It is probably difficult to meet a modern person who would never have come across such a concept as a "water tower". We know that this building plays an important role in the life of both a huge city and a modest village. However, what are water towers? Do they have any special features? Let's try to figure it out.
Water towers. general description
This building is designed both to control the supply pressure, and to control the level of water flow in each network. In addition, its reserves are created, and the work schedule of all local pumping stations is evened out with extreme accuracy.
An ordinary water tower includes a cylindrical reservoir, intended, of course, for water, and a supporting structure - the so-called trunk.
Why is such a design necessary? Imagine our ordinary day. When do we need the most water? That's right, in the morning and in the evening after returning from work, the rest of the time we simply are not at home. So, in the daytime, an excess of water accumulates inside the tower, so that later it can be supplied without interruption to our home. As a rule, height, i.e. the distance from the bottom of the tank to the surface of the earth rarely exceeds 20-25 meters, in the rarest cases 30. The capacity of such a tank can be very different, ranging from several tens of square meters to several thousand. It all depends on where this structure will be located - in the village, in the metropolis or at the industrial enterprise. There is nothing surprising in the fact that the trunk, as well as the tank itself, must be very strong, so it is mainly made of reinforced concrete or steel and, in rare cases, of especially strong brick.
In addition, special pipes are attached to the tower, which are necessary for the removal or supply of water. The design is also equipped with special devices that should prevent overfilling of the tank, and a system designed to measure the water level and, when necessary, transmit this information to special control centers.
Typical water towers. What are they like?
The most characteristic design is considered to be the water tower of Rozhnovsky. It is designed to regulate both flow and pressure around the clock. In addition, the necessary supply of water is created, the work schedule of pumping stations is leveled.
Like all similar ones, this structure consists of a tank and a water support. The cover with a specially made hatch in it is designed to inspect the device from the inside. A characteristic feature is the fact that special brackets of two types are welded to the inner walls: for the ice holder and those that are necessary so that the maintenance staff can go down without any additional problems to carry out the necessary set of measures.
There is also an external staircase, which is equipped with a safety fence. Depending on the requirements put forward, the volume of the tower can be from 10 to almost 150 cubic meters.
It should also be noted that in order to protect the water supply from pollution or, for example, freezing, the tower tank is surrounded in advance with special protection. Water is supplied by pumps.
The most unusual water towers in the world . Is it possible to live there?
It turns out that this is perfectly acceptable, and a house in a water tower is not a new idea of modern architects.
For example, in such an unusual home an ordinary family already lives in the northwestern part of England. The skeleton of their house is an old, 130-year-old tower, which was modernized by the famous British architectural studio.
Harris bought it about 13 years ago, hoping to save the historic building, settling in it and carrying out in parallel the whole complex of necessary reconstruction work.
Now the structure resembles a symbiosis of history and modernism. In the center of the structure is a tower, and around it, forming a half-ring, a new two-story building is built.