water tank cleaning - how often

rattler



Joined: 13/08/2009
Posts: 37

Message Posted:
20/04/2010

can any body/company advise me on how often i should have my water tank cleaned?

Brinsley


Joined: 04/04/2009
Posts: 6858

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 00:24

9 years, after mine rusted away and had to have replaced!



Richard

rattler



Joined: 13/08/2009
Posts: 37

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 10:36

bloody hell brinsley, i hope you haven't got a pool !!

Navek



Joined: 01/06/2008
Posts: 2656

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 10:41

Won't ask Brinsley to clean my pool,

but maybe his rates are cheap

Navek

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 12:52

I've never even heard of anyone cleaning a water tank before. They don't usually last very long, so you ust replace them.

scruff


Joined: 15/07/2008
Posts: 1070

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 12:56

Ours, on the roof, is also 9 years old & not rusty. We have checked. We also have 2 more depot tanks that are 7 years old. None of them have ever been cleaned & we haven't died ........yet.

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 14:29

Without a doubt, Legionnaires Diseas is your biggest risk when it comes to water storage tanks, especially those on the roof when they become stagnant, as they do in houses that aren't lived in.



http://www.hse.gov.uk/legionnaires/whatis.htm

jimmyG


Joined: 14/08/2008
Posts: 900

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 15:53

Vaughan - is there a product or treatment you can recommend for roof sited water storage tanks ?

Thanks.

rattler



Joined: 13/08/2009
Posts: 37

Message Posted:
20/04/2010 20:09

msg 7

good point and hence the reason for my original question.

call me cautious, but i would rather have my tank cleaned at a reasonable price, rather than run the risk of catching something i can't get rid of.

i just thought that i could buy something to do it myself or maybe there was a company that dealt with this sort of thing.

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 06:19

i offer this service call me on 05338384636richard

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 06:23

it reduces the risk of disease and removes the scale build up dramatically

frontalman



Joined: 28/02/2008
Posts: 499

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 09:17

We have a concrete storage tank for house water, adjacent to our pool balance tank. We share it with slugs and insects, including the odd cockroach in the summer. It doesn't seem to affect the flavour of the tea. We've not had it cleaned in four years though I suppose we will when the droppings get to be a couple of inches thick

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 09:31

Below ground tanks which are kept dark and cool do not carry the same risk as above ground tanks which contain stagnant warm water. Frontalman you live here and your water is being constantly used and refreshed from the mains.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 09:37

I have made it my business to give our cold water storage tank a good clean each year... We used to have a metal one which I would drain and empty completely, allow it to dry and hoover out the chalky debris.



Now I have plastic top and bottom and use a different method. I switch off the mains flow at the water meter and allow level to reduce to about one third full in the lower tank and add a dose of pool acid (about 1 - 2 kilos). The chemical reaction to the alkaline deposit is instantaneous. I drain the top tank by opening up the taps and letting gravity do it's work. I then pull the electric switch up to force this treated water up into the top tank, hot water tank and solar panels.



This has the effect of treating the entire system and causes the built up deposit to be dissolved into solution and then flush out through use of the toilets and sinks and showers... The water comes out very cloudy and almost brown at times for a while until the water is clear.

stellasstar1



Joined: 02/07/2008
Posts: 1519

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 15:44

Oh Steve, I always drank the tap water quite happily when I lived in that house, and never had any ill effects. My stomoch feels worse now just thinking about it. I don't remember seeing the water tank , are you talking about the castle house or another one?

racoonchic



Joined: 17/11/2008
Posts: 3223

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 18:28

thanks groucho your rates have just gone up

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
21/04/2010 19:36

Richard I took your business card at it's word... "for all your DIY needs" so I did did it myself! ha ha....

TRNCVaughan


Joined: 27/04/2008
Posts: 4578

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 10:35

Groucho,



msg 14.



Sounds an excellent regime. Can I suggest you also chlorinate the tanks to a very high level and allow them to stand for 24 hours? Acid will disolve the limescale but might not solve any bacteria problem.

Groucho



Joined: 26/04/2008
Posts: 7993

Message Posted:
22/04/2010 11:34

I agree Vaughan, I was just thinking the same myself... Chlorination would be especially useful for villas unoccupied for any extended periods of time. Our own water flow is very regular but some of the holiday villas must have water that is bogging!