Water Storage tanks-anything to consider apart from size?

[MW72]

Not taking into account the reliability of your water supply, it is not recommended to store more than a single days supply of water. If you have too much storage then the water can stagnate. Water that is not moving in the storage tank can encourage the formation of a bio film on the surface. This will lead to the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, yeasts and moulds. This includes the Legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria thrives in temperature between 21 and 50 degrees centigrade so it is fair to say that stored water in Thailand will be in that temperature range for the majority of the year so the way you store the water is very important. Also, metal tanks are prone to corroding and corrosion is the perfect food source for bacteria. Modern plastics and glass fibre tanks provide the best means of storage as bio films, bacteria etc find it difficult to attach themselves to the walls of the tanks and there is little in the way of food for them. Bacteria will only thrive if they have a food source, stagnant water and the correct temperature. You can't do much about the temperature but you can choose the correct materials and the correct size to ensure the stagnation and food supply are taken out of the equation. A good biocide like Chlorine will kill bacteria also.

[EvilDrSomkid]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

Just go to HomePro and ask for the 2 or 3 way Filtex filters. They catch a lot of the junk in the water. Make sure it is BEFORE going in the tank. The DOS plastic tanks are better than the stainless ones. For drinking water, get a good 5 way filter with RO and UV, resin, carbon and PP.

Totally worth it.

[carter1882]

I feel sorry for the poor people of Isaan. Here in Bangkok we have taps or faucets as the Septics call them and the water flows through these things. Tanks are things that roll into town every few years when the Isaan people snarl up the roads with their protests.

[MW72]

I feel sorry for the poor people of Isaan. Here in Bangkok we have taps or faucets as the Septics call them and the water flows through these things. Tanks are things that roll into town every few years when the Isaan people snarl up the roads with their protests.

Plenty of storage tanks in BKK. Especially on the roofs of apartment blocks.

I'm pretty sure that a lot of the people snarling up the roads with their protests in the last year were from BKK and the south. They were trying to depose a government supported by those Isaan folks.

How your post contributes to the OP's query I'm not sure. Having a quiet night in? Bored?

[Mudcrab]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

Google first flush diverter.

Its a device that allows the first of the rainwater (plus the dirt etc from the roof) to go into a pipe with a floating ball in it. The pipe has a small drain in the bottom. When the water starts to fill the pipe the ball rises as the water rises. Eventually the ball seals against the top of the pipe and the rainwater then continues to fill the pipe until it overflows into the tank. Very simple but effective design. Not hard to install and works really well. When it stops raining the small hole in the bottom of the pipe allows the water to drain out ready for the next cycle.

[Mudcrab]

I feel sorry for the poor people of Isaan. Here in Bangkok we have taps or faucets as the Septics call them and the water flows through these things. Tanks are things that roll into town every few years when the Isaan people snarl up the roads with their protests.

Tanks are storage devices.

Military tanks were named as such in an effort to disguise them in WW1 as they were a very new invention - a military secret at the time . Presumably they were in a large box when being transported and saying they were tanks helped to maintain the secrecy..

[sometimewoodworker]

As said above - especially with low usage - use a Stainless Steel or Sandstone type tank. As we use 45,000 liters per month believe your usage is way low (most Thai will want at least two showers a day). I do have extended family so most days 8 persons but usage would be at least double your 80 liters per day amount - would highly recommend at least 1,000 liter tank (I have two 1250 tanks).

Thanks for that but now I am going to ask you to justify why your tank storage is so high.

Indeed i am at a loss as to why anyone needs storage of more than 1000 litres....and i use 3000 a month why do i need 1000 litres?

Surely the purpose of the storage tank is to have sufficient water on demand should the supply be cut off for any period of time.

so; has anyone, ever had their water cut off for any more than a day wherever they have ever lived. Logic tells me that in a crisis as such, priority moves away from hosing the lawn to bathrooms.

haha, i didnt want to debate storage but why not; lets roll.

We have 4500 L for two people.

