Update on water tanks

This picture shows the south side of the tank after cutting down the side. Part of this side was horizontal and I was able to stand on it while cutting. The rest was cut using the loader and a ladder.



The door in the side was cut to allow access inside the tank to get the ladders in position shown in the previous pictures.

This shows the progress on the north side of the tank. The west wing is 16 ft. of steel sitting four ft. off the ground because of a buckle in the roof steel. One of the two new district water tanks can be seen in the back ground. I know I will not be scrapping these for three reasons. One they will out live me, two they have a glass coating, and three I already completed my once in a life time challenge.

At this point both sides have been lowered and the wings are in the air. I did not want to cut any lower on the north side because the ladder was braced in the ground and I did not know how the tank would buckle with the weight of the wings. The wing on the east side is 24 ft. tall. I had no intention of cutting it in the air and hoped my strategy would work.

The same process was used on the east wing, cutting down the south wall, along where it met the roof, and finally down the north wall. Same results and relief. In the foreground you can see the ramp to access the inside of the tank with my skid steer. When I would get over heated and tired of cutting I would load the steel I could get to. I tried to haul loads during the heat of the day. I was trying to get as much steel in as fast as I could because I was fearful the price of steel would drop.

I sold the majority of the steel as unprepared. I was good enough with a torch to make money preparing it, but did not want to be in a situation where the price of steel dropped and my prepared was worth as much as it was a day before unprepared. Another consideration was the load itself. It was easier to haul large pieces than the prepared steel. I made a deal with the scrap yard that prepared could be cut 5 ft. x 18 in. Using liquid oxy., propane, and scrapping torch reduced my costs a lot, but not enough to gamble with the fluctuating market.

From this point on the cutting was on the ground with no surprises. Physically I was worn out and used a stool to cut from this point on. This was where the boots took a beating. Sitting on the steel while cutting melted the rubber. I used my leather cape, chaps, and welding jackets to deflect the heat, but it did not save the boots and destroyed all of them. The additional problem was the rust from the beams on the roof. Melting it while cutting the steel did a number on the torch tips. The second part of the story involves the water filters, an even bigger challenge. I will be documenting this story in future posts.

I also need to thank the managers of the water district for their help and support. They are amazing individuals that have a great deal of common sense and are down to earth individuals. I mentioned several of their contributions, but they had many more. I learned a great deal from them. Without them I could not have completed the project.

This is a picture of the last load cut from the picture above. My loads averaged six tons each. In the picture above in the front right corner you can see a torch mark. That same piece of steel is in the front foreground of the trailer.

I should mention I am a retired educator after 30 years in the profession. Before that I was a millwright for five years building sawmills. I have two knee replacements caused from wrestling in college. And the real kicker, I am scared to death of heights. Now you know why this was a personal challenge I could not pass up. It was never about the money, only the challenge. Live life to the fullest.