No Mains Water Help

[lor]

I have a 3 story townhouse in Pattaya. On the third floor veranda is a large water tank. It seems that this is directly filled from the water mains. The outlet of the tank then goes into the house.

Problem is that for the last two months we have had no mains water at all and dispite complaints to the water company looks like we will have none for some time.

I have asked many companies to come and provide water for me but they all say they cannot reach the tank at the back of the house on the third floor and even if they could the pumps on their wagaons would not pump it that high to fill the tank.

What can I do? My neighbour, with the same problem, has installed a water tank at ground level in the front of the house and then he also purchased a large pump to pump the water up to the main tank on the top of the house. So the water truck fill up the one downstairs then he fills the upstairs one by turning the pump on.

Is this the best way to go? Do I need the tank at ground level. Would a pump be OK by itself to pump the water from delivery trucks to the top tank? Maybe with a hose attached which I can use to get the water out of the water truck. Or is their some sort of connector where the hose from the water truck could plug straight into the pump?

Is there another solution to the problem? Price matters a lot. The cheaper the better!

Even though every one on my soi has had no water for at least two months it's strange the Seat Factory next door seems to have loads! But that doesn't help with my problem!

As you can tell by my poist I know very little about plumbing, I just need water to live!

Chris

[Crossy]

Ouch! I see the problem.

The pumps on the trucks can shift a lot of water quickly but not to a great height, so they will only be able to fill a tank at ground level. You won't be able to pump straight from the truck (he will not want to wait for you to do it).

The neighbours solution is probably best, tanks are readily available at reasonable cost.

You could use a non-automatic pump to lift from the ground tank to the roof tank (to keep the cost down, just remember to turn it off before the tank is empty). When buying said pump ensure that it has sufficient head (pressure) to lift to the height of your existing tank.

If your incoming supply is near the ground tank and accessible you could link your pump to the pipe and use the existing plumbing to fill the tank. If you decide to tee into the existing pipework you will need a non-return valve to prevent your water feeding back into the (dry) supply main.

Make sure you fit a tap to the outlet of the new tank so you can isolate your pump if things go awry.

Edited January 6, 2009 by Crossy