Posted on October 29, 2025 by Brent Phillips

Routine maintenance scheduling is a necessity for water asset managers and city water authorities seeking to protect public health, maintain regulatory compliance, and maximize budget efficiency. One proven strategy within this framework is regular sandblasting—a process that not only prolongs tank lifespan but also reduces the total cost of ownership. Today’s blog explores how routine maintenance scheduling, particularly regular sandblasting, extends the life of tanks and reduces total costs for water utilities.

Value of Preventive Maintenance

Routine maintenance scheduling is the backbone of responsible asset management. Making sure to inspect water tanks regularly to detect early signs of wear, corrosion, or coating failures before costly breakdowns occur.

Formal inspection, cleaning, and coating are proven to prevent premature tank failure, unexpected repairs, and water outages. The cost of a thorough inspection is insignificant when compared to the expense of tank replacement or system downtime.​

What Sandblasting Does? Why It Matters?

Regular sandblasting is a process that involves the use of high-pressure abrasives to remove rust, paint, blisters, and contaminants from both the interior and exterior tank surfaces. That creates a clean surface that is ideal for coating adhesion. The process is effective in removing corrosion, thereby preventing its spread and safeguarding against possible water contamination.

Extending Tank Service Life

When tanks receive regular sandblasting before recoating, the likelihood of coating failure decreases dramatically. This proactive surface preparation stabilizes the structure’s integrity and extends operational life. Water asset managers benefit by delaying the need for costly capital replacements and keeping assets serviceable for extended periods.

Benefits include:

• Removal of damaging rust and biological growth​
• Reinforcement of tank surfaces
• Improved ability to detect necessary structural repairs
• Greater performance of protective coatings

Improving Coating Adhesion Plus Performance

Sandblasting creates a surface profile that is ideal for the application of high-performance coatings and primers. This profile, characterized by its roughness and cleanliness, ensures successful coating adhesion. 

Proper adhesion is not only necessary for aesthetics but also for protection against chemical, UV, and moisture damage. It minimizes the likelihood of peeling, cracking, concrete spalling, or blistering, all of which can accelerate tank degradation and introduce health risks.

Cost Efficiency and Reduced Total Cost of Ownership

Structured maintenance planning, which includes regular sandblasting, is a cost-effective strategy for water authorities. It reduces the total cost by prolonging the life of existing assets, limiting emergency repairs, and maximizing the effectiveness of each maintenance cycle.

Water authorities that follow such planning spend substantially less on replacements and labor over time. Rehabilitation and recoating, especially when combined with skilled surface preparation, are cost-effective strategies for extending infrastructure life.

Safety, Compliance, and Environmental Benefits

Sandblasting operations are not just about maintenance; they are about environmental responsibility. They are regulated to ensure airborne contaminants, such as lead particulates, do not threaten workers or the surrounding communities.

Permits and containment requirements protect air quality and public health. Environmentally sound blasting practices and regular maintenance help utilities comply with state and federal regulations while maintaining safe water delivery systems, demonstrating your commitment to environmental stewardship.

Scheduling Strategy

Routine maintenance scheduling should integrate regular sandblasting every two to five years, subject to a tank’s age, condition, and environmental exposure. Coordinating sandblasting with inspection and re-coating cycles creates efficient workflows, reduces service interruptions, and improves budget planning for water utilities.​

Finally, routine maintenance scheduling—including how regular sandblasting extends the life of tanks, reduces total cost, and enhances safety—offers measurable benefits for water asset managers seeking to protect their infrastructure investments and community health.

If your municipality is ready to get started with scheduling your town’s next sandblasting and protective coating maintenance, contact the team at Cunningham Sandblasting at (620) 848-3030.