A Genie® ZX™-135/70 boom lift helps with the challenging maintenance of a water tower at 40 m height

Elevo, Perico Renato Costruzioni Edili and A2A work in synergy on a project nothing short of spectacular!

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Earlier this winter, the green countryside of Novagli di Montichiari (Brescia, Italy) was the backdrop to one of the most spectacular maintenance operations of recent times, starring the Genie® ZX™-135/70 articulated boom lift, an aqueduct tower and five men on top of the tower’s "hat" at a height of 40 metres. The contractor, Perico Renato S.r.L. Costruzioni Edili, carefully planned the intervention down to its smallest details and was helped on site by five operators and the outstanding performance of the Genie ZX-135/70 boom lift.

The aqueduct structure, which had been out of operation for some time, required upkeep for safety reasons, including prevent debris from the concrete slabs on the roof — attacked for years by atmospheric events — from detaching and falling to the ground. The upkeep work was requested by A2A, an Italian multi-utility of environmental services and heating. The complex work was entrusted to the Bergamo-based company Perico Renato S.r.L. Costruzioni Edili, which in order to reach those heights turned to a well-known rental company, its usual partner: Elevo - Kiloutou.

Why a Genie ZX-135/70?

After many inspections and surveys, drone video recordings and high-resolution photographs conducted as part of the risk assessment, surveyor Renato Poloni, Operations Director at Perico Renato Costruzioni Edili Srl, assisted by Elevo technicians, decided to use the Genie ZX-135/70 articulated boom lift. A 43.15 m (141 ft) working height, maximum horizontal outreach of 18.03 m (59 ft 2 in), lifting speed from the ground to the maximum height of only 96 seconds, 360° continuous rotation turret, and four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering, made the Genie ZX-135/70 ideally suited for this challenge.

The “cap” of the tank was a particularly difficult area to access. However, with a load capacity of 272 kg (600 lb), a remarkable maximum up-and-over height of 23,01 m (75 ft 6 in), a vertical rotation of the jib of 110° and a range of 3,66 m to 6,10 m (12 ft to 20 ft) with its Jib-Extend™ proved the ZX-135/70 the perfect solution to allow operators to carry out the necessary work safely and efficiently.

5 operators at 40 meters height

Surveyor Renato Poloni comments: "We had to start with the design of both the method of securing the cap and, in collaboration with Elevo's technicians, the planialtimetric positioning of the platform, paying close attention to all safety aspects, such as accessibility to the workplace, suspended power lines, adjacent geometric impediments, soil bearing capacity, underground installations, etc. etc."

He continues, "We then proceeded with the design, manufacturing and installation of a safety net coupled with an anti-debris net, both with a diameter of 15 m (49 ft 2.5 in) and weighing more than 60 kg (132 lb). This was laid out, pulled up to the edges of the "hat" and then integrated with a one-meter wide band, sewn with special rope, along the entire perimeter." To be certain that the Genie ZX-135/70 could be used, the following were evaluated beforehand: weight, footprint, work diagram to reach every point of the structure, stability and sustainability of the terrain. Two reinforced concrete stalls – weighing about 20 tons (40,000 lb) -- were built over a total area of 128 sqm (1,377 sq ft) to allow the machine, through only two positions, to reach all points of the tank.

The use of the Genie ZX-135/70 proved to be the ideal solution for an intervention of this nature and complexity. Coordinated by Perico Renato Costruzioni Edili Srl, five technicians (one in the basket and four on the top of the structure) worked at a height of 40 m (131 ft 2.8 in) for two days, among them A2A personnel and professionals working with ropes (the riggers), who guaranteed a very high level of safety. For the Bergamo-based company, which specializes in civil and industrial construction, this was a special maintenance project, carried out with efficiency and speed, which led to full customer satisfaction.