Attic Water Tank Sterilisation

Doop

Anyone got any recommendations of a company (Dublin based) who carry out domestic water tank cleaning/sterilisation?

Moving into a new house and dont fancy the look of the attic water tank... the lid is ajar which doesn't help!

also an idea of cost?

my3cents

Empty it and give it a scrub out hardly a big deal.

You don't even need to turn the water off just use a piece of wood across the tank to tie the ball valve up.

Calahonda52

Doop wrote: »

Anyone got any recommendations of a company (Dublin based) who carry out domestic water tank cleaning/sterilisation?

Moving into a new house and dont fancy the look of the attic water tank... the lid is ajar which doesn't help!

also an idea of cost?

The boom is back

Post some pictures

Doop

my3cents wrote: »

Empty it and give it a scrub out hardly a big deal.

You don't even need to turn the water off just use a piece of wood across the tank to tie the ball valve up.

Thanks for the suggestion but just so i m clear....
Lift the ball cock so the tank doesnt refill, clean the tank, run the water out the taps to empty the tank...........Is that not asking for an airlock?

my3cents

Doop wrote: »

Thanks for the suggestion but just so i m clear....
Lift the ball cock so the tank doesnt refill, clean the tank, run the water out the taps to empty the tank...........Is that not asking for an airlock?

Unlikely, you'd have to have particularly bad plumbing for that to happen.

From the tank you are relying on water falling though gravity so unless you have some uphill plumbing that can hold air it won't happen. Even if it did its no big deal to fix.

Sleeper12

If its a galvanised tank then it should be replaced. If its plastic then you could clean it out yourself as described by others. If you don't want to do it yourself then a plumber will be happy to charge you to do it for you.

When it's all done and filled fit a lid to keep it clean. If you don't want to spend 30 odd euros on a plastic lid cutting plywood to size will do the job

sbsquarepants

I'm not sure what the issue is, any house I've lived in the tank didn't even have a lid. Some settled dust, maybe the odd spider - it's not like you're drinking this stuff.
Unless there's something really out of the ordinary in there it's a complete waste of time and effort, certainly a waste of money.
Even if lidless for decades it's likely cleaner than most of the worlds drinking water and you only use it to wash and flush the toilet!

(The one in my parents house for example hasn't had a lid for 40 years and hasn't caused any problem whatsoever)

listermint

sbsquarepants wrote: »

I'm not sure what the issue is, any house I've lived in the tank didn't even have a lid. Some settled dust, maybe the odd spider - it's not like you're drinking this stuff.
Unless there's something really out of the ordinary in there it's a complete waste of time and effort, certainly a waste of money.
Even if lidless for decades it's likely cleaner than most of the worlds drinking water and you only use it to wash and flush the toilet!

(The one in my parents house for example hasn't had a lid for 40 years and hasn't caused any problem whatsoever)

It depends on your water source.

basically.

Lumen

So do all the cold taps in the house come directly from the mains supply?

I know bollock all about plumbing, obviously.

My tanks are manky too so this thread is interesting.

Mango Joe

Anyone done this recently and care to share any tips?

This thread has reminded me that mine was never done.... Its been on the list a while....

I was thinking of using a clean sweeping brush (for reaching sides and bottom)and a bit of fairy liquid and scrubbing away... Would tipping in a bottle or two of Milton sterilising fluid be a good idea?

Is there a risk of clumps of debris/algae becoming dislodged and travelling through the pipework only to be trapped on the inside of the wire mesh inside my kitchen and bathroom tap spouts?

There's not great pressure/flow there as it is - not keen to make it worse.

Also has no proper cover - a sheet of ill-fitting aeroboard since 1980....!!!

coylemj

Lumen wrote: »

So do all the cold taps in the house come directly from the mains supply?

In most houses, only the cold tap in the kitchen comes direct from the mains supply, every other cold tap is fed direct from the tank in the attic and the hot taps are fed from the same tank via the immersion tank.

So bar the cold tap in your kitchen, it's likely that every tap in your house is fed from the tank in the attic.

Akrasia

coylemj wrote: »

In most houses, only the cold tap in the kitchen comes direct from the mains supply, every other cold tap is fed direct from the tank in the attic and the hot taps are fed from the same tank via the immersion tank.

So bar the cold tap in your kitchen, it's likely that every tap in your house is fed from the tank in the attic.

Yeah. Don't drink from the cold tap in your bathroom.

Lumen

Akrasia wrote: »

Yeah. Don't drink from the cold tap in your bathroom.

OK, cool. Now I just have to find a way to explain this to my cat.

Doop

Thanks lads yeah ill give it a go myself so

If its a galvanised tank then it should be replaced. If its plastic then you could clean it out yourself as described by others. If you don't want to do it yourself then a plumber will be happy to charge you to do it for you.