In the rainy season we don't use village water in the dry season we have had the water cut off for up to 5 day's. Also the water sometimes isn't clean so we buy it for THB 200 for 2000L

YMMV

[billd766]

Does anyone know if large tanks are available anywhere. I'm talking 20,000 L poly tanks.We only have bore water - no mains water and I'd like to harvest some rainwater for household use. The bore water can go on the garden.

Not withstanding my faceacious comment to khun dotpoom above; I would suggest that a larger tank needs to be concrete or steel to withstand the pressures exerted by what is 20 tonnes of water.

I suspect that the blue tanks that have been more or less condemned and indeed the other tanks upto 3000litres have a wall lining of 5-10mm.

Others have said that above 3000 litres is difficult/expensive and that's probably because of the wall thickness.

Maybe you can find in GRP, or a steel like they store petrol.(google Condor tanks)

From my experience you are already into the realms of underground storage tanks, like sewers, holding tanks....basically giant submarines....the advantage here is that underground the walls dont need to be so thick and the pressures exerted by the storage and counter acted by the surrounding earth (and concrete surround)

but what do I know?

You certainly know and understand enough about underground tanks and the pressures exerted on them.

If ever I can get enough money together I want to build a set of semi underground water tanks (about 1 metre or go below ground level we have granite rocks) each 10m long x 4m wide x 2 m in depth. Each tank would give me about 80,000 litres of storage and the more I build makes it easier to farm plus I can then supply my neighbour and friend of over 20 years.

As much as I can work it out the cost would be fairly high but on the other hand I would save on buying water in the dry season at 50bt cu/m instead of the the normal 2 bt per cu/m.

I will refine my plan and costs and post them later.

[billd766]

Not taking into account the reliability of your water supply, it is not recommended to store more than a single days supply of water. If you have too much storage then the water can stagnate. Water that is not moving in the storage tank can encourage the formation of a bio film on the surface. This will lead to the perfect breeding ground for bacteria, yeasts and moulds. This includes the Legionella bacteria. Legionella bacteria thrives in temperature between 21 and 50 degrees centigrade so it is fair to say that stored water in Thailand will be in that temperature range for the majority of the year so the way you store the water is very important. Also, metal tanks are prone to corroding and corrosion is the perfect food source for bacteria. Modern plastics and glass fibre tanks provide the best means of storage as bio films, bacteria etc find it difficult to attach themselves to the walls of the tanks and there is little in the way of food for them. Bacteria will only thrive if they have a food source, stagnant water and the correct temperature. You can't do much about the temperature but you can choose the correct materials and the correct size to ensure the stagnation and food supply are taken out of the equation. A good biocide like Chlorine will kill bacteria also.

We have been living on stored water for some 10 years, granted that it goes through 2 filters and is only used for domestic purposes and we have had no health problems over that time nor to my knowledge do many of the other millions of people in rural Thailand who live the same way.

Our drinking water is rainwater collected from the roof (after 3 or 4 days of very heavy rain and the gutters cleared) and stored in 2 x 3,000 litre stainless steel tanks.

Still no health problems.

[4evermaat]

Having a water storage tank in not only for having a "reserve" supply but also for being able to use a pump to get the water into the house. If you only have a one story house you can probably get away with using the pressure from the "mains" but if the water has to go up to a second story then you are going to have to pump it. If you have sufficient pressure today, who knows what it is going to be like tomorrow, so having an external tank and pump future proofs you installation. And it is illegal to install a pump directly to the mains if you are thinking about that solution

The size of you tank in many instances will be tied to how much room you have to locate it. The question of material is also up to you but I have seen too many people who have the stainless steel tanks have problems with them if they should start to leak so I personally stay away from them, just like I would never consider an underground tank, for the same reason

My choice are like these, hooked up in series:

water tanks.JPG

Are those custom made concrete water tanks? What is the lining inside?

I was wondering if it would be cheaper to make the tank yourself.

[billd766]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

Google first flush diverter.

Its a device that allows the first of the rainwater (plus the dirt etc from the roof) to go into a pipe with a floating ball in it. The pipe has a small drain in the bottom. When the water starts to fill the pipe the ball rises as the water rises. Eventually the ball seals against the top of the pipe and the rainwater then continues to fill the pipe until it overflows into the tank. Very simple but effective design. Not hard to install and works really well. When it stops raining the small hole in the bottom of the pipe allows the water to drain out ready for the next cycle.

