Water is important for every household, especially if you live in an area where water is scarce.
This is why getting a water tank has become necessary for some people. If the time comes when there’s a shortage, it’s going to come in handy.
When you get a water tank, it’s also essential to maintain it. This is because it stores water that you might be used for consumption, cleaning, and washing. You wouldn’t want to use water that’s murky or contaminated.
To keep it sanitary, here are some tips that you could follow to make sure that your tank is clean enough to store water:
1. Choose The Right Water Tank For Your Needs
Maintenance depends on the kind of tank you purchase. This is why it’s important to get one that matches your lifestyle and where you plan to keep the water tank.
As you might already know, there are different types, such as steel and plastic, and each will have its specific cleaning needs. You may browse this site to check out the various materials and designs of water tanks.
There are also different tanks depending on where you’ll be storing them and what water you plan to keep inside.
For instance, there are those made for underground, while there are also rainwater tanks, which are also to be maintained properly. But, if you’re getting a tank that you’ll be kept above ground, here are some tips that could help out to help keep the water clean.
a. Get Something Opaque
An opaque tank will help deter any algae growth or anything similar. As you can imagine, a transparent tank will just bring in more sunlight, speeding up algae growth and making your water green.
b. Pick The Right Color
You’ll also be surprised how the color can affect the cleanliness of your tank and the water inside. But, the color you choose should also depend on where you’ll be keeping the tank.
A darker-colored tank is suitable for a cool and shady place, while a beige or green tank is best if it’ll be exposed to a lot of suns.
2. Prepare Your Tools
When cleaning the tank, you’ll have to get your cleaning materials ready. Thankfully, you’ll find most of the basics in your home. Here are some of the things you’ll need to clean out your tank.
- Goggles or other types of eye protection
- Sponge head mop
- Bucket
- Unscented bleach
- Protective gloves
- Dry towel
You could also use other tools to make cleaning easier for you. If you have a sump pump, wet and dry vacuum, shop vac, pressure washer, and chlorine strips, they could also make the process much easier.
3. Clean The Tank Before First Using It
The first time you clean your tank should be right before you use it. Even if it’s brand new, you can’t be sure if there are contaminants inside that could make your water dangerous to use.
Cleaning the tank will help keep you and your family safe, but you could also use a water filter as an extra precaution.
4. Regularly Clean It Every Six Months
After you first clean it and fill up the tank, you’ll want to maintain it every six months, to get make sure that you may run a regular tank inspection. This way, there won’t be any hard-to-clean, severe buildup.
Nonetheless, it would be best to examine the tank more often to see how dirty it has gotten. This way, you could decide to clean it earlier to ensure that everything is sanitary and clean.
5. Have A Step-By-Step Plan
The cleaning process is the most important part of maintenance. It’ll take some serious effort and hard work, but you’ll want to take your time.
Besides, you’ll only be doing it twice a year, so it’s not going to take much of your time. To make sure that you clean things thoroughly, try this step-by-step procedure:
- Drain the tank
- Get rid of the dirt inside
- Rinse the tank
- Apply your bleach solution
- Leave it to soak for two hours
- Rinse it out again
When getting rid of the dirt, you’ll want to scrub it with a bristle brush, especially if they’re hard to get rid of. And, as for the bleach solution, the mixture is one tablespoon of bleach for every gallon of water.
Conclusion
A water tank is convenient since it gives you an extra source, and it also helps you reduce your water bill. However, buying a tank isn’t enough; you’ll also have to maintain it by using it correctly, doing repairs as soon as the need arises, and cleaning it up regularly. As an investment, it’s important to get the most out of it, and you can’t do that with a dirty tank because it makes the water unusable.
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