How Water Towers Work

Purpose and function of elevated water storage tanks.
The job of finding enough water, making it safe to use, and then reliably distributing it to the system customers with almost no downtime is a monumental task that requires a lot of infrastructure. And, probably the most visible component of a public water system is the elevated storage tank, also known as a water tower. I’m Grady Hillhouse and this is Public Works, my video series on infrastructure and the humanmade world around us.
Watch this video and the entire Practical Engineering catalog ad-free on Nebula: go.nebula.tv/practical-engine...
-Patreon: / practicalengineering
-Website: practical.engineering
Writing/Editing/Production: Grady Hillhouse
Animation: Stephanie White, Connor Claver, Dayan D'aniello
Tonic and Energy by Elexive is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License
Source: • Elexive - Tonic and En...

[@PracticalEngineeringChannel]

"Public Works" is a new video format I'm trying out. Let me know if you like it, and if so, what topics you'd like me to cover in the future!

[@johnlevi2757]

Sewage systems? Or maybe telecoms. infrastructures?

[@tangneptune]

I'm interested to know more about how water is treated before it makes its way back into the natural cycle. There must be such a wide range of pollutants that must be accounted for like biological elements and toxic chemicals. Some of which make there way into the system inadvertently from run-off, others through careless\deliberate disposal.

[@dervogelfangersek]

I absolutely think this type of videos is not only quite interesting, but even of public service. I loved it and would like to see more of the kind!

[@michaeladove7269]

Great video! How are water towers cleaned on the inside?

[@InformatrIIcks]

Really nice series ! I also really enjoy the bump in production quality !

[@radicalxedward8047]

The cheap, reliable access to water via taps is probably the single most underrated thing about developed countries.

[@dscarmo]

@Brandon Martin not true for most countries (the drinkable part)

[@vishnuprasadreddyeng]

@@dscarmo Aye! India here.

[@TJ-oo5mx]

Isn't it beautiful what capitalism has given us?

[@UnconditionalLove777]

The systematically poisoned water via taps is probably the single most terrible thing about developed countries.

[@UnconditionalLove777]

@@dscarmo Right, the non-industrialized countries have the best water. Cities have poison (fluoride) "for our teeth"

[@Raguleader]

Water towers also provide another mildly interesting service, by dint of their being tall and easy to spot: Navigational aids for low-flying aircraft. Pilots can use particular towns as waypoints and use the water towers to verify their location. In case you ever wondered why your local water tower probably has your town's name in huge letters painted on it.

[@bumbarabun]

Nowadays with widely available GPS devices it virtually has 0 value

[@TheBoeingE]

Vyacheslav Kononenko, it still is useful for a lot if pilots. VFR flying is still popular among private and sports pilots as a recreational activity. Nowadays most VFR planes have some GNSS device onboard as a back up but not as a primary nav aid.

[@jollyrogerhobbies2386]

@@bumbarabun Pilots are still taught and use DED Reckoning. it is part of being a pilot. You have to know what to do when all that tech in your cockpit fails. and it will fail.it is a question of when, not if.

[@bumbarabun]

@Sean Lacey the fact that you did it does not mean it has any value. I doubt they would keep them in sake of navigation for people who want to keep old habits if need as water reservoir would not be there anymore.

[@DigiSlug]

Studying right now, this is good to know, thanks.

[@raymondrizzo284]

Hi Grady, I am an older man and have been wondering how those tanks work for decades. Your explanation was first rate, especially the part about the “stored energy” contained in the water within the tower. Thank you for such a well done explanation. If my daughter was little again, I would love to watch your videos with her.

[@AndrewAce.]

I believe a similar concept can be applied ​to the electrical grid, where electricity is produced in excess at low demand periods, so that there's extra during high demand periods. With water towers, the water is literally stored at a high elevation storing gravity potential energy. Very fascinating...

[@badcornflakes6374]

If you have grandchildren, watch the videos with them. I'm sure they're just as inquisitive

[@Tom-bm2kt]

Why not tell your daughter this made you think of her, and maybe still watch it with her? 😀

[@kortjohn]

Awww, I'm sorry she's not interested in this stuff. That sounds so sad! I'm an older man too but I'll be your daughter... wait. Friend...I meant friend.

[@kortjohn]

@Westley Johnson ..do you.......do you mean sandblasting and painting little girls?

[@djrbaker1]

Here in Brazil, depending on the region, almost every home has some kind of water storage. Specially in remote areas that have little to no infrastructure like the north and northeast of the country, the Amazon included. We're taught to design homes with storage for at least 2 days due to the systems being unreliable. Larger structures are also required to allocate a significant percentage of their daily water usage to be used exclusively for firefighting as there aren't any expressive quantities of hydrants in the country.

[@NDHatley1]

Damn, that kind of sucks. It's funny how the first world nations take something like water on tap at all times for granted

[@gaelstrarai]

That was interesting, thanks for sharing how your country handles water.

[@spconrad9612]

Same in rural Thailand

[@iainamurray]

Less so in modern houses, but lots do in the UK too. Many houses have a water tank in the loft (attic) that serves bathroom taps (sinks, showers, baths, toilet) and then the kitchen tap is linked to the mains water supply. Growing up in an older house meant if you drank water from the bathroom tap it was a bit stale and tainted, but fresh as a daisy in the kitchen!

[@dr.eggmanrobotnik8684]

Note: in Brazil, the "individual water storage" ("house water storage"), its mostly called "Water Box".

[@AnimeFreakish78]

Ah yes, I've driven by that water tower in my hometown for over 20 years and began to finally wonder if it really does anything. You learn something new every day

[@Stunningandbrave]

Me too. Didn't realize what gravity was until this video.

