Up, Up and Away & A Tower of Water aka A Water Tower

By the time this posts, we will be on our way to the airport as our flight leaves at 8:45 a.m., meaning we have to get to Mimi's at 6:00 a.m. in order for her to get us to the airport on time, with our eyelids only half opened.

Well, I really worked hard and got five (including this post) posts ready if blogger will cooperate and publish them, so hang on and let's see what happens.

All of you will be in my prayers while we are gone and this is not just something I say, it is what I truly do.

About a week ago Michael asked me about water towers, and their purpose, so I decided, hey, how about an informative post on them?

So here is a very happy water tower....

How's this for a cute little teapot one...this one is one that Judy @ Just A Little Something For You could have designed and it reminded me of her...

This one is VERY colorful, think they left out the NEW for New York? Eileen (@Umma's World), you want to paint it on there?....

Anyone for a watermelon tower ?(I do love watermelons)....



This one is in Kentucky and just kind of cute...

How about this one for artistic and interesting?....

Now these must be Diana (@Welcome To My World)water towers because they are so funny!.....

This isn't too far from funny either, so it must be Jackie (@Teacher's Pet) and me (@LaLA Land), funny bunnies here in Georgia...

Here is the 'real' water tower where Michael and I live....

Can't do water towers without including my home town of Chicago's famous old water tower...

Here's the inscription on the side of it...

It's really a work of art too and I have been to it several times and so have my children....

Now, here's the inside story on water towers for those who need to know....

"A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated water storage container constructed for the purpose of holding a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system. Pressurization occurs through the elevation of water; for every 10.20 centimetres (4.016 in) of elevation, it produces 1 kilopascal (0.145 psi) of pressure. 30 m (98.43 ft) of elevation produces roughly 300 kPa (43.511 psi), which is enough pressure to operate and provide for most domestic water pressure and distribution system requirements.

Many water towers were constructed during the Industrial Revolution; some are now considered architectural landmarks and monuments, and may not be demolished. Some are converted to apartments or exclusive penthouses.

In certain areas, such as New York City, smaller water towers are constructed for individual buildings.

Purpose

Shooter's Hill water tower is a local landmark; water towers are very common around London suburbsThe users of the water supply (a town, factory, or just a building) need to have water pressure to maintain the safety of the water supply. If a water supply is not pressurized sufficiently, several things can happen:

Water may not reach the upper floors of a building;
Water may not spray from a tap with sufficient flow
Without a water tower, parts of gravity flow water supply systems in hilly areas may be subject to negative pressures (see siphon). Negative pressure in the system may cause shallow groundwater to be sucked into a leaky water supply system, polluting it with microorganisms, dirt, sand, fertilizers, and any other toxic contaminants that may be in the groundwater;
Water towers are able to supply water even during power outages, because they rely on pressure produced by elevation of water (due to gravity) to push the water pipes into domestic and industrial water distribution systems; however, they cannot supply water for a long time without electricity, because a pump is required to refill the tower.
A further purpose is that a water tower serves as a reservoir to help with water needs during peak usage times. The water level in the tower typically falls during the peak usage hours of the day, and then a pump fills it back up during the night. This process also keeps the water from freezing in cold weather, since the tower is constantly being drained and refilled.
Operation

How Roihuvuori water tower works:
1. Pump station
2. Reservoir
3. Water userThe height of the tower provides the hydrostatic pressure for the water supply system, and it may be supplemented with a pump. The volume of the reservoir and diameter of the piping provide and sustain flow rate. However, relying on a pump to provide pressure is expensive; to keep up with varying demand, the pump would have to be sized to meet peak demands. During periods of low demand, jockey pumps are used to meet these lower water flow requirements. The water tower reduces the need for electrical consumption of cycling pumps and thus the need for an expensive pump control system, as this system would have to be sized sufficiently to give the same pressure at high flow rates.

Very high volumes and flow rates are needed when fighting fires. With a water tower present, pumps can be sized for average demand, not peak demand; the water tower can provide water pressure during the day and pumps will refill the water tower when demands are lower.

Decoration

The House in the Clouds in Thorpeness functioned as the town's water tower until 1923.Water towers can be surrounded by ornate coverings including fancy brickwork, a large ivy-covered trellis or they can be simply painted. Some city water towers have the name of the city painted in large letters on the roof, as a navigational aid to aviators. Sometimes the decoration can be humorous, as Granger, Iowa has two water towers, labeled HOT and COLD. The House in the Clouds in Thorpeness, located in the English county of Suffolk, was built to resemble a house in order to disguise the eyesore, whilst the lower floors were used for accommodation. When the town was connected to the mains water supply, the water tower was dismantled and converted to additional living space.

Sapp Bros. truck stops use a water tower with a handle and spout – looking like a coffee pot – as the company logo. Many of their facilities have decorated actual water towers (presumably non-functional) on-site.

The first and original "Mushroom" – Svampen in Swedish – was built in Örebro in Sweden in the early 1950s and later copies were built around the world including Saudi-Arabia and Kuwait."

I will be checking in whenever time allows and I will try to comment when possible, so take good care of yourselves, please.

Now this humor is not 'watered' down, so please enjoy...

***********
The Magic Water Slide

Three guys are at the top of a huge water slide when they notice a genie. He says to them, "Since there are 3 of you, I will grant you each one wish. When you are going down the slide, simply shout what you want and it will appear at the bottom when you get there."

So the first guy goes down and shouts, "A billion dollars," and he lands in a pile of money.

The second guy goes down the slide and shouts, "Beautiful women," and he arrives to a line of hot models.

Then the third guy is so excited going down the slide that he shouts, "WEEEEEEEEE!"

Water in the Carburetor

WIFE: "There's trouble with the car. It has water in the carburetor."

HUSBAND: "Water in the carburetor? That's ridiculous."

WIFE: "I tell you the car has water in the carburetor."

HUSBAND: "You don't even know what a carburetor is. I'll check it out. Where's the car?"

WIFE: "In the pool."
***************

What is the chemical formula for water?
Little Johnny's teacher asks, "What is the chemical formula for water?"

Little Johnny replies, "HIJKLMNO"!!

The teacher, puzzled, asks, "What on Earth are you talking about?"

Little Johnny replies, "Yesterday you said it was H to O!"

~~~Lord, thank You for the blessings of clean water and the ways in which we receive it, may all people in our world be blessed with clean water.