Water Tanks

Starting to give consideration to water tanks. If our plans go ahead, we will be building in the bush with no town water, so we're going to need tanks. Apparently the council requires 90,000 litres storage with 10,000 reserved for firefighting.

The biggest transportable concrete tank you can get is 35,000 and it sells for around $5,500 and we would need three. You can get a 92,000 steel tank with a poly liner for $6,500. This means concrete is roughly 3 times the price. I don't have prices on poly tanks but I imagine they would be cheaper than similar capacity steel. My brother in law makes corrugated iron tanks but the biggest he goes is 3000 gallon. so I'd need about 7 of them.

My question is, does anyone have any information or opinions on the various pros and cons of each? I'd expect concrete to be the best, it lasts forever, wont melt in a bushfire, keeps the water cool all year round. But the steel is much cheaper and they reckon it lasts for 65 years with the liner. What about poly?

friends of mine have a inground tank poured on site keeps the water nice and cool too think it's about 50 000 litre Should be some one in your area that does these type of tanks

Silent,
Concrete crack & leak. Poured on-site especially. I have not seen one POS (take that either way) that has not cracked and leaking. Some have the repair crystals in the cement, but still seem to crack. transportable concrete are better, but any earth movement seems to crack them. I have a large POS that leaks like a sieve after an earth tremor. Unrepairable.
Fibreglass apparently taints the water. Have smelt the water from a new one and there was no way I would drink it.
The new aquaplate steel tanks seem to have stopped a lot of the rusting problems.
My replacement tanks will be of the new food grade plastic type. If a fire is going to burn the tank, god help the rest of your surroundings.

Ken

The larger concrete tanks need good compaction and some gravel or roadbase laid down, wetted and compacted again before installation.

Ditto on F/glass.

The Poly/Plastic tanks must be doing well because the manufacturer's can't keep up over here. I'd ask a cocky who has had one for 5 years or more and see what he says.

Cheers

There are a lot of poly tanks around here. I just thought it was because they were cheap. Apparently not because I just got a price of $5020 for a 45,400 litre one. For another $1500 I can get a steel tank with a ploy liner twice the size.

The fire thing is not really a big consideration but we are in a bushfire prone area (just like about 80% of the state - everyone who has bush on or near their property). The concrete guys use it as a selling point. I suppose if the tank is away from the house it would be nice to think you could concentrate on the house and not have to worry about the source of your firefighting water turning into a molten mass. We do have a possible dam site though.

The steel guys use the earth movement thing as a selling point. They reckon the big ones with the liner can handle tremors and quakes. I don't remember the last time we had a tremor around here though. I remember getting shaken out of bed when I was a kid living south east of Melbourne. The liner is guaranteed for 10 years and 'if you carry out the recommended maintenance' should last for 65 years. How they figure that I don't know because I'll bet there are none around that are even approaching that age.

My 7m dia x 2 m deep concrete tank holds 80kl and is 26 years old. Half buried. Never any problem.

Neighbour has one, same age, 7m x 2.5 m deep. His is buried. Again, no problem.

We find our 22.5kl poly tank gives sweeter tasting water. Don't know whether this is because it is newer, or because it collects a different class of leaves, or because it collects from a steel, rather than a tile roof.

Rapidplas 1800 816 299 currently offers 22.5kl poly tanks for $2,600. They have a good brochure.

Ed T

I have two concrete tanks that are 25 years old that are made by Humes which seem to be the top of the range in quality for concrete. They do not show any signs of cracking after 25 years but they are on granite sand and the country here is granite that doesn't move and is not reactive soil so that maybe the reason for no cracking.

But over the years there have been some dodgy fly by night characters manufacturing concrete portable tanks so I would stick with a reputable manufacturer if you go concrete.

My nephew is the NSW agent for a West Aussie company called Steelfab who make tanks of that size and are assembled on site and use a poly liner. The poly liners will last for long time as long as they are not exposed to the sunlight which is not a problem inside the steel tank.

The main thing about fire problems is to make sure the ground is clear around the tanks.

I don't know much about poly tanks but they must be ok because if the number sold. Maybe one of the reasons is that a lot of farmers can put them on their own truck and carry them home themselves to save the freight.

I would steer clear of fibreglass as the water tastes crap out of them and they break down and go crazed in the sunlight and they are made in two halves and joined together, a potential for leaks.

The three steel tank suppliers that I have come across so far are all WA companies with agents over here. I'll give your nephew a call and see what price they can do. I'm thinking maybe a nice big steel/poly liner tank on the house and a concrete or poly off the shed for reserve.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Toggy

Fibreglass apparently taints the water. Have smelt the water from a new one and there was no way I would drink it.


Ken

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Sounds like the tank may be sealed up, if there is no air circulation the water smells, for a while, let it stand and the smell goes away.
Alternatavely, aerate the tank.

Silent FWIW in my opinion go poly no leaks no rust no bad taste.
I have 3 and wouldnt go metal liner or no again plus with little or no help you can locate them where you want them. :)
Friends in Pt Lincoln had a 30k litre fiberglass tank and after 10 yrs they came home to wet carpets etc when the tank burst. :mad:
having had 3 metal tanks in 30 years I would never go that route again
Pete
who knows nix about nix

SilentC
Does not matter which way you go, just make sure you use at <b>least</b> three tanks with a little distance between them. 2 for house, 1 for emergency and only one online at any point in time.

