Water Tanks, Plastic Or Stainless Steel?

[Bkkbound]

Like many others water drought has become a major problem in our village just outside of Khemerat, up until now our house had its own 40 mtr bore hole and pump and we had a reliable water source, the rest of the village has been dry for 3 weeks, this week the head villager went and dug a another bore hole in the neighbouring plot of land which has tapped into the same water source, as mine, piped it across the village now that's run dry!!

I'd always expected this to happen, I want to purchase 1 or 2 1000 ltr tanks, we have the base to put them up a couple of metres which was the original plan 5 years ago tapping into the village supply but we chose our own supply instead , the question is to go with plastic or steel tanks?

Currently I'm in the UK but back in June.

JP

[bealus]

the plastic used for water tanks(and many other products)contains chemicals to prevent the plastic from

cracking under the influence of uv radiation(and also prevailing temps in Thailand). these "softeners"(don't know the genuine definition in English, as it's not my native language sorry)gradually "evaporate" out of the plastic and into the water.

Of course this process can be delayed by putting the tank under a roof etc; but you can't avoid

that these chemicals mix with the water. One can argue that there is a big dilution and nobody gonna die from'this instantly of course. But long term effects on health are evident and can be found on internet.

Stainless tanks that's a no brainer are substantial more expensive, but don't have this disadvantage and

last a lifetime.

Make the calculation: durability and no health hazards versus pricetag, limited lifetime and possible

health hazards.

[shaggy1969]

the plastic used for water tanks(and many other products)contains chemicals to prevent the plastic from

cracking under the influence of uv radiation(and also prevailing temps in Thailand). these "softeners"(don't know the genuine definition in English, as it's not my native language sorry)gradually "evaporate" out of the plastic and into the water.

Of course this process can be delayed by putting the tank under a roof etc; but you can't avoid

that these chemicals mix with the water. One can argue that there is a big dilution and nobody gonna die from'this instantly of course. But long term effects on health are evident and can be found on internet.

Stainless tanks that's a no brainer are substantial more expensive, but don't have this disadvantage and

last a lifetime.

Make the calculation: durability and no health hazards versus pricetag, limited lifetime and possible

health hazards.

Great first post

[shaggy1969]

I would go for stainless with a roof.

How do you propose filling them? if you don't mind me asking.

Also might be worth investing in some earthen rain water jars as a back up.

[zyphodb]

I am using a 700l plastic tank that I'm planning to fill from my yet to be dug bore hole which should be ok because any water in it will be used & then refilled over a max 2 day period... surely this is not a long enough time scale for any significant health damaging leaching to happen, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong anyone? (then I'll have to go & get a stainless one :~(.... )

[Ticketmaster]

I have been told by several suppliers that manufacturers do not recommend using "Stainless Steel" tanks with well water because there have been corrosion problems. When I ask how SS can corrode, I get blank stares, which is why I put SS in quotes. One never knows what one is really getting in LOS do we? True pure SS is NOT magnetic. Sometimes I bring along a magnet and am astounded at all the magnetic "stainless steel" around here.

Because a lot of people that bought stainless steel faced kitchen appliances (when they became popular years ago) complained to the manufacturers that their "refrigerator magnets wouldn't work with them, manufacturers started adding a magnetic element to the SS mix, but I really can't see why they would do this for anything other than appliances.

That all said, I use village water supply well water and a Diamond Brand 2,500 liter "stainless steel" tank for all the reasons stated by Bealus. I did however have it tested and it is PH neutral, and the test did not reveal any potentially corrosive agents. I am just now installing the tank so I have no history.

By the way, the tank is not magnetic, nor is the round stand upon which it sits. The 2" bung hole welded into the side, is, however magnetic. Will it rust?

[Naam]

By the way, the tank is not magnetic, nor is the round stand upon which
it sits. The 2" bung hole welded into the side, is, however magnetic.
Will it rust?

yes! the "bung hole" of my pressure tank for well water rusted off within four years. water is extremely low pH (5.2-5.5).

[xen]

Either choice of SS or Plastic i would be putting them under a large roof to shade both the tank and the contents. Stainless especially will get very hot and so you will loose a high percentage of water to evaporation. Similar, but to a lesser extent with plastic. I presume you are planning to use the water for drinking , cooking etc then i would go for the stainless steel but otherwise for washing, garden etc you can buy two for the price of one if you use plastic.

Interesting your comments about Stainless Steel Ticketmaster. There are quite a few different types / ratings of stainless with different metal compositions. I have seen stainless steel with surface rust on a few occasions and have been told it is a lower quality composition so perhaps this is the case with the magnetic properties. Make it shiny and it will sell in the shops but save on the stainless steel composition to increase profit . I am only guessing so we need a metallurgist to answer this one .

[mike123ca]

Lots of good information here.

My house is able to access city ( not always reliable, low pressure or no water available) or we pump up

underground water which looks good to the naked eye, but it does discolour porcelain and I was told to us it sparingly

when being used for the washing machine or the hot water heater.