[@lrodriguez9315]

What u learned that day u shouldve learned 20 yrs ago . this way u couldve learned something else the day u learned about the tower.

[@Aoredon]

@@lrodriguez9315 This makes no sense.

[@lrodriguez9315]

@@Aoredon its ok buddy someday you will.

[@doofphineasandferb8049]

@@lrodriguez9315 It will*

[@jacksonrich6398]

It’s crazy how comfortable we get and take some of the “simple” things for granted. Great video. Thx for sharing.

[@AM-lz2jr]

Life still boring, we still need money, we still got rent to pay. We atill live with anxiety.

[@Mipetz38]

@@AM-lz2jr do you think the pumps run for free? Of course you need to work and contribute to the system you live on

[@AM-lz2jr]

@@Mipetz38 doesnt make it any less depressing

[@rchydrozz751]

Notice at 9:20 the bands on the wooden water tanks are closer together at the bottom, where the pressure is higher nearer the bottom. Wider spacing as they go up.

[@gambini_modding]

Excellent observation!

[@rickyramsey5984]

Good video, I am an electrician and I work primarily in this industry. We also use hydro-pneumatic storage tanks to store water under pressure with an air blanket to absorb water hammer and help regulate the pressure as it builds up via a pump and is lost through demand. Anyway, I watch your videos a lot and they are consistently good, thanks for that!

[@jsbrads1]

I wanted to comment how hydraulic shock wasn’t mentioned :)

[@russellnadin2480]

@Provocateur What colour fugitives will we have in the 21st century?

[@thejesuschrist]

Up next, how wine towers work!

[@RockSmithStudio]

Jesus, you are everywhere!

[@jamesbond8872]

You want the entire town drinking your blood? No thanks. I’m on board for a beer tower tho

[@MasterChef-ux3gk]

"Jesus christ" you're every where!!

[@outdoorsguy]

Jesus Christ, I see you everywhere.

[@seventwo7223]

Jesus Christ you need to touch the water tower my dude

[@freddsims648]

Gravity is not only a good idea, it's the law.

[@holthofertv1998]

No

[@Bellboy40]

Yes, it is the law. It is strictly enforced. 😉

[@DrYeet2704]

Wait... oh shit i think I hear sirens.

[@PaulL42654]

@@Bellboy40 🤣🤣

[@mientusmien7594]

Gravity is a theory

[@bigkiwimike]

Very interesting video. For 12 years I was chief engineer in the pump house at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland, New Zealand. The museum was built around the pump house which was opened in July 1877 to supply water to Auckland city. The boiler room contained four 30’ long Lancashire boilers which supplied steam to the double compound beam engine in the engine room next door. The engine drove two pumps which took water from Western Springs Lake to reservoirs in Ponsonby and in Kyber Pass Road, from where it was then gravity fed down to the city. As a result, I have always had a fascination with water and its supply and how without a water supply, you do not have a city. Keep up the good work.

[@roblaquiere8220]

I work on pumps every day. Supplying the irrigation needs for the many golf courses in my area is a huge industry by itself. They need pressurized water to run all of their different sprinkler systems. Lawn grass is the largest cash crop in America after all.

[@furrtakuXD]

@I Am Sekou: lawn grass maintenance accounts for a majority of water use despite not producing anything of value (unless you count aesthetics). they tend to be invasive/non-native European species which do not survive well in the native climate and require vast quantities of additional water and frequent soil remediation.

[@StealthElectronVIP]

I went to Palm Springs in the summer.... as a European, seeing the vast swathes of green land in the middle of a dessert was a crazy sight. I can't see how this is sustainable long term? But I don't know anything about how this water is sourced.

[@roblaquiere8220]

@@StealthElectronVIP The service company that supplies the golf courses, well anything really, with water at my location uses the Floridian Aquifer. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Floridan_aquifer It's essentially a massive underground ocean of water... the mother-load of groundwater sources. It doesn't really seem like it's possible for it to be exhausted either, seeing as how the layers above the aquifer are all permeable and the rainfall here is above average. To be honest, such a vast and renewable source of mostly clean water is like sitting on a mountain of gold.

[@furrtakuXD]

@@roblaquiere8220: wow thats pretty cool. i guess it makes the american lawn semi feasable in a few places. bet it still requires a bit of remediation but probably not as much since the wet climate promotes more rapid decay of older plant material

[@grantkeller8024]

@@StealthElectronVIP They steal it/divert it from the people under color of law, lies, misinformation and propaganda. (Just sayin)

[@wewjoj]

I'm so grateful to have water. I feel like a lot of us take water for granted.

[@raymondrizzo284]

Definitely agree and I have had that thought many times in my life. Thank you, Lord.

[@luisruelas6899]

Turn off the main water valve to your house for 4 hours and you'll quickly have a whole new appreciation for your system. Turn it off for 3 days, only using water gallons from the store to do everyday things around the house and you'll realize just how much water we waste day to day. Its mind blowing

[@Engineer9736]

Water has existed for humans entire existance and much longer. It’s not needed to act about it as if it’s a rare gift...

[@AndrooUK]

*granite

[@carlwilliams6977]

I'll never forget what I heard a scientist say in an interview. He said there has never been another drop of water created since the formation of the Earth. So technically, every glass of water you've ever consumed, is dinosaur pee! Rather graphic, but it drove the point home very effectively!

