Posted on June 12, 2025 by Brent Phillips

The water tank industry is undergoing a digital transformation, especially in the realm of protective coatings for water tanks. As municipalities and facility managers face increasing pressures to ensure water quality, extend asset life, and control costs, digital solutions are emerging as powerful tools. These tools empower professionals, such as Cunningham Inc., to optimize coating selection, application, and ongoing maintenance, giving them greater control and confidence in their decision-making.

1. Data-Driven Coating Selection

Selecting the right protective coating for a water tank is no longer a matter of guesswork or relying solely on past experience. Modern digital solutions leverage data from sensors, historical maintenance records, and environmental analytics to recommend coatings tailored to a tank’s specific material, location, and exposure risks. That data-driven approach ensures that coatings are compliant with industry standards and optimized for longevity and performance.

2. Smart Application Processes

The application of protective coatings is a critical step that determines their effectiveness. Digital solutions now monitor environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity, in real time during the coating process.

Temporary climate control systems, guided by digital monitoring, help create ideal curing conditions, thereby reducing the risk of coating failures such as bubbling or cracking. That real-time feedback loop enables contractors to adjust application techniques in real time, ensuring the coating bonds correctly and performs as intended.

3. Real-Time Monitoring and Remote Management

Once a coating is applied, ongoing monitoring is essential to detect early signs of wear, corrosion, or water quality issues. IoT-enabled sensors installed in and around water tanks provide continuous data on parameters such as water level, pH, turbidity, and temperature. These digital solutions offer several advantages:

• Immediate alerts for threshold breaches (e.g., declining water quality or abnormal tank conditions)
• Remote access to tank status, reducing the need for manual inspections
• Automated data logging for regulatory compliance and maintenance planning
• Predictive analytics to anticipate when maintenance or recoating is needed

4. Proactive Maintenance and Cost Savings

Digital solutions transform maintenance from a reactive to a proactive process. By analyzing sensor data and historical trends, facility managers can schedule maintenance before issues escalate, preventing costly repairs and minimizing downtime. Preventive maintenance based on real-time data also extends the lifespan of both the coating and the tank itself, optimizing asset management and reducing operational costs.

Key benefits of digital solutions for water tank coatings:

• Early detection of corrosion or coating degradation
• Reduced labor and inspection costs
• Enhanced safety by minimizing confined space entries
• Improved water quality assurance

5. The Future: Integration and Sustainability

The next frontier for digital solutions in water tank management is full integration with smart city infrastructure and sustainability initiatives. As more tanks become equipped with IoT sensors and cloud-based analytics, municipalities can coordinate water storage, distribution, and maintenance on a city-wide scale. That holistic approach supports water conservation, regulatory compliance, and long-term infrastructure resilience.

Revolutionizing Every Stage of Water Tank Coating Management

Digital solutions are revolutionizing every stage of water tank coating management—from selecting the right product to ensuring optimal application and enabling continuous, data-driven maintenance. By embracing these advancements, water utilities and facility managers can protect public health, extend the life of critical infrastructure, and achieve significant operational efficiencies.