I was wondering what type of water filtration set up is needed to improve the quality of the water?

[pault17]

As stated before some of the components of plastic dilute in water, not big quantities, but usually toxic.

I found out that the stainless steel tank I bought was lined up on the inside with a thin plastic foil. Don't ask me why.

[TexasRanger]

Had my stainless tank for years, no corrosion, I flush it through regularly.

[craigt3365]

OP: Will you be drinking the water from this tank?

[Utley]

My Thai wife and I live with her parents in the central provinces. When we added an addition to the house, we built the following rather simple rain water collection system. We collect rain water from the roof into 3 large above ground concrete "cisterns". From there, we pipe the water using gravity through a 2 stage filtration system into the house for use in drinking and cooking. We have never had a problem; you simply have to use some common sense on when to clean the system and start collecting your annual supply of rain water.

[Potosi]

There are no softeners in plastic water tanks, they are sturdy and hard to the touch, unless we're talking about the inflatable kind. They might contain UV stabilizers like benzophenones. Softeners are phthalate, different chemicals. If you are concerned about them, think food in little plastic bags, let alone hot one. I have two tanks made from polypropylene, 12 years old now. One underground, one above. The lid of the one in the sun broke after about 8 years and had to be replaced, and the whole top faded from blue to grey and is pretty brittle now. I guess 3 more years at best and this tank has to be replaced.

[TexasRanger]

As a side note, we don't drink ftom our tank.

[xylophone]

Good point from "Utley" regarding concrete tanks as they have been used for decades in France in which to make wine.

Still used in the south of France in the really rural areas and do not taint the wine. I would certainly consider this as an option.

[ubonjoe]

Corrosion of stainless steel tanks is because of incorrect welding procedures. They typically leak at the seams where bottom is welded on. Just the slightest amount of contamination during the welding process will cause corrosion.

Even using a standard wire brush (steel) can be the source. Stainless steel brushes are required.

Plastic tanks are fine.

[billd766]

I have 20 concrete ongs each holding 1,700 litres of water but only about 1,500 litres is usable due to the outlet valve height.

30,000 litres sounds a lot but we have 5 or 6 people living on site and if you add up the toilet, shower and cooking use it is a lot of water per day. Looking back we are using perhaps 2,000 litres a day on average so I have between 2 and 3 weeks storage at any one time. I have 5 rows of 4 tanks interconnected and when one row is empty I turn the next row on and refill the first row. No problrms at all except that now we have a drought we have had no government water for 7 weeks and because we are at the bottom of the hill there is rock which would be incredibly expensive to drill through.

Fortunately we get water delivered every so often by the fire engine from the local Tessaban and although it is free the second load I gave the crew 6 beers and the third load I gave the 2 guys 50 baht each as it was 7 pm before they had finished.

I have 2 x 3,000 litre stainless steel tanks for drinking water which we get from the roof a few days into the heavy rain season so that all the bird crap etc is washed off the roof first.

[Morden]

We have a stainless steel tank. It's double skinned and under a roof so the water doesn't get hot.

After about six years, there is no corrosion inside or out.

Bkkbound, two underground water courses were divined on our land. If your present one has been tapped into, perhaps someone can find another for you.

[USNret]

My Thai wife and I live with her parents in the central provinces. When we added an addition to the house, we built the following rather simple rain water collection system. We collect rain water from the roof into 3 large above ground concrete "cisterns". From there, we pipe the water using gravity through a 2 stage filtration system into the house for use in drinking and cooking. We have never had a problem; you simply have to use some common sense on when to clean the system and start collecting your annual supply of rain water.

You people have stayed on topic far too long. This is a clear violation of TV policy. To get us back on track I will ask: Why do people find it necessary to say "My Thai wife"? Isn't "wife" sufficient?

[Naam]

billd766:

I have 5 rows of 4 tanks interconnected and when one row is empty I turn the next row on and refill the first row.

an impressive setup!

[Naam]

My Thai wife and I ,snip.

You people have stayed on topic far too long. This is a clear violation of TV policy. To get us back on track I will ask: Why do people find it necessary to say "My Thai wife"? Isn't "wife" sufficient?

in some cases mentioning "Thai wife" or "non-Thai wife" should not be considered a "violation" , e.g. when the Thai wife helps out by translating or explaining whereas the non-Thai wife asks why are elderly people told to "pee" and why do you add "crap!" to some of your sentences?

[billd766]

billd766:

I have 5 rows of 4 tanks interconnected and when one row is empty I turn the next row on and refill the first row.

an impressive setup!

Thank you kind sir.

I started out with four 10 years ago and decided I needed more and got laughed at until the first drought in 2005 I think and now I get envied.

[Bkkbound]

Thanks for the responses, we have always had 2 large concrete ongs but they don't meet our needs. This is the worse year anyone can remember for having such a long dry season.