[@nidhigilson5197]

I have an interview coming up for a hydraulic modelling engineer position, and this video is just the perfect summary of how the water distribution network works. Thanks for summarising so well. This will come in handy for my revision

[@southronjr1570]

I am a FireFighter in a fairly small town in Ga, the town has about 12,000 residents. The local landfill operator was VERY unaware of the need to keep the pile covered as much as possible and actually told me spontaneous combustion from decay was a myth, so guess what happened one day after a torrential rain came through. Yep the pile caught fire. At max flow we were pumping over 7,500 gallons of water an hour onto it and that was only to keep it from flaring so high it caught the surrounding buildings on fire. Over a 7 day period we put over 4,000,000 gallons on it. The water came from the towns water supply that we had to truck to the scene in tankers and tenders but it all came from the town. We put such a strain that the local water dept sent out notices that the pressure had to be cut in half and that severe drought water restrictions were in place until the fire was over. Thank God for the the rains because the over flowing river where the water was taken from fed the water dept, had it been at normal flow rate, we would have not had enough water to fight it. Oh and btw, if you were wondering the heaviest flow stopped after just 3 days because the state came in with a massive trash pump and set up 6 ag sprinklers on the pile and just used the runoff from what we had pumped on as their water source. We had to spray some areas that they couldn't reach but only when it flared.

[@johnburns4017]

What is a _pile?_

[@southronjr1570]

@@johnburns4017 in this case it was the burning pile of garbage that was exposed that was 3 stories tall.

[@johnburns4017]

@@southronjr1570 The rain caused a fire?

[@southronjr1570]

@@johnburns4017 in this case, yes. When biological matter is decomposing the bacteria will cause it to heat up. When the heat reaches the point of ignition and there is available oxygen it will ignite. The bacteria is fed by the rain and thus the water will susequently cause a fire if the items decomposing arent kept cool enough, or kept away from oxygen by being covered up. Hay will do the same thing. If a farmer bales the hay when there is too much moisture left in the grass, it will heat up sufficiently to catch fire. Some of the worst fires I have ever fought were because of the spontaneous combustion of organic material

[@johnburns4017]

@@southronjr1570 thx. I know of some farmers who store manure on a concrete base, which also heats up, which has water pipes running through. The water is heated so free hot water.

[@orionsarrow1025]

*I don’t know what it it with KZbin and water towers...* just yesterday I was suggested “Water Tower Falling”

[@EEEEEEE354]

Same dude

[@desireedickson2057]

@@EEEEEEE354 same sis

[@OnwardSoldier]

Same

[@jamelhaynes549]

I just got recommended today

[@devinmaloney4547]

Same though

[@MarlinRoth]

Im a plumbing apprentice and didn’t know how water towers worked until I watched this video. It’s pretty cool that city-provided water from water towers are literally just a GIANT version of how a single house that has well-pump provided water gets it’s water out of the earth. Water well-pumps push water from a deep hole in the ground, through some pipes, and then water gets inside the house and usually 20-40 gallons of water is stored in a water storage tank AKA pressure tank. When the pressure tank has a satisfactory amount of pressure for what it is designed for, then the well pump stops pumping water to the house until the people inside the house use enough water that the tank needs to be somewhat refilled.

[@paulbarker7035]

I'm a Certified Irrigation Contractor. While we learn and discuss water dynamics from an irrigation perspective, the greater water supply system is not necessarily part of our knowledge base. This was fascinating and well enjoyed. I will use this video in my training of employees because it will contribute to our greater understanding of the way water works.

[@theshuman100]

Ah yes the gravity outage of 1908

[@Richi_Boi]

Seize the means of Gravitation

[@ezraclark7904]

The gravity is down!

[@gavinli1368]

That was one hell of a storm! Zeus was so mad, he just went “F it! You can all float around for all I care!”.

[@baruchben-david4196]

My grandfather survived it. Just imagine if it were to happen in a big city...

[@gavinli1368]

Dave Cockayne Everything went up. And sideways too.

[@slipperysquirrel425]

It's amazing how such a simple topic can be so interesting. Thank you

[@senzokhumalo3452]

I do not think it's as simple as you put it. Sophisticated planning based on various considerations and scenarios need to be undertaken to come up with a fit for purpose water infrastructure network. Planning needs to also take into consideration future expansion and that's where zoning comes in. So in my opinion this is no simple topic - it is just taken for granted. I really appreciate the work that the town planning teams do - Kudos to them👏👋👏👍🙏

[@senzokhumalo3452]

I guess you meant to say - a topic that SEEMS so simple .........

[@ohiowalnut]

It's all in the delivery!

[@mynameiszoro]

I can see the details, the care, and every "hmmm let me say that differently" behind every part of the video. Much appreciated fam

[@tharock5057]

I saw this video years ago back when I was in school, conceptual physics class to be specific. This video and that teacher has driven me into mechanical engineering and I just found your channel again today. Love the stuff and keep at it! You have inspired many to fix the problems of today!

[@kevinbyrne4538]

You are a magician. Within 24 hours, over a quarter of a million people stopped to watch a video about water towers.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

@kicox1 -- When I wrote that comment, the number of views was about 250,000. I found it hard to believe that so many people were interested in water towers.

[@kevinbyrne4538]

@kicox1 -- Yes, that's what I thought.

[@lw1343]

But how many fast forward as I did to get to the point.

[@wirito]

P Martin I don’t. I only fast forward on the “hub” to get to the good stuff. Here, everything is interesting so I watch the entire video :)

[@ewthmatth]

Speak for yourself. I came for the sock ad at the end.

