintenance is ± 40 years. • Tested for heavy impact, weather, loads, settling and earthquakes. • Safety factor of 8 x above maximum anticipated load.• Excellent ultra violet (UV) resistant characteristics and performance.• Option of pre-insulated panels to avoid the risk of freezing. |
• Hand lay-up manufacturing process is unable to deliver consistent quality laminate thickness and is dependent on the level of skills provided by labour. Even with skilled labour, homogeneous laminate is almost impossible to attain which leads to a weak constructed tank.• Average serviceable life under normal conditions is ±5 years; in variable climates with extremes of temperature this will be reduced even further.• Rough surfaces accelerate delamination of the fibers particularly when exposed to UV rays from sunlight. • Brittle in construction that results in damage. • Freezing results in cracking |
• Exposure to weather variations such as cold, heat and UV rays on a thinly walled tank, which has continuously changing water levels, causes embitterment resulting in cracking and a short life.
• Fragile and could be damaged by surrounding normal activities. |
• Exposure to weather variations such as cold and heat as well as varying water levels on the tank walls results in expansion and contraction creating cracks on the laminated surfaces which leads to a shorter life due to corrosion.• Lack of regular maintenance results in a short life for steel water tanks.• Freezing results in deformation and possible cracking. |
• Durable when no settlement or cracking occurs.• Concrete is highly absorbent of water. Heat and humidity above variable water levels in a closed tank increase reinforced steel bars causing corrosion that leads to expansion and ultimately cracking of the concrete.• Concrete has high thermal conductivity, which in cold weather freezes water and results in cracking. |
| HANDLING AND ASSEMBLY | ||||
| FTC GRP / FRP Panel water tanks | Fiber Glass Hand Lay-up water tanks | PVC water tanks | Steel water tanks | Concrete water tanks |
| • Lowest overall skill level of labour requirement . For assembly labour can be done by the local community.
• Low man-hour labour requirement. e.g. (5x5x2 m = 50 m³) This tank requires 11 man days for assembly • Minimum assembly equipment requirement, using basic hand tools. |
• Difficult to transport and place due to its one-piece design.
• Very difficult to place on the roofs of buildings without the use of lifting equipment. • Costly due to the fact that volume is being transported. |
• Larger sizes difficult to transport and place due to its one-piece design. • Very difficult to place on the roofs of buildings with out the use of lifting equipment. • Costly due to the fact that volume is beingtransported. |
• Special equipment required for lifting heavy plates that weigh three times that of a GRP panel.
• High skill level of labour is required as well as high total man-hours forassembly. • Special tools and equipment required for assembly. |
• Long time and skill level of labour and equipment needed to complete tank construction. • Building tanks in urban areas involves construction requiring the transportation of large quantities of materials, equipment andmanpower. • Building tanks in remote areas require special utilities that are not always readily available as well as the requirements related to regular urban construction sites. |
| INSULATION PROPERTIES & CHARACTERISTICS | ||||
| FTC GRP / FRP Panel water tanks | Fiber Glass Hand Lay-up water tanks | PVC water tanks | Steel water tanks | Concrete water tanks |
| • Insulated panel option available for extreme weather conditions (hot or cold). • Excellent for industrial purposes where chilled water is required in volume.• Non-insulated Panels have 240 times less thermal conductivity than metal, ensuring stable temperatures. |
• Acceptable thermal conductivity properties in normal weather conditions, in climates where extremes of temperature are the norm the water delivered will be hot in summer and cold in winter which proves to be uncomfortable and inconvenient to the user.
• Difficult to add insulation material due to designs. Causes big variations in water temperature over a 24-hour cycle affecting water quality |
• Difficult to add insulationmaterial due to designs. • High thermal conductivity. • Difficult to add insulationmaterials due to designs. • Causes big variations in water temperature over a 24-hour cycle affecting water quality. • Water temperature will be above ambient temperatures in summer and below ambient in winter. |
• Thermal conductivity of steel is very high (37 Kcal/M.Hr.C.), heating up tank and water and making handling, installing, and repair difficult.
• Causes big variations in water temperature over a24-hour cycle affecting water quality. • Water temperature will be above ambient temperatures in summer and below ambient in winter. |
• Acceptable thermal properties in temperate weather conditions. |
FTC Panel Type
Water Tanks
Company Profile and Product
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