Its a plastic tank thankfully.

sbsquarepants wrote: »

]I'm not sure what the issue is, any house I've lived in the tank didn't even have a lid. Some settled dust, maybe the odd spider - it's not like you're drinking this stuff.

you're not far off it while using it to brush teeth etc... maybe I'm being precious tho :P

hatchman

Use a wet and dry vac once cleaning done to take out debris rather than letting it into pipework or taps.

Doctors room ghost

Lumen wrote: »

So do all the cold taps in the house come directly from the mains supply?

I know bollock all about plumbing, obviously.

My tanks are manky too so this thread is interesting.

The cold at your kitchen sink is mains the rest are your tank.tie up ball cock and run the tank out the bath.give it a scrub then.you can also use a wet vac if there's limescale.you can use milton in them to clean them.cover them then.ive seen a tank before with freshly dead mice in them and you would be brushing your teeth with that water.cover them

Sleeper12

Mango Joe wrote:

Also has no proper cover - a sheet of ill-fitting aeroboard since 1980....!!!

Is it galvanised or plastic? You can't clean a galvanised tank. Remiving the rusting gunk inside weakens it & will cos it to leak.

Mango Joe

Sleeper12 wrote: »

Is it galvanised or plastic? You can't clean a galvanised tank. Remiving the rusting gunk inside weakens it & will cos it to leak.

Plastic - Sorry might have been misleading to say 1980 - I'm only in the house 10 years so any work done before that I've no clue about....

Think I might try and siphon debris out using garden hose fed into a sink.... Worried about gunk becoming trapped in taps... In theory that crap could become dislodged and mess up thermostatic showers etc?

Don't mean to sound excitable or alarmist....

gctest50

Akrasia wrote: »

Yeah. Don't drink from the cold tap in your bathroom.

You wash your toothbrush with it though

gctest50

.

Sleeper12

Mango Joe wrote:

Don't mean to sound excitable or alarmist....

There's nothing wrong with cleaning the tank. I'm in shower repair and I get a lot of calls where the tank runs dry and sucks in dirt. This causes problems with the shower and in rare cases totally blocks the water pipe. I was on a job last week where a tiny piece of attic insulation got into the pipe. This wasn't a terrible job but sometimes whole sections of pipe need to be replaced.

I highly recommend getting a lid or plywood to cover the tank once cleaned.

Akrasia

gctest50 wrote: »

You wash your toothbrush with it though

It's a different dose. The tiny amount of water you swallow when brushing your teeth is a lot less than filling your glass of water before bed

gctest50

Akrasia wrote: »

It's a different dose. The tiny amount of water you swallow when brushing your teeth is a lot less than filling your glass of water before bed

No amount of dead rat particles are good for you i'd imagine

my3cents

gctest50 wrote: »

No amount of dead rat particles are good for you i'd imagine

I think after a time you build up a tolerance to your very own dead rat particles.

But honestly its not that difficult to clean a tank out. The only hardship is if access is difficult.

Until I put a filter on it ours needed cleaning regularly because of the amount of sand in the mains water supply.

Doctors room ghost

my3cents wrote: »

I think after a time you build up a tolerance to your very own dead rat particles.

But honestly its not that difficult to clean a tank out. The only hardship is if access is difficult.

Until I put a filter on it ours needed cleaning regularly because of the amount of sand in the mains water supply.

We do be plagued with the limescale. I do take a bucket of lime chips out of the tank every couple of months.clean it down then and cover it.v hard water and couldn't be bothered to fit a softener at the moment

sbsquarepants

my3cents wrote: »

I think after a time you build up a tolerance to your very own dead rat particles.

Sound medical advice:D

I was actually only up in my attic last night putting away Christmas decorations so I had a quick look at my tank. Thankfully no rats or mice, small bit of something or other at the bottom, I'm not sure what - looks like sand. Whatever it is it can stay there.

But I am thinking i'll cut a bit of plywood and put up a no swimming sign for the rodents!

jack of all

I've cleaned out a few storage tanks over the years, it's not a particularly difficult job, most times the hardest part is access and working in confined attics! Apart from scale I've often find plenty of plastic swarf in the tanks (left by original installer when using tank cutters etc.)so it's a good idea to remove this and prevent it ending up in your system. As for covering tanks with ply- yes it will work but ideally the ply should be painted with oil-based paint or I prefer to wrap the ply in heavy gauge polythene (DPM), secured with staples on the reverse face. This protects the ply from condensation and prevents mildew. No harm to add a little Milton to the tank and let it sit for a couple of hours.

listermint

I just pulled mine out last year, backgarden. Sprayed it out with the pressure washer and cleaned it down with milton then reinstalled it.


Can be dealing with cleaning it out in a stuffy attic.

