Standpipe water towers are becoming fewer and further between, and some exist today only to remind us of our past, but not serve the purpose for which they were intended. These towers are remnants of an earlier time, and most towers that are still standing are at least a century old. Before modern-day pumping methods were utilized, the steam-driven pumps used to send water through a city created large surges in pressure, causing the pipes to rattle and shake in residential and commercial buildings. People who lived in multi-story houses also had difficulties supplying water to the upper floors of their homes.

Standpipes, consisting of large vertical pipes where a column of water rises and falls to prevent surges, were built to equalize water pressure. In order to make the standpipes more visually appealing, towers were built to hide them. As technology has advanced, standpipes have become obsolete, and many have been torn down over the years. Recently, CSDA contractor member Kansas Concrete Cutting, Inc. of Salina, KS helped demolish one of these water towers in Demar, KS. This water tower needed to be demolished because it was deteriorating and structurally unstable.

The City of Demar contracted Reif Welding and Construction, LLC, which contracted Kansas Concrete Cutting to remove the 80-foot, concrete, octagon-shaped, hollow water tower using wall sawing to cut the tower into eight manageable pieces for removal using a crane. Concrete cutting was specified for this job because the water tower was located within 50 feet of a residential area, so dust, noise and debris created using alternative demolition methods, such as wrecking balls, would not have been acceptable.

To begin this job, operators had to set up a crane basket to work out of as they progressively moved down from the top of the tower, at 80 feet, to the base. Kansas Concrete Cutting operators took full safety measures during this job, including wearing harnesses for fall protection. To begin the removal process, operators used a Cushion Cut 360 Hydraulic Wall Saw to make their first cut 3 feet below the water tower’s roof. Demar’s residents stood below at a safe distance and craned their necks to watch this initial step in the demolition of their water tower.

To remove each section of the concrete tower, operators made eight 6-foot horizontal cuts through 8-inch-thick concrete (12 inches thick at the corners) to cut around the entire circumference of the octagon tower. Once operators had made the entire cut around the tower, the first 44,000-lb. section was lifted up and removed using two cranes. Operators repeated this process, cutting eight 6-foot-long, 8-inch-thick sections (12 inches thick at the corners) for each of the eight 15 to 22-ton sections they removed.

Kansas Concrete Cutting sawed a total of 512 lineal feet of eight to 12-inch-thick concrete to cut the water tower into manageable pieces for removal. Operators completed this job for the City of Demar in 3 ½ days and within budget, despite a one-day delay due to rain.

“This job went really well, and we were very satisfied with the results,” said Kenny O’Donnell of Kansas Concrete Cutting. “I anticipated that this job would take about eight days, but our guys got it done in less than four,” he said. O’Donnell attributes this success to loyal employees who work to get the job done right the first time.

Kansas Concrete Cutting, Inc. in Salina, KS has been a CSDA member since 2000 and has been in business since 1994. They employ five operators and specialize in wall sawing, flat sawing, core drilling, hand sawing and grinding. Kansas Concrete Cutting is a branch of The Coring and Cutting Group, with 13 offices from Kansas to Florida.

Resources:
General Contractor: The City of Demar
Method: Wall Sawing
Sawing and Drilling Contractor: Kansas Concrete Cutting, Inc.
Salina, KS
Tel: 785-825-7222
Fax: 785-825-6760
www.sawconcrete.com