Depending on your application there are many different types of water storage tank available for your system.
Water tanks are available in sizes ranging from a few hundred liters to several hundred thousand liters and as with the Poly pipe in different grades, depending on the usage of the water.
Special tanks are available for potable water - i.e. drinking water, and other types manufactured from different grade materials for non drinking water.It is important to consider that tanks made from materials which are not suitable for drinking water may not only taint the water and give it an unpleasant taste, but may also allow chemicals in the fabric of the tank to leach into it which may compromise health. Tank selection therefore based on ultimate usage is an important consideration
Tanks suitable to work with may be situated above or below ground depending on your needs and are often easy to handle even up tp several thousand liter sizes in size. as with pipework, consideration should be given to frost. Tanks above ground either need to be sheltered from frost, perhaps under trees or in some building or structure, or left totally exposed to the open atmosphere should be double lined - a special type insuring frost-free storage.
See below for some examples of different tank types.
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The tank illustrated to the left is a 1500 liter potable tank manufactured from tough plastics and, despite its large size is easy to maneuver when empty. This type of tank is also available in many other sizes up to about 10,000 litres.
Tanks of this type may, or may not be UV resistant and therefore consideration should be give to whether it needs to be under cover, or not.
It may be sited above or below ground. Potable tanks are made from higher grade materials suitable for storing drinking water.
The average UK household uses around 130 liters per day, per person. (UK government statistics June 2008)
This is a very approximate average, as some people prefer baths to showers and some homes use older style toilets with uneconomical cistern flushing.
Usage of washing machines and dish washers etc also influence this average. |
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1200 liter rain water tank
In general rain water tanks are not potable, that is to say, they are made from a grade of material which may taint the taste of the water.
Whilst this may not be harmful, the taste from non-potable type tanks can be difficult or even impossible to remove.
This type of tank is designed to be exposed to the elements - sunlight, frost, rain etc and is not affected by them.
It is most suitable for use in gardens or small irrigation systems or for moderate green house use.
Once again, these type of tanks come in many sizes ranging from a few hundred liters to many thousands of liters.
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Galvanised steel commercial tanks
The tank illustrated to the left is a very large corrugated steel structure capable to holding 180,000 litres (about 40,000 gallons.)
This type of tank is available down to a mere 45,000 litres
( about 10,000 gallons.)
If you own or manage a small farm, orchard, vineyard or any one of a host of other agricultural uses, a large storage tank of this type would be very necessary.
In the UK, the average farmer who is using and paying for city water is spending about £12000 ( Euros 13,000 ) ($17,200 US) each year!
With your own private water supply this figire could be slashed to about 5% of this sum. |
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