A Taste of What's Inside
Naturally, storing quality water requires more than filling up a tank and forgetting about it. Your stored water needs regular care and attention to stay in top condition and ready to use whenever needed.
This chapter will consider the key factors that can affect water quality in storage and dive into the best practices for keeping it sparkling clean. No matter your ultimate purpose, this chapter will equip you with the knowledge to keep your water in tip-top shape.
What Makes Water Go Bad?
Like that carton of milk in your fridge, stored water can go bad if you’re not careful. Luckily, keeping water fresh and clean isn’t rocket science. It just takes a little know-how and regular care.
Contamination Sources
Maintaining clean and safe water in your storage system doesn’t have to be complicated. You can prevent most contamination and keep your water in top condition with a few simple precautions. Let’s explore some familiar sources of contamination and the easy steps you can take to protect your water supply.
These troublemakers can sneak into your water in a myriad of ways:
Airborne Particles: Dust, pollen, and other tiny particles can settle on the water’s surface and eventually find their way into your supply.
Animal Waste: Birds, rodents, and insects can all contribute to contamination, especially if they have access to your storage system.
Chemical Runoff: Fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals from your yard or surrounding areas can be washed into your water storage during rain or snowmelt.
The good news is that you can prevent most contamination with some simple precautions:
Location, Location, Location: Choose a spot for your water storage away from potential contamination sources. Covered cisterns and raised tanks offer significant protection, and indoor storage provides almost total protection.
Keep It Clean: Regularly clean your storage container to prevent buildup and keep those contaminants at bay.
Liner Up: A high-quality liner is your first line of defense against leaks and contamination. More on that later!
Temperature
Water is surprisingly finicky, and even extreme temperature swings can degrade water quality. If it’s too hot, you’ll have a breeding ground for algae and bacteria. If it’s too cold, the water could freeze and damage your storage system.
Here are some pointers for keeping your water (and you) happy:
Insulation: Insulate your tank or cistern to minimize drastic temperature changes. Underground or sheltered storage locations will help even more.
Shade: Consider installing shade cloths or placing your containers near mature trees. Of course, temperature fluctuations are less of a concern if your water storage is underground or in a sheltered location like a basement or garage.
Ventilation: Proper ventilation can help regulate temperature and prevent condensation. Place storage structures with enough room for air to pass between them, especially on southern exposures.
Light Exposure
Sunlight is fantastic for growing plants but not so much for stored water. Algae love warm, sunny water, but we don’t love the taste, and some algae can even be deadly. So it’s a good strategy to keep your water in the dark!
Opaque Tanks: Choose a storage tank that’s opaque or made from a dark-colored material.
Cover Up: The same steps for shading your water storage to avoid temperature fluctuations work for limiting light exposure - double duty!
Stagnation: Keep It Moving
Like most of us, water must move around to stay healthy. Stagnant water can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria, algae, and other unwanted guests. If possible, install a circulation system to keep the water moving. A solar- or wind-powered circulating pump is a great option. The same aerators you would use in a pond also do a great job.
Liner Choice
We’ll dive deeper into liners later, but it’s worth mentioning that your liner choice can significantly impact water quality. Using the wrong liner can lead to all sorts of problems, from chemical leaching to contamination.
Potable vs. Non-Potable: Your liner should be certified for potable water contact if you’re storing drinking water.
The Right Material: Choose a liner made from high-quality materials that won’t break down or leach chemicals into your water.
Don’t Repurpose: Avoid using liners that are intended for other purposes, like roofing materials or swimming pool liners. They might be treated with antifungals or fire retardants and are definitely not safe for drinking water, irrigation, or similar uses.
Keeping Your Water Clean: Best Practices
You’ve got your water storage set up – fantastic! But now comes the important part: keeping that water clean and safe. After all, nobody wants to use water that’s seen better days.
Regular Cleaning and Inspection
Make it a strict policy to inspect and clean your water storage system on a regular basis to prevent problems and keep your water in top condition. Taking the initiative in water management can save you time, money, and frustration.
Inspection Checklist:
- Tank Exterior: Look for signs of damage, cracks, or leaks.
- Tank Interior: Check for sediment buildup, algae growth, or foreign objects.
- Roof and Cover: Make sure the roof or cover is secure and in good condition.
- Inlet/Outlet Pipes: Inspect for leaks, blockages, or signs of corrosion.
Where Does the Water Go?
During cleaning, the water needs to come out of the tank. When you’re storing thousands of gallons of water (potable or not), that’s a significant issue. Here are some options to consider:
- Temporary Storage: Transfer the water to a temporary storage container suitable for drinking water, such as another tank, a series of food-grade drums, or a temporary bladder designed for potable water.
- Filtration and Disinfection: If transferring the water isn’t feasible due to the volume, you can use a pump to circulate the water through a filtration and disinfection system while you clean the tank. Filtration and disinfection will help minimize waste while keeping the water quality high (but not necessarily to potable standards). Filtration and disinfection are generally the preferred methods for very large tanks, as discarding large volumes of water can be wasteful and impractical.
- Modular Systems: If you have a modular storage system with multiple smaller tanks, you can set up a maintenance rotation that has you clean and disinfect only one tank at a time. Since you’d be removing only a portion of your stored water, this approach makes maintenance more manageable and minimizes the risk of losing your entire water supply during cleaning.
Cleaning Routine:
- Drain and Scrub: If possible, completely drain your tank or cistern and give it a good scrub with a brush and a mild cleaning solution to remove any sediment or buildup that could affect water quality. For large tanks, this might require using a submersible pump to make sure no puddles of water remain, and a pressure washer to clean the walls. Check with your tank supplier for specific procedures and recommendations.
- Disinfect: For potable water tanks, use an appropriate disinfectant approved as NSF 60 to kill any lingering bacteria or viruses before refilling them.
- Rinse Thoroughly: Carefully rinse away all cleaning solutions and disinfectants before refilling your storage system. This prevents residual chemicals from contaminating the water.
Putting a Lid on It
That concludes our discussion on maintaining the quality of your stored water. We've explored the key factors that can affect your water, from managing contamination sources to regular maintenance and cleaning. But our exploration of water storage isn't over yet! In the next chapter, we'll delve into the down and dirty details of biological contamination. We'll examine the bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms that can turn your stored water into a health hazard.
