Installing a water tank

[Kenny202]

Thinking about putting in a 1500 or 2000 litre water tank. Do these things have to be mounted on a pad

or raised (to be able to draw water from underneath) or just plonk em on the ground?

I assume you feed it with some standard guttering and a channel to the tank?

[ubonjoe]

Moved to the do it yourself forum

[eyecatcher]

It would help the advisors here if you mention what your purpose of tge tank would be.

The fact that you mention gutters and channels implies you just want to collect rainwater for the garden.

But the size implies you want to provide your house with a pumped water supply.

If you can clarify kenny you will get some positive advice....

[Kenny202]

No pump no garden just want a tank to collect rainwater to drink, hence will need to have it raised to put a bucket under to extract the water and bring inside (I think?) Clearly don't have a clue what I am talking about so any advice appreciated

[bankruatsteve]

You want to collect rain water to drink? Wow. Obviously, you would need to raise it 50cm or so for a bucket to conveniently fit beneath the water out valve. Alternatively, dig a hole for the bucket but that would be a continuing task.

Just FYI: Your local water source is probably just as good, if not better, than collected rain water for drinking. In any case, you would want to boil it and/or run it through purification filters. Or, just buy those 10 liter jugs for 10 baht and save on what it would probably cost to purify yourself.

[AYJAYDEE]

No pump no garden just want a tank to collect rainwater to drink, hence will need to have it raised to put a bucket under to extract the water and bring inside (I think?) Clearly don't have a clue what I am talking about so any advice appreciated

a 2000 liter tank is a lot of water. youre gonna get algae growth and dirt will come in thru the drains

[Kenny202]

I'll check on the local water but it's a pretty unreliable source and often brown or yellow. A filter would sort that out. Most here use those big cement bowls

[lopburi3]

Yes a big cement/clay jar is what is normally used for rainwater and you take out with ladle. These do require a cement platform to remain stable.

Might it be a better plan to buy drinking water these days? It is a real bear keeping rainwater clean and collecting it (pigeons seem to be drawn to houses using such a system).

[eyecatcher]

Kenny; I am so happy you have already held up your hands to being a bit green, that way I can reply without you taking offence.

This is how I see it. So you have less than perfect water being supplied to your house and you don't drink it. That's normal believe me.

Option 1..... is to simply go out and buy a small triple filter set up; it's best fixed above your kitchen sink as it has a separate tap delivering the "potable" . You can get them from home pro/big c/tesco and cost from about 1200bt. Dead easy to fix. just 2 screws in the wall; and an attachment onto your main sink tap.

Option 2.....You can buy the bottled water. If you are in a rural area, everyone does this. I get a 20 litre white bottle about one a week and it costs 15bt. You normally have to pay in the region of 80bt for your first bottle deposit but thats refundable if ever you stop buying.

Option 3.....Now your water tank comes into play. if you are wanting a tank of 1000 to 2000 litres then its a cost of circa 6-7000bt; plus pipework plus yes your concrete base plus a pump to get it to the house. that little lot will run at around 20k baht. Still happy??? Dont be!! we havent got to the water filter. With a water storage tank really you need to filter the water prior to it entering the tank. The smallest I have seen are the blue bullet head type filters and they are in pairs or threes at around 1300bt per filter.$$$$$

Now many folks here are still not happy with the water even after the external filters and they resort to another filter similar to that mentioned in option 1.

Now I will try to discourage you from drinking rainwater.

It was always my belief that rain was actually acid rain, full of chemical and airborne radioactivity but i may have held onto some crap info from when I was 12.

You suggested a 1000 litre tank. I started a thread the other week about water tanks; read it; I am a very low user only 3m3 a month but I am in the minority, most say they need a 2000 litre tank and on the occasions they had to rely on it it lasted a week. I could last maybe 10 days with 1000litres.

Now the rain season; from my time here even in the rain season you don't get deluges of water. Lets say you will be collecting from one side of your roof. how long will it take to fill up 1000 litres. my guess a long time.

Assume one night you have a downpour to float the Ark, and it gives you 1000 litres. the chances are you will empty that tank in a two week period even with a few top ups. Come October it will be dry. dry in Nov, Dec,Jan; infact dry for 8/9 months of the year then what?

Using gutter; aarrgh! did you ever clean out a gutter from the roof; I have and I am not surprised the dole cheats wanted £25 per house to do it. The mud and sludge, decaying leaves; dead birds, a compost of dead insects; litter. Your rainwater will be filtered through that and no doubt much of it carried along directly into your tank.

I cant even imagine how you would cut a gutter profile into your tank, unless you planned on leaving the top open.

Do you get the picture?

I suggest you forget the rainwater idea unless you want to collect from fallpipe just for summer garden watering.