[@biggusdickus6537]

Just started a job as a Water System Operator in a large city, and it's been a nerd's dream finally getting my hands on water infrastructure. Your channel was a big inspiration for me to get my state certifications and get into this career path!

[@matteoarellano5917]

can you explain what did you study to get such a job?

[@austin1416]

I used to be a water plant operator in my home town years ago. Nice to see a video explaining the use and importance of a water tower. Ours held 100,000 gallons of treated water when at capacity. Very handy thing to have when there were power outages or serious water pipeline breaks

[@brendanschneeberger3054]

This video is so excellent. One clarification about pressure zones though, is they don't necessarily each need their own water tower/reservoir. They can be accomplished by a city-owned pressure reducing valve :)

[@gordonward5691]

I live directly across the street from a water tower, and my water pressure is always great as well as always having crystal clear water, no floaties or sediment. That particular water tower in the video is where I grew up right down the road from me in Cibolo, Tx. I pass by it several times a week. "Cibolo" was the local Native American word for buffalo back in their day, hence the buffalo outline. I attended Samuel Clemens high school which, of course, their mascot is the Mighty Buffalo.

[@davidvickers8425]

I wondered what that said, looked like abolo.

[@LostieTrekieTechie]

So a water tower is a capacitor. Funny that I've normally heard circuits/electronics explained in terms of water/plumbing, not the other way around.

[@kennyholmes5196]

It's not so much a capacitor as it is a battery.

[@AMcAFaves]

That's the thing that occurred to me watching the video: that the water tower evens out pressure like a smoothing capacitor with a power supply evens out current.

[@AMcAFaves]

@@kennyholmes5196 What are the important distinctions in the analogy between a water tower and a capacitor versus a battery?

[@Stasiek_Zabojca]

Because electricity and water flow are very similiar, but water is easier to understand and imagine, so may be used to explain electricity.

[@Stasiek_Zabojca]

@@AMcAFaves I'd rather say, it's a battery. At some point, battery and capacitor may work the same way, but capacitors can be charged much faster and give you much more current, while batteries are slowly charged and can't give you a lot current in comparison to capacitors. Also, capacitor can't sotre it's energy for too long, it will self-discharge quite fast(it takes a lot of time for battery). So water tower, you slowly "charge" it with water overnight and it's slowly discharging it durning peak hours and water may be stored there, theoreticly, forever(it's another topic, that this water won't be safe to use after some time because of bacteria etc.).

[@supergoober1021]

Former water utility employee here with about 30 years involvement in every aspect of operating and maintaining the water produced and delivered directly to your property. You did really well with your quick and dirty explanations of the processes. Kudos to you.

[@unclvinny]

Mom is 74, and she asked, "Hey, how does the city know that when we open our hose, that we need water?" I said, "I bet it has to do with our water tower, and I bet Grady can tell us all about it." Thanks!

[@jf8461]

As an engineer for a municipal Water district, I found this presentation to be very well done and simply explained. I will make use of it for others. 👍👍👍

[@e1123581321345589144]

"It's been a long time since gravity was knocked offline from a thunderstorm" Practical Engineering 2018.

[@TonyP9279]

I hear the ISS has never been able to keep their gravity online.

[@simo4875]

​@@TonyP9279 I've heard that too, you can tell it drives them mad on board by the way their hair stands on end...

[@ZimZam131]

@@TonyP9279 Gravity keeps them orbiting the earth.

[@spamlord7570]

ZimZam131 somebody’s gonna get r/woooshed

[@simo4875]

​@@spamlord7570 truth

[@joonasfi]

Just like a minute ago, I was thinking of water towers.. the fact that how water coming from the tap uses power, but in an indirect way, because the work has been done beforehand in pumps lifting the water up high, to make the water pressure.. and then I come back to my computer and find that you made a video about water towers!! Amazing :D

[@vmelkon]

Satanic forces brought you here. He wants you to learn.

[@theshuman100]

@@vmelkon that sneaky devil that Satan. Trying to get us learn and think

[@seraphina985]

As the video did hint at this does depend rather on the region where you live, while this is usually the case when all the land surrounding the settlement is fairly flat in the case of settlements that are for example nestled into a valley at the foot of a range of hills or mountains the system will often take advantage of the topography to make use of gravity feeding as much as possible. Even if it requires maintaining several kilometers of extra pipe and valves it still often easily outweighs the cost of paying the electric company for power when you can get gravity to provide all the power you need for free. It's certainly a politically charged issue and having to resort to removing humans does generally add significantly to both costs and the time to actually get the necessary approvals to get started on the project but it can and does happen.

[@nourelislamlounis3328]

the uses of the pumps are not eactly like that ince they got tons of cons but in general ye

[@valstrom7672]

@@vmelkon this is so weird... I was at an outdoor party earlier and was also wondering how that water tower in the distance works

[@pearldrummer1157]

Fantastic video Grady. As an EIT in the southwest states, it was awesome hearing how eastern states like NY have to deal with pressure and flow challenges of terrain and tall buildings. I am finally getting to work with some high rise structures in land development and this put a lot of perspective on how every every water distribution challenge eventually comes back to Bernoulli's energy principle.

[@kencalder1006]

This is a GREAT Video. Well done! It walks you through the basics so anyone can understand why the need. I'm 33yr's in Public Water and sometimes we forget that a lot of people only know that you turn on a faucet. Thank you!

[@lb5sh]

So it's basically a capacitor.. for water.

[@bradrugg8705]

Gravity battery

[@chicoern]

Get out of my mind

[@TheM6]

That's another way of looking at it.

[@misterthekaitheman]

Exactly what I thought!

[@AyedYoutube]

calculator made of water tanks!!!

