water tank in attic

Mairin · 14-03-2005 2:49pm #1

How do you go about cleaning out a cold water tank in an attic. I've bought a house and have been advised to clean out the tank as it could be dirty. Can it be done yourself or would you be best to employ someone?

rooferPete · 14-03-2005 4:58pm

Hi Mairin,

It is not unusual for silt to build up in the attic water storage tanks, the silt usually stays below the outlet pipes.

Obviously some small amounts of the silt are carried away especially when drawing a lot of water at one time like filling a bath.

I would take great care if the tank is an old galvanised steel type because draining the tank is easy but scraping the bottom of an old tank could cause a leak.

I would go so far as to advise a plastic replacement if you have a galvanised steel tank as most of them would be in the order of thirty years old if not more.

Should you be unlucky and your tank leaks the average household insurance does not cover a replacement tank, most will cover the damage to ceilings etc but not the tank.

If it is plastic and reasonably new you can turn off the mains supply and drain the tank by running the bath, make sure the immersion is switched off.

The tank will empty to about 30 mm of the bottom then it's a case of buckets and mops to empty the remaining water and trowel or similar Not Sharp tool to clean the silt out of the bottom.

The process will take time so you will be paying for the time spent doing the job if you employ someone.

Kristok · 14-03-2005 7:03pm

I did this last summer and its a pain to do. Fisrt you need to turn the water off then leave the taps running to drain the tank. You need to be real careful not to damage the tank gently scrape off the crap and bin it, then just wash it down until its clean. Its not an easy job you could be at it a while. I checked it recently and its starting to build up again so really if you can afford it get it replaced with a plastic tank (about 500euro) If the water does not flow again when you refill the tank its probably air locked somewhere, this is easy to fix with a hose connected to the cold main water supply (usually your kitched cold tap) and put the hose up one of the taps you drained the tank with earlier and the water will push the air out into the rank.

pipers · 14-03-2005 9:46pm

If the tank is galvanised, replace it, its a no brainer, otherwise you will be brushing your teeth with the crap in it.

When you replace the tank, make sure theres a lid fitted.

A colleague of mine provides a sterilisation service for infected tanks, PM me if you require his contact details.

factor · 23-02-2010 12:00pm

Hi All

Hope this thread is not too old to add to.

We are hoping to move into a new house in the next few weeks. The survey suggested replacing the tank with a plactic one, and we will get that done asap.

However, I was wondering in the meantime is there anyting that can be done so we can more sefely use the water, to bath and shower etc?

I was given one suggestion to run a couple of gallons of Milton throught he system? Does that sound like a reasonable idea?

Many Thanks
S

Joey the lips · 23-02-2010 11:38pm

factor wrote: »

Hi All

Hope this thread is not too old to add to.

We are hoping to move into a new house in the next few weeks. The survey suggested replacing the tank with a plactic one, and we will get that done asap.

However, I was wondering in the meantime is there anyting that can be done so we can more sefely use the water, to bath and shower etc?

I was given one suggestion to run a couple of gallons of Milton throught he system? Does that sound like a reasonable idea?

Many Thanks
S

Your replacing the tank because its old not because its dangerous. Milton would be no harm but its a waste of time. The water will be fine for washing etc. unless you were speciafically advised it will not be.

Well Hellooo · 28-02-2010 10:18pm

My overflow pipe was leaking so i called a plumber and he put a new ballcock into the tank. He screamed when he put his hand in, there was stuff like frog spawn, all black and a clear jelly like goo. I'm using bottled water for 'everything till i find out more. Wondering if my dodgy health had to do with it?
Rang a lab and he suggested no point in testing stuff but to get tank and all pipes etc. chlorinated. this will cost couple of hundred.
I WAS WASHING MY TEETH IN THIS STUFF AND WAS GETTING SORE GUMS!

Wish there was a cheaper way to solve this?

Joey the lips · 01-03-2010 11:12am

Well Hellooo wrote: »

My overflow pipe was leaking so i called a plumber and he put a new ballcock into the tank. He screamed when he put his hand in, there was stuff like frog spawn, all black and a clear jelly like goo. I'm using bottled water for 'everything till i find out more. Wondering if my dodgy health had to do with it?
Rang a lab and he suggested no point in testing stuff but to get tank and all pipes etc. chlorinated. this will cost couple of hundred.
I WAS WASHING MY TEETH IN THIS STUFF AND WAS GETTING SORE GUMS!