Just start with with bottles for the cheapest way for drinking water then venture forth and splash out 1200bt on a tap filter system.

Then develop it from there. let us all know how you proceed and what the results are.

Sorry for going on a bit chaps.

[wayned]

I collect rainwater in 12 earthen ongs directly from the run off from my roof. For drinking purposes I actually have a pump that draws water from the last ong in line directly to a second tap in the kitchen. The pipe that draws the water from the ong doesn't go to the bottom, it only goes down 3/4 of the way so that I don't get any sediment. We drink, and have drunk, the water unfiltered for 16 years.

The extra water is used by my wife for cooking/drinking purposes in her small restaurant. She syphons, yes, sucks, it out into 5 gallon plastic comntainers and I carry it in my truck to her place. It is also used to refill the house water supply tank when the local water supply dries up. I'm in farm country and the local water supply is contaminated with chemical runoff from the fields and also is very hard!

I will drink the water from the local supplyt, but it doesn't taste too good, and we do cook with iot.

[Kenny202]

Yes we've since been told by the local amphur that the local water is also contaminated with farm run off chemicals so no amount of filtering will help that. I saw someone yesterday had the PVC tank set up without filters and they draw the water themselves and take it inside (no pump). They did say they put the tank under cover to avoid algae and have it mounted on a steel frame. During the dry season the gutter collector is removed and the tank sealed. First hint of rain and the roof / guttering is cleaned and reconnected.

We get around 3 months rain here and thats it for the year. Will have a look today for the 20 litre containers and may just buy. I haven't seen these anywhere is there a depot or something or 7 shop?

[jcgodber]

I collect rainwater in 12 earthen ongs directly from the run off from my roof. For drinking purposes I actually have a pump that draws water from the last ong in line directly to a second tap in the kitchen. The pipe that draws the water from the ong doesn't go to the bottom, it only goes down 3/4 of the way so that I don't get any sediment. We drink, and have drunk, the water unfiltered for 16 years.

The extra water is used by my wife for cooking/drinking purposes in her small restaurant. She syphons, yes, sucks, it out into 5 gallon plastic comntainers and I carry it in my truck to her place. It is also used to refill the house water supply tank when the local water supply dries up. I'm in farm country and the local water supply is contaminated with chemical runoff from the fields and also is very hard!

I will drink the water from the local supplyt, but it doesn't taste too good, and we do cook with iot.

You ! are the final filter

[chiang mai]

A related questionL

I've just instal;led a 1,000 litre tank along with a pump and a whole house carbon filter, it all works very nicely.

But I'm told that water tanks develop algae over time and that one preventative measure is to add bleach to the tank, three tablespoons per 500 litres - the tank is a 25 year plastic job with what appears to be a stone/sand coating on the outside.

Good advice or not and if yes, is the measure of bleach correct?

Thanks

[Kenny202]

Everyone back home in the country has water tanks and never heard of anyone cleaning them. Algae is inevitable where water is concerned. I'll check with my friend he has a farm in Oz

[lopburi3]

Actually you want to prevent light hitting standing water so the sandstone finish tanks should be good for that. The cheap blue tanks are very bad, especially if non-chlorinated water and not used fast. But even get using Bangkok treated water in clear hose from wall filter with no direct sun and used often during day; and have to clean it out every few months.

Guess we could consider it cheap seaweed source.

[bankruatsteve]

A related questionL

I've just instal;led a 1,000 litre tank along with a pump and a whole house carbon filter, it all works very nicely.

But I'm told that water tanks develop algae over time and that one preventative measure is to add bleach to the tank, three tablespoons per 500 litres - the tank is a 25 year plastic job with what appears to be a stone/sand coating on the outside.

Good advice or not and if yes, is the measure of bleach correct?

Thanks

I have a 1500l blue tank . Yah. Anyway, after doing nothing for a year, the algae and sediment build up was yucky - so we cleaned it. Since then, we have been putting a cap full of bleach every day (or thereabouts) and no problem with algae although sediment still collects. Maybe clean it again next year. Otherwise, no need for filters here.

[wayned]

"You ! are the final filter" Aren't we all? I've been filtering in many countries of the world for 70+ years and have never had to change an element other than a mechanical linkage that had nothing to do with filtering, just stupidity!

My ongs get cleaned periodicallly by letting them go dry, climbing in and scooping out the sediment, scribbing them with bleach and water and rinsing them out. The stainless tank that I have for house water hasn't been cleaned since it was installed over 16 years ago and the blue plastic ones that I have in the pig pens have never been cleaned but all are under cover and not exposed to direct sunlight, I've never added bleach. I've never had problems with algae other than in the clear plastic hoses.

Have a happy New Year