BajaNomad

How do I maintain a cistern?

bajalearner - 3-5-2015 at 07:34 AM

A cistern seems like a good idea to have a reserve of water when the supply goes off. I see a number of them for houses in Tijuana. The full cistern may sit unused for some time before needed and I wonder what is needed to keep the water from growing undesirable stuff.

Any ideas?

larryC - 3-5-2015 at 08:42 AM

I add a little chlorine to mine and it doesn't seem to have any growth in it.

Katiejay99 - 3-5-2015 at 09:33 AM

I think that most of those cisterns on roof tops are used daily and they provide the gravity-driven water pressure within the house. I don't know of anyone who has one on their roof that does not use it. Chlorine tablets are good as it will keep the tank slime free.

durrelllrobert - 3-5-2015 at 10:34 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Katiejay99  
I think that most of those cisterns on roof tops are used daily and they provide the gravity-driven water pressure within the house. I don't know of anyone who has one on their roof that does not use it. Chlorine tablets are good as it will keep the tank slime free.


...and the black ones are pretty immune to algae growth because the block oyt the sunlight. Don't buy a clear/ white one.

bajabuddha - 3-5-2015 at 10:43 AM

http://www.newjerusalem.com/PureWater.htm
A lot depends on what you use your cistern water for; personally I would use agua purificado for pastas, rice and steaming veggies, and the tap water for cleaning, showering, etc. Any water that stands for any length of time that isn't a sealed-circuit is subject to Bad Spooge. Some sealed circuits are too if you have dead-end lines that haven't been installed in a constant loop set-up.
Notice it calls for 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, 1/2 tsp if cloudy (in Navajo country it's a cup or so per gallon lol). Here in New Mexico as well as Baja we rely on purificado, and my 3 gallon jugs get Clorox rinse about every couple of months, same as when i'm in Baja. A little goes a long way, and note, it's not the chlorine that does the disinfecting, but the gas, so let stand 30 minutes. Sure can ruin a good whiskey if you get 'em mixed up.

So any standing water in an unclosed system can accumulate a little Spooge in it, even closed systems not designed properly with a constant 'loop system' that has dead ends can. If I had a cistern on the roof i'd probably add a cup in once every couple months just on general principles. An ounce of prevention...

{edit} forgot to mention, freshly chlorinated water is not very good for houseplants or gardening.

[Edited on 3-5-2015 by bajabuddha]

weebray - 3-5-2015 at 11:32 AM

My experience: A storage tank on the roof is usually black and is called a tinaco. A tank on the ground is usually made of block or stone and is covered and sealed. It is called a pila. A tank in the ground, covered, is called a cistern. They are usually transparent white. The source of our water is La Paz municipal. In 25 years our tinaco has been cleaned twice. In one case, before we had a pre-filter, about 1/8" of sand/dirt was mucked out and the tank cleaned. The next time, after installing a pre-filter, we emptied the tank and cleaned it but felt it was a waste of time and water. It didn't need it. It has been 5 years since then and the tank is still clean. Our cistern is a "backup" system in case the tinaco runs out. It is rarely used. Once a year or so we drop a small chlorine pool pellet in it. It shows no sign of any growth, dirt, etc. We use the water in it at least once a year. We have had our water tested several times with positive results albeit high salinity. We have never had any contaminated water problems with our system.We do not have a pila so can't advise.
On the local La Paz gringo yahoo group there is someone trying to scare people into having him clean their tinaco once a year when they leave for the summer. I think that's rubbish and told him so. La Paz gringo groups does not allow any negative comments or opinions. They banned me. Wah!

MitchMan - 3-5-2015 at 11:38 AM

In La Paz, the term "cistern" is usually used to describe a second water tank either underground or at ground level. Usually this second tank involves a system whereby the piped in water is first routed to the "cistern" tank, then, by way of water level sensors in the cistern and in the first tank, that water is pumped up to the first tank on the roof. That first tank on the roof then has the force of gravity to deliver its water to the house for the external outside house wall spigots intended for a washing machine, inside the house for showers, sinks and toilet use. Therefore, the water is constantly circulated throughout the entire system. Usually there are filters to help capture solids coming from the piped in water.

At my house, the piped in water from the city goes to the cistern and also is routed to the two ground spigots that service the outside yards and gardens. Because city water that gets "pushed" to my property is unreliable as to water pressure and times (ostensibly every other day for supposedly set hours). Experience has shown that you really never know when you are actually going to get water. Because of that, I cannot rely on the outside spigots to water the plants using a timer. Therefore, I use the washing machine spigots and the water outlet from the hot water heater to water my plants (when I am not at the house) as that water comes from the roof top tank that supplies a constant reliable water pressure and a perpetual constant supply of water to the battery powered digital timer valves. I don't have a washing machine.

I haven't experienced any build up of algae, ever in either of my tanks, just solids build up that gets past the filters and that has to be sucked out every year.

Before I had the cistern installed, I had some guests over for a total of 4 adults. I ran out of water about 12 hours before I got water pushed to the house. The tinaco on the roof only held 900 liters or 238 gallons. So, I had a low flow toilet installed (1.27 gallons per flush), low flow shower head installed (really plain and simple, $7.00 USD from Walmart), and had an above ground Cistern system installed (cistern tank = 1100 liters or 290 gallons). Now, my water system will support 8 to 10 people and the garden watering needs.

