Those are huge tanks. Most houses here have cisterns of 2-4,000 gallons, and a tinaco of 500g above the roof line for gravity feed.
- Thread starter Yachtmaster
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Water Cisterns
UV requires very clean water to be effective. Hardness, iron, magnesium, silica, and other minerals commonly found in water foul the quartz sleeve. Bio organisms commonly found in tanks and cisterns also foul the quartz sleeve with bio film. If you are one that has a maintenance program and religiously clean it, then there's no problem. UV manufacturers will also tell you that it's most effective using chlorinated water if installed after a tank or cistern because of bio conditions.
The lamp works on nano-waves. Small amounts of mercury can be seen in the lamp. Every time the lamp fires, some of this is burned away. Every time the lamp goes on and off, it looses power. Lamps are good for 10,000 hrs. Most people think that the lamp is on, so it's working. Maybe, but how many hours does it have on it? Commercial UV systems have frequency meters on them for this reason as well as wipers for the quartz sleeve. Household systems don't because they're expensive needed or not.
Ya know, water as a whole is pretty user friendly, and is very forgiving. It's made this way because it is essential to life. Water needs to be really messed up or contaminated to harm you. People have been drinking water from tanks and cisterns for years without issues. Sanitize and filter.. it's really that easy. Want it to taste good?? Add a carbon block to remove taste and any odors. Done
I'm curious.
Is the cistern below the house? Part of the foundation? How is it accessed? How is it treated before water is introduced? Some kind of waterproof plastic paint coating? Fiberglass? Raw concrete?
Do you incorporate tinacos, or is there a pressure feed?
This is the kind of stuff I signed on to dr1 for. Great, great thread. Thanks, but don't let me stop you guys.
I just built my cistern in my new property.... concrete block, special cement and coating inside.
5,000 gal
I use an impeller for my pressure.
easy and fast CB... really easy
the cistern sits above and gravity flows the water into the system... the impeller just boosts the pressure
others pressurize a holding tank
others pressurize a holding tank
Sorry u have lost me........ for me cistern was an underground water storage ciment tank. So I need to use a pump to get the water out.
The tinacoa is built on a water tower, gravity feeds it into the plumbing.....
So if I understajd correctly, an impaller could help me get more pressure from the tinacoa ?? With no use of a pump.
My cistern , in both houses, is an above ground concrete block holding tank... not a tinaco
to be gravity fed, it must sit higher than the house.
water feeds down and you position an impeller in the line somewhere to improve the pressure.
better pressure for the gas fired hot water heater and showers etc
if you can get it high enough, gravity will be strong enough
the advantages are the size - any size you want and you can plant them to be invisible
the impeller system is simple.
mine has been trouble free for 5 1/2 yrs
sorry, answer to your question - is YES
to be gravity fed, it must sit higher than the house.
water feeds down and you position an impeller in the line somewhere to improve the pressure.
better pressure for the gas fired hot water heater and showers etc
if you can get it high enough, gravity will be strong enough
the advantages are the size - any size you want and you can plant them to be invisible
the impeller system is simple.
mine has been trouble free for 5 1/2 yrs
sorry, answer to your question - is YES
I too, am enjoying this
Here's my plan..... for discussion... just a plan
well water in my area is 'hard' water, my family of women don't like it for their hair.
My new house will have distances between buildings... actually, 4 pavilions
Master bedroom, 2 bdrm / 1 bath, 2 bdrm / 2bath and the main house (kitchen/laundry/generator/garage)
I have built a 5,000 gal cistern which feeds all pavilions by gravity
I plan on making the 2 bdrm/2 bath a fully independent casita...
and the 2bdrm/1bath will be almost the same as will the master.
the central water flow to all the faucets for 'mouths' will be sanitized - filter/UV
I want a secondary system for flushes, showers (soft water here) and gardens, pool.
that I intend to collect rain water for.... I can supplement it w/ my cistern in a drought.
So every bathroom will have two water feeds... the wash basin will be pure, the shower and toilet will be 'sustainable water - for lack of a better word.
The Bermuda idea of an underneath tank seems an easy one... all house need foundations - this one will hold water.
Or, a roof top installation sufficiently pressurized to feed toilet/shower.... lower pressure except for hot water.
that's the nut of it....
think it'll work ?
Should I be shuffling off to the Patent Office?
The more I hear about RO/UV systems, the more I like the $30 terra cotta cones infused with silver..
Yes the tank forms part of the foundation. All the cells of the cement block are poured with concrete. The inside of the tank is plastered with a cement and sand mix. Access to the tanks is via a manhole, that is almost like a closet so that is not obscured by the foundation wall of the tank.
It may seem like very large tanks but for some houses this is their only source of water for drinking, washing, bathing and flushing. Periodically some Clorox is poured in the tank to sanitize the water.
There is a pressure feed to the house. the pump sucks the water from the tank, and stores it in a pressure tank which has a cut-in pressure of 30psi and a cut-off pressure of 50-55 psi.
The system has served us well for numerous generations