Thank you for that interesting link and the valuable information I got from it.

The only problem I can see is finding the right size plastic ball and pipe.

[Mudcrab]

Does anyone know if large tanks are available anywhere. I'm talking 20,000 L poly tanks.We only have bore water - no mains water and I'd like to harvest some rainwater for household use. The bore water can go on the garden.

Not withstanding my faceacious comment to khun dotpoom above; I would suggest that a larger tank needs to be concrete or steel to withstand the pressures exerted by what is 20 tonnes of water.

I suspect that the blue tanks that have been more or less condemned and indeed the other tanks upto 3000litres have a wall lining of 5-10mm.

Others have said that above 3000 litres is difficult/expensive and that's probably because of the wall thickness.

Maybe you can find in GRP, or a steel like they store petrol.(google Condor tanks)

From my experience you are already into the realms of underground storage tanks, like sewers, holding tanks....basically giant submarines....the advantage here is that underground the walls dont need to be so thick and the pressures exerted by the storage and counter acted by the surrounding earth (and concrete surround)

but what do I know?

You certainly know and understand enough about underground tanks and the pressures exerted on them.

If ever I can get enough money together I want to build a set of semi underground water tanks (about 1 metre or go below ground level we have granite rocks) each 10m long x 4m wide x 2 m in depth. Each tank would give me about 80,000 litres of storage and the more I build makes it easier to farm plus I can then supply my neighbour and friend of over 20 years.

As much as I can work it out the cost would be fairly high but on the other hand I would save on buying water in the dry season at 50bt cu/m instead of the the normal 2 bt per cu/m.

I will refine my plan and costs and post them later.

Do some research on pressure and mass - two very different things.

The pressure on a 2m deep tank wall will be minimal about 20kPa or roughly 3psi at the bottom when full so they don't need to be very thick relatively speaking. It will depend on the material of construction its specifications

The pressure on the floor will be exactly the same - however the mass of the water will 40 tonnes or so. You will need to consider this when building the tank bottom.

Even though the pressure is low the substructure will need to handle the full 40 tonne mass.

[Mudcrab]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

Google first flush diverter.

Its a device that allows the first of the rainwater (plus the dirt etc from the roof) to go into a pipe with a floating ball in it. The pipe has a small drain in the bottom. When the water starts to fill the pipe the ball rises as the water rises. Eventually the ball seals against the top of the pipe and the rainwater then continues to fill the pipe until it overflows into the tank. Very simple but effective design. Not hard to install and works really well. When it stops raining the small hole in the bottom of the pipe allows the water to drain out ready for the next cycle.

Thank you for that interesting link and the valuable information I got from it.

The only problem I can see is finding the right size plastic ball and pipe.

They come as a kit including the ball, the PVC fitting that ball seats into and a filter drain. You just have to supply the vertical pipe.

Not sure if they are available in Thailand as I haven't really looked - no decent size tank to be found so far. Could be worth checking out Global House or similar.

[kamalabob2]

Water storage tanks are readily available up to 10,000 liters in Buriram at the COMOS roadside shop across from the new Robinson shopping center. Granted those are blue tanks, but they have in stock 4,000 to 10,000 liter above ground water tanks at very fair prices. The cost per liter seemed to get higher after 5000 liters when I obtained prices and the walls of the larger blue water tanks were much thicker than the 2000 liter water tanks. Down the road in Buriram at the Taweekit shopping center the underground water storage tanks are 30,000 liters each. The local Buriram Building contractor hired by the owner of Taweekit shopping center dug the hole and bricked in the walls for the two underground water storage tanks bought and installed by Ruangsangthai Builders Merchants in Buriram. Those blue tanks are "Safe Tank" brand which is available all over Thailand. Stainless steel diamond brand red label are a good water storage tank for those people who have good quality water. Four or five thousand liter stainless steel tanks are readily available and have much thicker bottoms and walls than say a 2000 liter stainless steel water tank. The brochures of any water tank sold in Thailand will have English for specifications. Safe Brand blue water storage tanks are inexpensive and available at dealers all over Thailand. Note if they are a brass outlet and how many outlets on any brand of water storage tank in Thailand.