Wish there was a cheaper way to solve this?

Why are you using bottled water. Just bring water to bed from your kitchen tap. Its a mains feed so does not go near the attic tank.

cnocbui · 01-03-2010 1:15pm

Well Hellooo wrote: »

Rang a lab and he suggested no point in testing stuff but to get tank and all pipes etc. chlorinated. this will cost couple of hundred.

Wish there was a cheaper way to solve this?

There is a cheaper way to do it, it's called DIY.

Go down to Lidl and get two 4L containers of bleach. That might cost you €3.

Clean out the tank yourself. Get some rubber gloves and a scourer or scrubbing brush and scrub the tank with some of the bleach. A mask might be a good idea too. Obviously turn off the mains and drain the tank first.

Half fill the tank and drain it via the bath or other high flow outlet. Fill the tank again and when it is about a third full, pour in the remains of the first container of bleach and continue filling the tank then turn of the mains again.

let it sit for half an hour and then run a hot water tap until you can smell bleach and turn it off.

Run each of the cold taps in the house until you can smell bleach and then turn them off. Do the same for the hot taps, and showers.

Let everything sit for another half hour then drain the rest of the tank.

I think that would probably do it, but to be safe, you could do it all again with the second container of bleach - except the scrubbing.

Then you would obviously need to turn the mains on again and refill the tank with fresh water and then open all the taps - hot and cold - and leave them running awhile until they are running fresh water and not the bleach solution.

Get a cover for the tank. Someone is going to say something about the bleach not being a good idea for a septic tank or O rings in minute.

Joey the lips · 01-03-2010 1:20pm

cnocbui wrote: »

Someone is going to say something about the bleach not being a good idea for a septic tank or O rings in minute.

Nope.... Would not say that.... but be sure to plug the electric shower feed or all that sh1t will clog it and you will need a new one. You can bet the electric shower feed is clear as its off the bottom and away from the top....

We use to use milton for this. As for septic tanks..... What choice do you have.

As suggested get a lid. They are about 60 euro but worth it... or a sheet of ply.

jack of all · 01-03-2010 3:33pm

I've cleaned out and "sterilised" tanks with Milton tablets and it worked a treat, not as nasty as bleach and doesn't stink the place out either.

Well Hellooo · 02-03-2010 10:24pm

It's an apartment, so gap is small into tank. I can barely reach in so hope i can manage to scrub it, will need a bendy long stick?

Will try the bleach ta, hope I can get it in through gap. (It's high up in the hot press.)
The chlorine guy said he couldn't do it properly with such a small space so good, i'll save 200 euro.
I'm going to get a water filter tap in kitchen as i'm so paranoid now that the warm water in kitchen is leaving the poison crap in pipes.!

aidan203 · 10-08-2010 6:20am

I noticed an off odour coming from the hot water tap. Looked in the attic tank and there were several dead bats floating around. Looked above and there must have been 500+ bats resting. Scary, in a sense.

Now I know I can’t kill the bats without going to prison.

I think I can skim the dead ones off the water, then use bleach in the tank.

Why were these tanks made without covers in the first place?

Can I get an enclosed tank? How about getting rid of the bats?

Suggestions?

Davy · 10-08-2010 8:17am

I dont about killing the bats, but if you measure the tank, go into heatmerchants or any good builders providers and they should have a matching lid. The reason they arent always installed is because they arent cheap. They cost nearly as much as the tank itself. Best of luck

aidan203 · 11-08-2010 6:29am

Cleaned the tank yesterday. Removed about six inches of bat **** from the tank and a dozen bad carcasses in various states of decomposition. Cleaned the tank, then ran milton through the pipes. I made a cover for the tank from a sheet of plywood (on advice of a local -- he said it's just as good as buying a cover.)

The bats will have to stay -- EU mandate. I'm about a hundred feet from the lake so this is the bat home. We can live with them, I suppose. It was quite a sight to see 500-600 of them on the attic ceiling.

kevinjgraham · 19-08-2010 5:13pm

Aidan203

Go to http://www.batconservationireland.org/ to get loads of free help on what to do about bats in the attic. They helped me out.

