Your water blast solutions provider

BLACKPOOL TOWER FACELIFT RELIES ON JETSTREAM MACHINES

Top water blast systems supplier Jetstream Europe is playing a major role in the £6 million project to restore Blackpool Tower to its former glory.

The Midlands-based company has just supplied a second ultra-high pressure water jet unit to the team in charge of refurbishing the iconic 518ft structure. The additional machine is being used as part of an accelerated works programme to revamp the top of the tower in readiness for the opening of a new observation deck in September. The full restoration programme is set for completion in 2015.

Contractor MPM North West is stripping away decades of paint and rust with the Jetstream machines so that engineers can check the structure and replace any faulty steelwork before it is repainted in its original red colour.

The restoration team chose Jetstream to supply a second system after being impressed by the performance of its initial purchase, a similar ultra-high pressure water jet unit with a twin-gun operator function.

The equipment was specially devised to be compact and lightweight so it was not only suitable for use on a purpose-built scaffold system, but could also be easily transported to the work site via the tower's lifts.
In addition, MPM had to overcome other challenges to undertake the water blast operation including the installation of pumps to deliver water to a series of storage tanks situated at over 200ft and 300ft up the tower, as well as new power cables to supply the units.

During the operation, paint and debris is contained within the working area by protective sheets and netting. The material is then swept up, placed in dedicated tipping bins and later craned down into skips, explained project manager Dave Hulme.

A total of 20 staff are involved in the task at the top of the tower and restoration work is carried out seven days a week provided there is good weather, he added.

He is full of praise for the Jetstream equipment, which is being used in probably the largest and most high profile, ultra-high pressure water jet cleaning contract currently underway in the UK.

"Jetstream Europe was able to build the machines to our requirements and the company provides an excellent spares and technical back-up service. The units are easy to maintain which means downtime is kept to a minimum and they can be run as efficiently as possible," said Dave.