That way if something happens you won't loose all your water at once.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by silentC

Starting to give consideration to water tanks. If our plans go ahead, we will be building in the bush with no town water, so we're going to need tanks. Apparently the council requires 90,000 litres storage with 10,000 reserved for firefighting.

The biggest transportable concrete tank you can get is 35,000 and it sells for around $5,500 and we would need three. You can get a 92,000 steel tank with a poly liner for $6,500. This means concrete is roughly 3 times the price. I don't have prices on poly tanks but I imagine they would be cheaper than similar capacity steel. My brother in law makes corrugated iron tanks but the biggest he goes is 3000 gallon. so I'd need about 7 of them.

My question is, does anyone have any information or opinions on the various pros and cons of each? I'd expect concrete to be the best, it lasts forever, wont melt in a bushfire, keeps the water cool all year round. But the steel is much cheaper and they reckon it lasts for 65 years with the liner. What about poly?

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It is a funny thing, but me and my mate were just discussing the very thing, water tanks.

apparently there was a comprehensive survey done on the various tank materials, and water off a gal roof into a gal tank came out a the best water in purity and taste.

Now, it appears, according to my mate who has been pricing tanks, that the poly or fibre galssed tanks and the gal tanks are around the same price. One thing that was mentioned is that the poly tank is difficult to anchor, which would be a necessity when empty.

As transport costs and setting up of tanks the size you are talking about would be large. Give thought to having a conc.block tank, rendered and built on site...Might be worth a go, as mentioned in other answers. A lot of people still put in inground concrete tanks, but if there was a worry about ground subsidence you could ask the local council if it is a liklyhood on your bit of dirt.

Many homes have tanks under the house, which is also the foundations.

Peter R

We've got a 26Kl transportable concrete tank, 19 years old, no leaks. I'd like to get a 2nd tank but will go poly because of the price and maneuverability. Unless I hire a jumbo crane there's no way I'll get another concrete tank into our back yard. I think I'd trust a poly tank over a steel tank, lined or not. I suppose the good thing about a steel tank is that if/when it does go belly up you could get it concrete sprayed inside. Family of mine had this done a few years ago to 2x 150Kl sothern cross tanks that were starting to leak after 30 years. You might want to consider getting a 5hp firefighting pump and some 3/4" hoses. You can make your place a whole lot safer for about a grand. If you have major fires the brigade might not be able to cover the whole area. If you keep the grass real short around the tanks and trees well back poly tanks should be fine in a fire.

Mick

Concrete tanks around here last about the same length of time as galv ones, 20 years max. the reo rusts, the concrete spalls and the tanks are knackered.... my Dad had one built on site, guaranteed for 20years. The firm lasted 2 years and my Dads tank died 12 months later before the lid caved in and the sides started to fail, we strapped them but they only hung in for about another 4 years.
I replaced two galv tanks last November with two 'glass tanks, tastes fine to me and I ama fussy "B". I have had a glass tank at the shack for a couple of years now, it is doing fine, the neighbours have connected their kitchen to it for food prep and drinking and have no probs either. It might sound petty but one of my pet hates with the poly tanks is their ugliness, daggy great corrugations etc...... I don't know about their longevity but I have been told that the 'glass ones are more resistant to UV.

Silent

You can never have too much water storage, particularly if you have children or women in the house or if you have any intention of watering a garden.

I think it is generally accepted that a zincalume roof is the best to catch water from. Colourbond is OK when it is new but does become powdery with time and tiles have the potential to develop growths.

Most tanks are tainted by the material from which they are made. It is a question of whether you mind that particular taste. Possibly the only commonly available material that does not taint is stainless steel. Impractical normally because of cost, but could be considered for drinking water only. Domestic consumption of water for drinking is minute. Water for other purposes is huge. A 500L tank would be adequate for most households for drinking purposes only.

Having said that, we have never troubled with stainless tanks. We have mostly poly tanks (5) as they are competitvely priced and relatively easy to install. Originally our tanks were zincalume, but they rusted out in around 10 years. Probably with an aquaplate coating they would be as good as any.

Remember that zincalume, as opposed to galvanised, is very intolerant of contact with the earth and cannot be placed in direct contact with the ground. In practice this means siting the tank on a stand. More effort, more cost etc.

Dirt that is washed off the roof essentially is the same as placing the tank on the ground and that is why our tanks leaked. They corrode from the inside.

Lastly we have one concrete tank, but that was home made so the fact that it leaks, albeit slightly, is not representative. We use it for garden and fire fighting supply.

My wife maintains she doesn't like the taste of water out of the poly tanks, but I am OK with it. It would be easily solveable by installing a filter. To put things into perspective, I have rarely tasted water in cities (Sydney and Newcastle for example) that is better.

Incidentally I would not be concerned about having to put more than one tank in. Several tanks linked together but with valves to isolate them are much more secure. One big tank that is damaged and you may have lost your total supply.

All water tanks are ugly. If you have the room locate them remotely from the house. Ours are 50m from the house in a cutting. I have always intended to grow trees in front of them, but have not done it yet. I have often looked at the large steel tanks that are assembled on site with a plastic liner and thought them interesting (but still ugly).

I have found 6000 gal poly tanks the most cost effective in terms of litres for your dollar; Better than the 7000 gal.

Regards

Paul