K.

aidan203 · 20-08-2010 5:46pm

Thanks. I have much info on bats from them and other sources. We are leaving the bats alone. We removed the dead bats, cleaned and drained the tank, poured in lots of milton, etc. And put a cover over the tank this time. The house is 100 feet from the lake so why bother: the bats would only return. They also live in all the outbuildings.

kildea · 09-09-2010 1:55pm

a friend , a plumber , suggested when changing my bathroom suite to have the cold water changed on to the 'mains' .. i didnt realise that the cold water was coming from a tank in the attic. as i was living in a flat
the attic and the tank could have have been filled with dead pigeons for all i knew .apparently the standard as my friend the plumber explained was/is to give mains cold water to the kitchen but attic ,tank, cold water to the bathroom , with the result that you are brushing your teeth ect with water from a potentially dodgy source... it wasnt a big job changing the cold water in the bathroom on to the mains..

RKQ · 09-09-2010 2:51pm

Never drink water from a cold tap other than you kitchen sink!
The kitchen sink is usually the only tap connected directly to the mains.
Its an important rule to remember in pubs, niteclubs & hotels!

If brushing your teeth you are supposed to spit - never swallow.

kollegeknight · 03-11-2015 11:40pm

Hi folks,

Feathers started to come out of the bath taps, kitchen hot tap and bathroom sink.

I checked the big tank in the loft, there was only a wing left in it. I drained the tank, cleaned and washed it.

But feathers stil coming out of the taps, is it just a matter of running the water until it stops?

Also if successful, how will I dissenfect system? Like how much Milton to add and do I just leave it there?

Thanks in advance

Payton · 04-11-2015 1:11pm

kollegeknight wrote: »

Hi folks,

Feathers started to come out of the bath taps, kitchen hot tap and bathroom sink.

I checked the big tank in the loft, there was only a wing left in it. I drained the tank, cleaned and washed it.

But feathers stil coming out of the taps, is it just a matter of running the water until it stops?

Also if successful, how will I dissenfect system? Like how much Milton to add and do I just leave it there?

Thanks in advance

Honestly you'd be better off getting a plumber to have a look at it for you. If there is part of a bird in it God knows what could be lodged elsewhere in the system....for hygiene reasons!

kollegeknight · 04-11-2015 1:36pm

Payton wrote: »

Honestly you'd be better off getting a plumber to have a look at it for you. If there is part of a bird in it God knows what could be lodged elsewhere in the system....for hygiene reasons!

Yeah I was thinking that. thanks very much

cnocbui · 27-04-2017 11:34am

I just made a lid for mine out of heavy duty builders plastic sheet and some tape.

bonzodog2 · 27-04-2017 11:35am

You could drape a plastic sheet over the whole lot. If there's a lot of silt near the exit pipe you could remove it with a siphon.

Calahonda52 · 27-04-2017 6:13pm

Deedsie wrote: »

Hi,

Sorry to resurrect and old thread but it seems to be the most similar to what I am looking for. The pic attached shows the water tank in the attic/loft. This is a very dusty attic with no fresh air coming in anywhere. Very stuff.

Can I get lids for these anywhere in Dublin?

The round loft tank is 25 inches/ 63.5 cm in diameter.

The smaller tank on top is 17 inches / 43 cm in length.

These tanks would have been installed in the late 1960's early 1970's and have not been changed since. The water seems clean but a little stagnant.

I hate shaving with the water that comes out of the hot tap in the bathroom.

Is the top one supported on the bottom one or is it an optical conclusion:pac:
Do you know the difference in the purpose of both of these tanks?

Calahonda52 · 27-04-2017 9:13pm

Deedsie wrote: »

There is a plank of wood sitting on the the round tank and the smaller rectangular tank is just sitting on that.

Not really to be honest. Storing water for the hot water tank and cold taps that are not connected to the mains?

I just want to cover them so dust etc doesnt get into the water

And I just want to make sure that your health is not being compromised here.
I think that the overflow from the heating system tank is into the potable water supply tank underneath.

Can you verify that for me please?

ps the picture is a candidate for the WTF plumbing thread, I will post it!

Calahonda52 · 01-05-2017 3:23pm

Yes they do, thank you.
This is is a right mess that needs sorting pronto from a health point of view

The CH tank overflows into the potable water tank...
I don't see any overflow from the potable water tank.

water tank in attic

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