We have a stainless steel tank. It's double skinned and under a roof so the water doesn't get hot.

After about six years, there is no corrosion inside or out.

Bkkbound, two underground water courses were divined on our land. If your present one has been tapped into, perhaps someone can find another for you.

The drought is too severe affecting a wide area, even if we were lucky enough to find a second source the rest of the village would want in on it.

OP: Will you be drinking the water from this tank?

No we have never drank local water ,we buy in bulk bottled water, With the amount of chemicals sprayed into the fields and alarmingly high rate of cancers in the village I don't trust it.

Bild766, your 30k steel tanks look like the solution to my problem.

cheers guys

JP

[USNret]

My Thai wife and I ,snip.

You people have stayed on topic far too long. This is a clear violation of TV policy. To get us back on track I will ask: Why do people find it necessary to say "My Thai wife"? Isn't "wife" sufficient?

in some cases mentioning "Thai wife" or "non-Thai wife" should not be considered a "violation" , e.g. when the Thai wife helps out by translating or explaining whereas the non-Thai wife asks why are elderly people told to "pee" and why do you add "crap!" to some of your sentences?

No, saying "Thai wife" isn't a problem. The violation is staying on topic for more than 3 consecutive posts. At least, I figured it's a violation cuz I haven't seen it happen in any other discussion.

[Naam]

billd766:

I have 5 rows of 4 tanks interconnected and when one row is empty I turn the next row on and refill the first row.

an impressive setup!

Thank you kind sir.

I started out with four 10 years ago and decided I needed more and got laughed at until the first drought in 2005 I think and now I get envied.

what's the empty weight of these "ongs" and their wall thickness? reinforced or plain concrete? did you have to replace some because of cracks?

[12alh34]

Good Day, I live in Bermuda where for centuries now we collect water from our roofs and the water drains into a holding tank (usually) under that house. So most homes are built with the construction of a holding tank dug out of the lime stone. This holding tank can be of any size. One can do the calculation of how much water the tank can hold. The tank would be basically a below the ground room..a floor of 6 inches of concrete with re-bar or mesh wire. the the walls of 10 inch concrete block built to the height you want.(lets say 8 ft below the ground). the concrete block is then filled with rebar and concrete is poured into the block. the walls then are plastered with 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch of cement plaster and after a time then treated with a sealer. the roof of the tank is then concreted over with 6 inch of concrete. and then the house is built on top. but there are also tanks that are just built out into the yard with only the slab on top.

One can see that this is an expensive way to hold water but thats is what we do here. the water collects from the roof and any dust or whatever settles to the bottom of the tank. one can drink straight from the tap here with no filters.

In Thailand then one can pump water from your well into the tank but also catch from the roof. A pump then pumps the water into the home. Here we use pressure tanks to hold the pressure but you can use whatever you want. the pump is not submerged.

This system is expensive but you do not have to worry about the problems that arise with the other systems. The tanks can be cleaned out every 5-8 years depending on what is coming off the roof.

[how241]

the plastic used for water tanks(and many other products)contains chemicals to prevent the plastic from

cracking under the influence of uv radiation(and also prevailing temps in Thailand). these "softeners"(don't know the genuine definition in English, as it's not my native language sorry)gradually "evaporate" out of the plastic and into the water.

Of course this process can be delayed by putting the tank under a roof etc; but you can't avoid

that these chemicals mix with the water. One can argue that there is a big dilution and nobody gonna die from'this instantly of course. But long term effects on health are evident and can be found on internet.

Stainless tanks that's a no brainer are substantial more expensive, but don't have this disadvantage and

last a lifetime.

Make the calculation: durability and no health hazards versus pricetag, limited lifetime and possible

health hazards.

Good info. Thanks

[cabanlit]

3rd option..

Dig a cube-shaped hole in the ground, form it with reo-concrete, maybe even tile it, then just fill with a rainwater or mains water system.

[Mudcrab]

I have been told by several suppliers that manufacturers do not recommend using "Stainless Steel" tanks with well water because there have been corrosion problems. When I ask how SS can corrode, I get blank stares, which is why I put SS in quotes. One never knows what one is really getting in LOS do we? True pure SS is NOT magnetic. Sometimes I bring along a magnet and am astounded at all the magnetic "stainless steel" around here.

Because a lot of people that bought stainless steel faced kitchen appliances (when they became popular years ago) complained to the manufacturers that their "refrigerator magnets wouldn't work with them, manufacturers started adding a magnetic element to the SS mix, but I really can't see why they would do this for anything other than appliances.

That all said, I use village water supply well water and a Diamond Brand 2,500 liter "stainless steel" tank for all the reasons stated by Bealus. I did however have it tested and it is PH neutral, and the test did not reveal any potentially corrosive agents. I am just now installing the tank so I have no history.

By the way, the tank is not magnetic, nor is the round stand upon which it sits. The 2" bung hole welded into the side, is, however magnetic. Will it rust?

which stainless...316...308 etc etc