[@vpgdarkstar]

I really liked the b-roll you used in this one, reminded me of the type of stuff you’d see on tv. I really appreciate the polished look of your videos.

[@blaster-zy7xx]

Except where he used stock video of an electrical grid while talking about water distribution.

[@cw-qz2sj]

I'm not an engineer and neither work in a related field, however I love watching your videos and learning. Your videos are always delivered in an easy to understand format. Thanks Grady.

[@jacobdevereaux8986]

OMG!!! The Kinzua Dam holding tank(7:11)!!! That is my neck of the woods! You can drive right up to the tank. It is 3miles in circumference. This holding tank is pretty famous. It was also in my college text books on power systems. I am an EE, and been following your channel to learn more about civil applications. The rumors of the town are that when the USACE were digging out the holding tank, dump trucks at the bottom of the tank looked like match box cars. If you ever want to see the tank, look up Jake Rocks in the Allegheny National Forest. It is a free camping ground and the road takes you to the tank. The Allegheny National Forest is a nice place to go on a vacation.

[@Sam-lr9oi]

Can't wait for the pumped water electricity storage video, I feel like that technique is especially important for the future of clean energy w/r/t meeting demand at peak.

[@seraphina985]

@Nicola Sabbadini If you swap the words uninhabited for lightly populated it's probably closer to the truth, use of eminent domain/compulsory purchase powers to enable a civil engineering project to go ahead is not out of the question. Wouldn't be the first or last time that an entire village has been acquired with government authority on the grounds that the creation of the reservoir was in the public interest and the village was unfortunate enough to happen to be in the way. It's pretty unlikely if there are like 10's of thousands of people living there but certainly a village or small town of several hundred to a few thousand could be at risk maybe even into the low 10's of thousands if it happens to be unlucky enough to occupy particularly prime real estate for such a project.

[@tobiasL1991]

@Nicola Sabbadini I'm not sure what you mean by not so great... There literally isn't any other way to story several Mega Watts of electricity... I mean there is research in several other types, like flywheels, actually making fossil fuels via algea and smartgrids/ smartappliances that use more energy when there is more. So unless I'm missing something this "not that great" is more like the only way we currently have...

[@jpe1]

Sam go watch Tom Scott’s video on pumped hydro at kzbin.info/www/bejne/bHvbkJWAnNF5ns4

[@tobiasL1991]

​@Nicola Sabbadini The buying/selling option isn't the same though, as a whole there will still be periods of overcapacity. Lastly assuming batteries with their expensive production process which is also devastating for nature will ever be used to store several mega Watts of power, or better said capable of delivering several mega Watts for several hours is quite unlikely. Not only because batteries are already hitting the limits to what can be stored safely with today's technology, any significant increases would also increase the danger of fires and explosions. But also because the technology to turn alternating current into direct current and vice versa is while very doable also quite expensive. Add to that the ever growing CO2 concerns and just pumping water higher might not be such a bad solution.

[@jpe1]

Nicola Sabbadini there are currently more than 80 gigawatts of pumped hydro storage capacity around the world, with another 15 GW under construction (the largest, Fengning in China, is 3.6 GW). Clearly *someone* thinks pumped hydro is a part of the solution for grid storage. There are a few other storage solutions currently operating (China has a bunch of Vanadium batteries in Liaoning good for almost 1 GW, the Andasol power station in Granada, Spain has about 1 GW of heat energy storage in their molten salt system, similar capacity at others like Solana in Arizona) but in total they add up to less than 10 GW (probably less than 5, actually; many are only small scale pilots like the Temporal Power flywheel storage system in Ontario that are less than 10 MW in capacity).

[@AlexandraQueen]

I am loving these. My second-grader was learning reluctantly about artesian wells, so we watched this video. She was very impressed and genuinely interested in all the wide-reaching, practical implications of artificial artesian wells. Thank you!!

[@timmccormack3930]

This is an excellent video because you methodically walk through the original needs, the solutions, the problems with the solution, and so on. It perfectly motivates the water tower design.

[@joesomebody3365]

I like that not only did you explain the storage aspect, but the pressure aspect; it would be interesting to see this applied to Roman water systems where they had no electric pumps.

[@Baretoes2010]

The tank style at 0:44 is called a Multi-Leg or Toro Ellipsoidal tank. 4:59 is a Composite Elevated Tank or CET. It's called Composite because of the concrete pedestal and steel bowl combination, no fiberglass used. We call the tank shown at 5:20 the "Witches hat" tank style. 6:00 is a Standpipe.

[@MrZrryan2]

Well, gee, Bob. Now I feel complete.

[@drumcorcaigh5770]

I appreciate this useless info bob. Thanks for sharing your expertise

[@OneWildTurkey]

@@drumcorcaigh5770 A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Some folks are VERY dangerous.

[@dbx1233]

I appreciate the way you take complex subjects and articulate them in a easy to understand way. Thanks.

[@kevinwilson9278]

Great video. A neighbor of mine built water towers in the area and I never quite frankly understood their purpose. I knew they provided pressurized water, but I did not factor in the timely aspect of their functionality. This simple video provided clarity to something I have always been curious about. Keep up the good work.

[@TwotoneMixes]

'Water Tower" the song kzbin.info/www/bejne/eKDMf3p7dqZmmcU&ab_channel=Twotone

[@johnchristopher7697]

Anyone who can make water towers interesting deserves high praise. Great job!

[@akrier32]

I studied mechanical engineering in college and I have been working for a company the builds water treatment plants. I just want to say that I love your videos and find them very informative.