[billd766]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

Google first flush diverter.

Its a device that allows the first of the rainwater (plus the dirt etc from the roof) to go into a pipe with a floating ball in it. The pipe has a small drain in the bottom. When the water starts to fill the pipe the ball rises as the water rises. Eventually the ball seals against the top of the pipe and the rainwater then continues to fill the pipe until it overflows into the tank. Very simple but effective design. Not hard to install and works really well. When it stops raining the small hole in the bottom of the pipe allows the water to drain out ready for the next cycle.

Thank you for that interesting link and the valuable information I got from it.

The only problem I can see is finding the right size plastic ball and pipe.

They come as a kit including the ball, the PVC fitting that ball seats into and a filter drain. You just have to supply the vertical pipe.

Not sure if they are available in Thailand as I haven't really looked - no decent size tank to be found so far. Could be worth checking out Global House or similar.

Thanks for the information.

My mate has got one so I will see where he bought his.

[billd766]

Does anyone know if large tanks are available anywhere. I'm talking 20,000 L poly tanks.We only have bore water - no mains water and I'd like to harvest some rainwater for household use. The bore water can go on the garden.

Not withstanding my faceacious comment to khun dotpoom above; I would suggest that a larger tank needs to be concrete or steel to withstand the pressures exerted by what is 20 tonnes of water.

I suspect that the blue tanks that have been more or less condemned and indeed the other tanks upto 3000litres have a wall lining of 5-10mm.

Others have said that above 3000 litres is difficult/expensive and that's probably because of the wall thickness.

Maybe you can find in GRP, or a steel like they store petrol.(google Condor tanks)

From my experience you are already into the realms of underground storage tanks, like sewers, holding tanks....basically giant submarines....the advantage here is that underground the walls dont need to be so thick and the pressures exerted by the storage and counter acted by the surrounding earth (and concrete surround)

but what do I know?

You certainly know and understand enough about underground tanks and the pressures exerted on them.

If ever I can get enough money together I want to build a set of semi underground water tanks (about 1 metre or go below ground level we have granite rocks) each 10m long x 4m wide x 2 m in depth. Each tank would give me about 80,000 litres of storage and the more I build makes it easier to farm plus I can then supply my neighbour and friend of over 20 years.

As much as I can work it out the cost would be fairly high but on the other hand I would save on buying water in the dry season at 50bt cu/m instead of the the normal 2 bt per cu/m.

I will refine my plan and costs and post them later.

Do some research on pressure and mass - two very different things.

The pressure on a 2m deep tank wall will be minimal about 20kPa or roughly 3psi at the bottom when full so they don't need to be very thick relatively speaking. It will depend on the material of construction its specifications

The pressure on the floor will be exactly the same - however the mass of the water will 40 tonnes or so. You will need to consider this when building the tank bottom.

Even though the pressure is low the substructure will need to handle the full 40 tonne mass.

I am not sure how deep into the ground I can go as we are on the hill slopes and somewhere not too far down is granite which is one reason why we cannot drill a borehole. Some of it may be above ground but I should be able to use the spoil from what is dug out to support the overground bit.

Theoretically it will be 80 tons plus the weight of the concrete, rebars etc and the 4m x 30cm roof slabs spread across about 40 sq/m say a maximum of 120 tons or 3 tons per sq/m, 4 tons if I over engineer it.

[Soutpeel]

After some research, I discovered that stainless steel is usually pretty low quality in Thailand and will corrode. I went with the sandstone type plastic one with the anti bacterial silver lining inside.

Can anyone recommend a good way to filter the water coming in ?. The water in my bath is always a bit brown looking (before I get in I will add).

And this is not true, typically the tanks here are 316 grade and they are corroding because what your putting in them, if your running high iron in the water or chlorides yes they are going to "corrode" and so will "high quality" stainless