How Water Towers Work 

"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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Ah yes the gravity outage of 1908

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

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

Up next, how wine towers work!

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!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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 :)

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.

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!!

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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. 👍👍👍

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 :(

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

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.

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!

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

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.

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!

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.

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

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!

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

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

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

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

I came here after watching a Water Tower Collapse Compilation.

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

Explaining fluid pressure using analogy to electric voltage - beautiful savagery

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

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

Dutch people can stop watching after 8:01

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!

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

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

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

Aqueduct channels were covered with stone lids to prevent contamination. The covers were removed periodically for maintenance.

WOW, it really hit me right at 4:50, that is amazing. It's basically a peaking station, as you would find in a power grid.

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 👍

This need to be implemented in Cities Skylines!

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

Awesome Video! Thanks a lot Grady!

who’s here bc of the “water towers falling” vid

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

How have I never clicked on a video from this channel before?!? Instant sub! Perfect explanations, great voice and fascinating videos!

Wow, never before understood these concepts soo well, and in a simple language. Thanks for helping me out!! 🙏🙏

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

Great video as always!

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

Very pretty work. Thanks for this video!

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

Keep up the good work of spreading knowledge 👍

The narration is first-rate. Thank you!

Tanks For Making This Very Informative Video.

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.

Excellent! My daughter has been asking how the city water tower works and I have been stumbling through with "well, I am not sure, but I think...". Now I know! :D

Great video! I have always wondered about the importance of water towers. Obviously, I know they provide water to people in cities. I have always wondered why they were so important. Your explanation was excellent. I truly appreciate the fact that you keep your sponsor to the end of your videos. It makes me feel like I should truly understand what they have to offer. I live in a subdivision that is considered rural, but close enough to a city that we get electric, from a public entity, and natural gas. As for water, I share a well with my neighbor.

Very easy to understand explanation. Thanks for the great videos.

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.

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.

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

This was so interesting!! I’ve always wondered how water towers functioned

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

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.