[@g500-gestoresdeprojectos9]

You have been doing a great work Grady. Congratulations!!

[@lisafeck1537]

My 2 yo grandson is very impressed by water towers right now. Good video thanks.

[@maxmillioncheung]

Just want to say keep up the great work. I just completed a 4 year MEng Engineering course over in the UK and I have learnt so much from your videos. Also, because I am very pedantic, in 2:21, positive charge flows from high to low voltage so electrons actually flow from low to high voltage. Anyway, I am sure you knew that but just thought I'd point that out as a fellow engineer!

[@crazyconan28]

A lot of my family members live in a small city that is known for having a lot of water towers. I never thought about how they worked, mostly at awe at the size of all of them. Now knowing the fundamentals on how they work, it's amazing and genius how the water system works there and in other populations!

[@trackie1957]

I’m glad you appreciate the gravity of the situation. Tanks.

[@sachinthapliyal007]

I never heard anyone giving example of electrons to explain water flow. Always heard the opposite. Interesting take.

[@xxDPKINGxx]

Am I tripping or did he say it backwards? Electrons move from Low voltage to High Voltage! I think he was thinking of classically described current (movement of protons).

[@Improbabilities]

@@xxDPKINGxx Yes, the civil engineer missed a quirk in Bohr's atomic model while dealing with fluid dynamics and hydrostatics. I wouldn't worry about it. I'm an electrical engineer, and most of the time, I don't bother to think about which way the amber moves. It's usually a voltage, producing a current, creating magnetic flux, which induces a current somewhere else, leading to a voltage drop over some load impedance; or a signal voltage interacting with a transistor or relay as part of a logic operation. The fact that electrons are defined to have a negative charge does not meaningfully impact my day job.

[@lylestavast7652]

well, civil engineers. just sayin...

[@ewthmatth]

Well if you can't reverse an analogy there is something wrong ;)

[@UKMonkey]

Was surprised that he didn't mention capacitors and filtering out high frequency waves... I mean if you're starting with a comparison you may as well keep going!

[@fireaza]

Gravity was actually knocked offline for me one time during a black out! I never found out if Sandra Bullock made it safely back to Earth :(

[@beliasphyre3497]

I'm not sure either, but Jake Gyllenhaal did land safely with the sample.

[@EvrSpd]

She made it back to earth but she crashed in a lake in some wilderness, who knows on what continent. So I dunno if she's safe or not.

[@ye3826]

@@EvrSpd I think its Southeast asia

[@ersu.t]

@@EvrSpd I heard she ended up in rehab with 27 dresses, you can contact her on the Net if you want to know more

[@EvrSpd]

@@ersu.t it's cool. She just passed me on the freeway driving a bus at about 55mph with what looked like keanu Reeves hanging over her shoulder.

[@jiribrabec2100]

Explaining fluid pressure using analogy to electric voltage - beautiful savagery

[@oleksiyalkhazov9201]

Practical Engineering is so cool and interesting. Thank you for high value content

[@ibeatheatly]

As a newly licensed Water Resource Professional Engineer, I approve of this video.

[@projectmanagement2356]

When will clean water run out? Do you know when the water wars will begin?

[@rb26gtr98]

Wow what were the odds on that?!

[@dawnofjustice4689]

We in Germany don't really have Water Towers (in use) anymore but it's still interesting how they worked. So thanks a lot for that Video 👍

[@pardeepsinghbajwa5097]

So u guys are dependent mostly on pumps ?

[@PerfectBroo]

I could imagine having an air-pressure-tank in the system to cope with rapid changes in demand. Does anybody know how its actually done?

[@Memnoch4711]

@@pardeepsinghbajwa5097 Power outages are virtually unheard of so that's no problem.

[@chadoftoons]

You sure we don't use water towers anymore? The historical ones yes thoose all serve other purposes now but i think they are combined with other buildings. Though might also just be private owned water tower the one im thinking of

[@Memnoch4711]

@@chadoftoons There are water reservoirs for fire protection. Pretty much every village has them but no water towers, at least I haven't seen any. As Grady has mentioned in the video, the towers have their own downsides, like contruction and maintenance cost. If the numbers don't add up, don't build them.

[@rand49er]

Thanks for producing this video. We take too many things for granted, and this video helps to give more exposure to just one of those.

[@bozinoski]

I always wondered what is the purpose of those, and now it makes so much sense. Great video, you earned yourself a new subscriber :)

[@benjamming883]

kept my attention for whole video, very well rounded info and animation! thanks!

[@lawrencetoddverrnier302]

hi! i work in the field of water distribution. i actually watched your video for a laugh. but, i was pleasantly surprised by the accuracy and clear explanations. BRAVO! one thing you could have included was the point 43 pound rule. for every foot of height of the tower you gain point 43 pounds of pressure. so a 100 foot tower would passively impart exactly 43 pounds of pressure at ground level. i subbed. good video.

[@loled123]

I agree with this. I missed him saying BAR, PSI or just some weight unit.

[@xpehkto]

That ad hoc "rule" is an example of how bad imperial system of measure is. With pascals/bars and meters you don't need a special constant here, you just use g. So 100 meters tower would produce 9.8 bars of pressure at ground level.

[@gordonrichardson2972]

You are missing the unit of area over which the pressure is measured. I assume you mean square inches.

[@lawrencetoddverrnier302]

@@gordonrichardson2972 right you are! i should have said PSI

[@rekky213]

43 X 100 = 4300!

[@potatochip190]

Very pretty work. Thanks for this video!