Weebray, almost got myself kicked off of LaPazGringos a couple of days ago. Doesn't take much.

[Edited on 3-5-2015 by MitchMan]

vandenberg - 3-5-2015 at 02:10 PM

Quote: Originally posted by MitchMan  


Weebray, almost got myself kicked off of LaPazGringos a couple of days ago. Doesn't take much.



Beat you guys by several years.
Got kicked out for questioning someone about putting a tope on a residential dead end street. The girl who runs the site has N-zi tendencies.
Not much different from the one in Loreto btw.:no:

Have a 3000 gallon cistern that has only been cleaned once in 23 years and really didn't need it then.

[Edited on 3-5-2015 by vandenberg]

weebray - 3-5-2015 at 05:09 PM

You both have a similar experience to ours. We pressurized our house system in order to use a on demand water heater. Big mistake! They depend on a constant water pressure and cannot handle the differential pressure of a pressure tank. There are modern on demand pumps that do that but for us it was cheaper to go back to an electric water heater. Anyway don't sweat the cistern/tinaco worry about something else.
Vandenberg, you naughty boy, stirring the pot is not allowed on La Paz gringos. You're exactly right, it's run buy some uptight gringa and a feckless boater with a small mind. I don't miss it, just a bunch of mindless pap and self promotion there.

UnoMas - 3-5-2015 at 05:59 PM

I had a tinaco that was under a roof, no direct sunlight, the tank was black but being shaded all the time kept the temperature down. It was back up water only and would sit for months with out being used. I would put a small amount of Chlorine bleach in it and after months of no use it would be Cristal clear when I would return and no slime in the tank.
The green bottle Mexican bleach for washing clothes had directions on the bottle for disinfecting tinacos, don't remember the amount but was small. On return would use the water and start over with no problems in 15 years.

Bob and Susan - 3-5-2015 at 06:28 PM

if you use clorine bleach in your water for years and years
your hair turns white...

Fernweh - 3-5-2015 at 08:10 PM

At my place in Centenario, I do not have municipal water service.
A water tank in the ground, 10,000 L plastic tank blue, one 1100L tank on the roof as a back-up if we have a power outage.
A friend brought a fancy water tester, so we did test the water. The scale shows 1 - 500 is good to OK water. My friends well water tested at 900.....
My water, being delivered by truck, tested at 302, the Trader Joe's water bottle showed up at 120.....
So, should I cook the pasta with the water from the tank or continue to use bottled water?

woody with a view - 3-5-2015 at 08:16 PM

^^^like!^^^

bledito - 3-5-2015 at 09:23 PM

1/2 pound per foot water column pressure does not equate to a lot of water pressure in say a 10 foot column that is only 5 pounds. enought for a sink faucet or toilet but the shower would be dismall if your used to 30 pounds pressure.

Fernweh - 3-5-2015 at 10:00 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bledito  
1/2 pound per foot water column pressure does not equate to a lot of water pressure in say a 10 foot column that is only 5 pounds. enought for a sink faucet or toilet but the shower would be dismall if your used to 30 pounds pressure.


I think showers are overrated.......just kidding.
The emergency generator sits next to the pump and pressure tank.
The water heater 50Gal is only connected to two solar panels, which provides me with boiling hot water, and still hot enough after a couple overcast days.

So far I have not had the need of any tinaco cleaning, it is very pristine in there. The water out of the main tank (in ground) goes through a high flow irrigation filter first, and then through the house filter, which came with the tinaco.

bajabuddha - 3-5-2015 at 10:03 PM

One dose of giardia salmonella or amoebic dysentery is worth a thousand doses of chlorine. Brushing with Pacifico causes a little more foam, but good hygiene. Lots of people swear by NOT wearing seatbelts also... they're killers.

Bob and Susan - 3-6-2015 at 12:44 PM

Quote: Originally posted by bledito  
...5 pounds. enought for a sink faucet or toilet but the shower would be dismall if your used to 30 pounds pressure.


what about if the tank is directly above the shower...
wouldn't it just "flow out"

Fernweh - 3-6-2015 at 01:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
Quote: Originally posted by bledito  
...5 pounds. enought for a sink faucet or toilet but the shower would be dismall if your used to 30 pounds pressure.


what about if the tank is directly above the shower...
wouldn't it just "flow out"


No pipes - no added drag = better flow
The water pressure would be calculated from the height of the shower head to the tinaco.
More pressure to the low boy toilet.... some people need that :-)

mtgoat666 - 3-6-2015 at 02:08 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
Quote: Originally posted by bledito  
...5 pounds. enought for a sink faucet or toilet but the shower would be dismall if your used to 30 pounds pressure.


what about if the tank is directly above the shower...
wouldn't it just "flow out"


yes, if you opened up tank and removed shower head you would get free flow, wide stream at low velocity. about the same as pouring a bucket over your head.

for low pressure use an icepick or drill and increase hole size in shower head, or remove shower head and let pipe flow unimpeded :light::light:

Alm - 3-6-2015 at 10:55 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Katiejay99  
I think that most of those cisterns on roof tops are used daily and they provide the gravity-driven water pressure within the house. I don't know of anyone who has one on their roof that does not use it.

Yes. Cisterns are to provide gravity-driven pressure where "city water" doesn't have enough pressure, or when there is no "city water" at all. Sometimes also for temporary service interruption, but even then, they are used on the daily basis, and the entire cisterna is gradually being refilled in a matter of week or two.