Monday, 13 September 2021 Case Studies
How Promax Tanks Overcome The Big Freeze
How Promax Tanks Overcome The Big Freeze
Who: Cardrona Alpine Resort
Products: 7x Promax 30000L Insulated Tanks with Internal Snow Frames
Where: Cardrona Skifield, Cardrona Valley Road, between Queenstown and Wanaka
Why: Business was booming at Cardrona Alpine Resort, located halfway between Wanaka and Queenstown. Increased accommodation capacity was required as was additional water storage for fire-fighting purposes. Storing 200,000 litres of water in an alpine setting poses unique challenges but, as always, we put our thinking caps on and came up with a solution that we dubbed “chilly bins on steroids.”
What: To strengthen the tanks and to help protect the water from freezing conditions at Cardrona, Promax was inspired by the humble chilly bin. Specifically, the insulation inside the bin. By insulating the water tanks, the water would remain in a liquid state and be ready to flow if required for fire fighting purposes.
As well as insulating the tanks, we buried them one metre into the ground to minimise visual impact and to further reduce freezing issues. An internal snow frame combats snow loading on the tank dome, while anti-vortex suction plates inside the tank meet fire storage criteria. Plus, seismic stainless flex coupling connections allow for movement in a seismic event. We worked closely with Queenstown civil and structural engineering experts Hadley Consultants and with their help we were able to provide Cardrona Resort with the water storage they need thanks to our “chilly bins on steroids”.