[@travisking9321]

What a wonderful and enjoyable watch of how a water tower works. Made so simple. Yet so easy to take in. Thank you for yet another great edutaining video.

[@ThePavilionWeb]

That was a difficult subject matter to make interesting but somehow you done it and done it in style, great work!

[@pookexvi4998]

Really found the video informative and very easy to understand. Thank you for sharing. Looking forward to the rest of the series that you have planned

[@ruffadamsthegreat.2662]

I have always wondered at this, bc I live 3 blocks from my town's water tank. And now I have a simple way to explain it to my nieces & nephews. So, thank you very much!

[@haustinj959]

hi i just wanna say thank you for making these videos. I recently started a new job as an assistant water operator and your videos helped me. Thank you.

[@BK-qp8zp]

That was amazing! An interesting topic, very well explained in a way the average non-engineer can understand - I really enjoyed it. Thanks!

[@mohammednahari1204]

Thank you for your efforts, I love investing my time learning new things just like this video. Keep up the good work.

[@TrueMetis]

You know I only thought about the power outage usage, smoothing out demand peaks never occurred to me. And it's kind of crazy how there's a 1-1 comparison between water storage and energy storage in terms of smoothing out demand and increasing efficiency.

[@tradedossier]

Thank you for this video! I drove past a city's water pump last week and wondered how it work and what was its purpose. This video answered both of those questions.

[@kenfrank3782]

Thanks for this video and your series. Great educational stuff.

[@guybd5521]

I love how behind every invention, there's a "deep" sciense involved

[@federicomaisch6812]

Well explained, thank you for sharing

[@davidberesford7009]

I enjoyed that. The level of complexity was comfortable to watch for 10 mins or so.

[@fasiuddiin]

Keep up the good work of spreading knowledge 👍

[@MisterNohbdy]

"Around 6 AM, people start waking up" ahahahahahahaha

[@CrazyInWeston]

Maybe YOU dont, but plenty of others do. In my town Rush hour is between 7-8am meaning you have had to get up at 6 to shower, brush teeth, have a shit etc before making your way to work, and in that 1hr alone, over 20,000 vehicles will make their way through the only ONE road out of town if going north (To Bristol where all the jobs are) This means cos of the ONE road, there are massive tailbacks, so some people have to get up even earlier to try and counteract this queue during the morning rush just to make it into work on time.

[@davidespinoza2993]

@@CrazyInWeston Bristol, NY?

[@CrazyInWeston]

@@davidespinoza2993 Hiya, no Bristol in the UK.

[@notminus]

he was talking about people with lives.

[@TheyWhomTheGodsDetest]

I wake up at 3:30 am at least two days a week.

[@Cat-no8ts]

Incredible! I really enjoyed this. It made me more keenly aware of how important certain things are such as watertowers. Thank you!

[@alanaldpal950]

Most KZbin videos I watch, I play them minimized in a corner or as I do other things. You videos graphics and clips are so good that I usually watch … actually watch the video.

[@regimentd]

The Cibolo, TX water tower at 5:00 serves the house that I grew up in.

[@MikaelaSelene]

I pass that tower every weekend. The in-laws live in that neighborhood

[@reuben8856]

You must not be very close to your inlaws, @@MikaelaSelene.

[@2GSpyderTurbo]

I live there as well off of 1103

[@PiggyDash]

I came here after watching a Water Tower Collapse Compilation.

[@frazzled5791]

PiggyDash same

[@enesbenes2875]

Same 😂😁

[@memeicaluniverse2108]

Yoooo same 😂

[@reecehuff8030]

Same!

[@TheTechAndScience]

Same here

[@zenongruba2607]

Brilliant. Yoou have helped me understand the water utility.

[@BeanyHarnell]

Thank you Sir. I greatly enjoy the clear fashion you convey complex concepts.

[@CCSABCD]

Great video as always!

[@762x51mm]

@2:21 Electrons flow from low voltage to high voltage. Since their charge is negative, the electrical current flows from high voltage to low voltage.

[@gavinli1368]

127x99mm Agghhhhhhh.... and this is why I’m not going into electrical engineering. I’m sure I’d get it eventually, but I’ll stick with civil and analyzing beams and trusses.

[@scotttovey]

@Dave Cockayne Benjamin Franklin getting it wrong is not a problem. There is a problem when those who have the technology to prove the factual direction refuse to change for the sake of tradition, thereby putting tradition above truth. There are a great deal of Pharisees in our day and age, they just go by different names.

[@nahiyanalamgir7614]

I was about to say that but then I found this comment. Current flows from high to low voltage. Electron follow the opposite trend, thanks to Benjamin Franklin :D

[@rockyblacksmith]

Let's just refer to it as flowing from strong charge to weak charge. Gives everyone an understanding of what is going on, and skips the discussion.

[@nahiyanalamgir7614]

Electrons themselves are charged. What kind of charge you talking about? Positive or negative? How does electron flow from charge to charge? I bet "potential" makes much more sense to most people.

[@kenlelon369]

Something that's in everyone's face but still a practical mystery to most. A good, interesting topic for discussion. Well done.

[@christophercharles9645]

Having moved to the Midwest a few years ago I've definitely noticed the importance of water towers to public water systems. Every town has one - with their name emblazoned on it. Of course I noticed them when I lived in NYC, but other East Coast cities (like Boston, where I grew up) either benefit from being at sea level and relatively flat or they're crafty at hiding their towers. There was a large, but not elevated, water tower/tank near my grandparents in Arlington, MA (it was at the top of Park Ave., so maybe it was "elevated" for the rest of the city), but other than that I can't recall seeing many water towers.

