How Does A Water Storage Tank Work?

Water tanks, whether we have them in our homes, or for commercial use, are there to enable us all to have running water whenever we might need it. Whether you are using a rainwater harvesting tank to store water that has been collected from natural rainfall, or a tank that is connected to a different water source, the principle is the same – to give us useable water, on demand.

The water contained in a storage tank would typically be used for everything from drinking and sanitation to irrigation.

This means that it is essential that the water storage tank system is safe, reliable, and always fit for purpose.

The Storage Process

Water storage tanks essentially need to have a pipe going in and a pipe going out. The pipe in would normally be connected to the water source – your rainwater harvesting system, well with a pump, or mains water, for example. Depending on what you were using the stored water for, you could have two output pipes – one going to taps and sanitary systems, and one feeding hot water systems, for example.

To prevent water storage tanks from overflowing, a ballcock system can be used – similar to the one that is used in many toilets. A float is attached to a valve, meaning that when the water is below a certain level it fills up the tank, and, consequently, when it reaches a certain level, it cuts the water off. (There will also be an overflow pipe that is used in case there is a problem and the tank over-fills.

There are two different kinds of water storage tanks – pressure tanks and atmospheric tanks. Each kind refers to the way that the water is forced out of the tank.

As the name suggests, a pressure tank uses compressed air to force the water out without the need for pumps. Reverse osmosis tanks use the same principle and can close the source valve once the pressure is high when the tank is full.

 An atmospheric tank leaves the pressure inside the tank the same as the outside air and usually requires a pump to draw the water out. Atmospheric pumps are usually larger than pressure tanks.

Installation & Maintenance

Although different water storage tanks might require slightly different processes, installing and maintaining a water storage tank is a relatively simple and quick process.

1. The first step is to connect a pipe from the water source to the input on the tank.
2. Ensure that you have a check valve. This is a valve that will ensure that the water can only flow in one direction – from the source to the tank and not flow back if the tank gets filled.
3. Ensure that you have a pressure relief valve in place. This will open when the pressure inside the tank exceeds a certain level, enabling the water to flow through until the pressure has dropped.
4. Attach a boiler drain. This is used if you need to drain your tank of its water without having to turn it off at the source – and turn all the taps on in the building.
5. Install the pressure switches that tell the source when to turn on and off the flow of water to fill the tank.

To be able to keep your water clean and fit for purpose, it is important that a water storage tank is regularly cleaned. This means removing any debris or algae that can build up in the tank.

If you have a reverse osmosis tank, you will need to also change the filters roughly once a year, so cleaning the tank can be done at the same time.

Tanks can be cleaned by using sanitation chemicals or a few drops of chlorine periodically.

They should also be flushed every now and again to ensure that dirt and sediment don’t accumulate and make the water pressure drop.

Efficiency

If you keep your water storage tank clean and regularly flushed, you should be able to ensure that the water storage tank is safe, works properly, and is as efficient as possible for as long as possible.