[@wikusvandemerwe2762]

Can't wait for the pumped-hydro episode you alluded to. It would interesting to know how much water at a given height would be needed to power a home for, say, 24 hours.

[@jc_1337]

I'd be interested in toying with the idea of using consumer-sized water storage tanks to store energy during off-peak hours. This way, you use energy from the grid when it's cheap and then convert that potential energy back into electricity during peak grid hours. I'm assuming that the only reason why we don't do this now is because it's an economy of scale sort of thing.

[@TheEulerID]

That's easy to work out. If you know your house uses, say, 30 kWh in a day, that's 108 MJ of energy. That's equivalent to raising 100 metric tons of water (about 110 US tons, or about 26,500 US gallons) to a height of about 110 metres (about 361 feet). However, that's at 100% efficiency, and if it's 80% efficient (good for pumped storage), that means multiplying by 1.25, so 138 metres or 451 feet. To put that in perspective, a typical 2,000 square foot US house weighs, with its contents, about 205 US tons, so it's the equivalent of lifting the entire house vertically by about 220 feet. The simple formulas used are to turn kWh into MJ, multiply the former by 3.6. As gravitational potential energy is just mgh where m is the mass in kg, g is the acceleration due to gravity (9.81 m/s^2) and h is the height in metres. Now take these numbers and multiply them by the number of houses in a large city and you'll see the scale of storage required.

[@TheEulerID]

@@jc_1337 The energy storage capacity is trivial for domestic water tanks. Raise 1,000 US gallons of water (which weighs about 4.2 US tons) by 25 feet (that is roughly two storeys), and it will store the equivalent of less than 0.08 kWh of electricity as gravitational potential energy. However, as the whole operation is 80% efficient at best, then you'll only get about 0.06 kWh back. That's rather less than the electrical energy stored in a 4 Ah 18V battery for a cordless drill (which is around 0.07 kWh).

[@BloodyRainRang]

The moment when you realize that something so "simple" has so much thought put into it. Really glad that channels like this and others exist, here you really learn the interesting and useful stuff, not at school sadly : /

[@gardengeek3041]

The narration is first-rate. Thank you!

[@scrapdaddy13]

That was cool. I never knew how they worked before. Love your videos, very educational.

[@Quacks0]

A water tower is like a capacitor or rechargeable battery --- it releases copious intervals of flow when needed, and then stores the water during periods of less demand. :D P.S. That's what a savings-account is supposed to be for, too --- you put in extra money as you get it, and then it can be heavily drawn upon during an emergency. The problem is that many folks cannot resist spending money on stuff that they don't need, and so they are not able to save up much.

[@kazejah1014]

Was gonna say the same thing.

[@kylezo]

"The problem is that many folks cannot resist spending money", uhh no, it isn't. Spoken like someone who doesn't know poverty. The PROBLEM is that many folks cannot make a living wage and the concept of saving is a complete fucking joke because respect for the working class has become completely abysmal, not to mention profiteering financial institutions being the cultural norm, education prices (both public and private) being absolutely hysterically gouged, etc etc etc. There are SO MANY problems that come down the line before "people have no self control" that it's an insult to even suggest that it's a substantial issue. Corporate profits are at an all time high and the concentration of wealth within the upper classes is more severe than ever before in the history of this planet, BY A WIDE MARGIN, and that's including the times when kingdoms and emperors were the way the world was run for thousands of years before modern governmental systems came of age.

[@soiledflapjacks1938]

How did you manage to turn a topic about batteries and water towers into a message of “Why don’t you just *not* be poor?”

[@Quacks0]

@@kylezo I agree that this is true for many people. I was merely saying that some people would indeed have enough if they practiced sensible frugality and saving, the way I do. I am merely on SSI and Food Stamps, but I manage okay on just those few hundred bucks a month; that's only possible through very thrifty living and careful budgeting, though.

[@timotheatae]

That's not how poverty works.

[@rencheple]

"It's been a long time since gravity was knocked offline by a thunderstorm." - Great line.

[@MathieusTheWalkingWitness]

Gravity is just theory tale that has never been proven to exist... "Relative Density" Objects will either sink, float, or rise in a medium they're in, depending on the density of the object relative to the medium I. E. (1) A helium balloon🎈 A helium balloon rises through the medium of air, cause helium is less dense (rises) than the medium of air surrounding helium balloon I. E. (2) An apple 🍎 The apple sinks through the medium of air, cause the apple is more dense (sinks) than the medium of air surrounding the apple I. E. (3) (equilibrium) A rock sits on the ground in a state of equilibrium... you decide to pick up the rock... However, by doing so, you're taking that rock out of its natural state of equilibrium... You then decide to drop the rock, causing the rock to sink through the medium of air, to seek it's natural state of equilibrium I. E. (3.1) So the apple sunk through the medium of air, but this time it lands in a pool of water... The apple sinks through the thick density of water to find out that it went too deep, and decides to rise (due to the apple being less dense than the medium of water) to the top of the water to seek it's equilibrium state

[@kombaijoe]

@@MathieusTheWalkingWitness I like turtles.

[@AndrewAce.]

Great video, thanks for the info. Whoever came up with this concept is very clever...

[@davebeedon3424]

Infomative and easy to understand. Grady gets an A+ !

[@Keet619]

Clean, potable, reliable water source is a very underrated blessing of modern civilization. Why don't all water towers freeze in winter? I know of a story where a small town in Indiana had a water tower that froze one February back in the late 1980's. It collapsed from the water and ice load leaving residents without water for months.

[@OrcinusLaryngologist]

Wow, I’ve never thought about that!