Doctors room ghost

jack of all wrote: »

I've cleaned out a few storage tanks over the years, it's not a particularly difficult job, most times the hardest part is access and working in confined attics! Apart from scale I've often find plenty of plastic swarf in the tanks (left by original installer when using tank cutters etc.)so it's a good idea to remove this and prevent it ending up in your system. As for covering tanks with ply- yes it will work but ideally the ply should be painted with oil-based paint or I prefer to wrap the ply in heavy gauge polythene (DPM), secured with staples on the reverse face. This protects the ply from condensation and prevents mildew. No harm to add a little Milton to the tank and let it sit for a couple of hours.

That's a great idea considering plywood is prone to mould and mildew when it's wet.fair play for sharing it.i have my one covered with a few election campaign posters I acquired and lats left across them so a mouse won't be rooting at them

my3cents

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

That's a great idea considering plywood is prone to mould and mildew when it's wet.fair play for sharing it.i have my one covered with a few election campaign posters I acquired and lats left across them so a mouse won't be rooting at them

Exactly a decent sized election poster makes a great cover.

celticbhoy27

Doctors room ghost wrote: »

We do be plagued with the limescale. I do take a bucket of lime chips out of the tank every couple of months.clean it down then and cover it.v hard water and couldn't be bothered to fit a softener at the moment

Get a water softener. Had terrible time with limescale - 3 washing machines in 8 years. Countless kettles. Got softener last year. Zero limescale. I still open the kettle lid and look at the clear element in awe

sham58107

I will do it € 400 euro same method as post#2:D Celtic tiger is back, but looking sick again !!:(

_Brian

Get up with a flashlight and inspect the tank contents.

If there’s no signs of dead rodents in the tank then it’s just fine.

You could tip a bottle of milten into it if you really want, but honestly it’s fine.

my3cents

celticbhoy27 wrote: »

Get a water softener. Had terrible time with limescale - 3 washing machines in 8 years. Countless kettles. Got softener last year. Zero limescale. I still open the kettle lid and look at the clear element in awe

You aren't supposed to drink softened water?

Triboro

I know the thread is a few months old but.... I'm gettin a water softener fitted in a few weeks so would I need to clean out attic tank beforehand?
Theres a layer of limescale on the bottom of the tank, would this eventually get broken down anyway? Don't fancy the empty and clean option!

listermint

Triboro wrote: »

I know the thread is a few months old but.... I'm gettin a water softener fitted in a few weeks so would I need to clean out attic tank beforehand?
Theres a layer of limescale on the bottom of the tank, would this eventually get broken down anyway? Don't fancy the empty and clean option!

Clean it anyway. Tanks should be cleaned every few years anyway.

cruizer101

From what I understand of water softeners the soft water will dissolve existing limescale in the system over time.
That said if there is a fair bit be no harm in getting most of it out.

Triboro

cruizer101 wrote: »

From what I understand of water softeners the soft water will dissolve existing limescale in the system over time.
That said if there is a fair bit be no harm in getting most of it out.

Was thinking that alright, be nice to start off the softener with a clean tank
Nice weather for the attic n all!

dubtom

A couple of years late, I have the same issue in my tank/s. There's two of them and I suspect it's plumbed wrong,as in the ball cock is on the one that's feeding the house,the other lies stagnent. I intend to clean the mucky one and put a lid on but is it possible to change the ballcock onto the stagnent one as it should have been?

Sleeper12

Water should be entering one tank via ball cock. The water outlets should be on the other tank. This will keep the water fresh. Make sure that put in a blank where the old ball cock was. When drilling the hole for the new ball cock make sure it's at a lower level than the overflow

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/110538853#Comment_110538853

Limescale won't get 'broken down' , if anything it'll solidify at the bottom of your tank (as long as you don't touch it, or water from ballcock isn't disturbing it).

Anyhow... Cover your tank folks.

Had mouse rat problem due to building site / winter starting. Pest removal company called and put down poison.

Solved problem , rats disappeared.

Few months later we all complained of feeling sick and got funny smell from water during showers.

Checked attic. 2 Bloated disintegrating rats in tank.

Seemingly rats seek out water when poisoned. Bats can find themselves in your tank too

Took a few hours to clean tank and disinfect it.

Syphon water, don't run it through system.

Use garden hose and stir water as it's syphoning off.

I corked off the outlets as I didn't want airlocks (yes they can happen).

So it took a few small refillings and scouping to get the bottom dredges out. Bought a cover in Chadwick's for €40 that fit exactly. Makeshift wood and plastic is too much to be fiddling with for me (plus wood and mould etc).

Lag the tank, it'll save you a bit in winter as your heating system / shower won't have to warm up colder water.

Moved into a new house again, spotted a metal tank, got plumber to dump it and upgrade heating system while they were moving a radiator and servicing boiler. Metal tank was about 2 inches high with gunk... No thanks.

dathi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119053892#Comment_119053892

are you sure that the second tank is for house water and not a header tank for the central heating

GalwayMan74

Once I had to remove a large water tank from a gym,

Emptied the tank & cut it open.

there were several pairs of ****/bloody knickers in it that had been thrown over the wall from the changing room.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119053892#Comment_119053892

This is quite normal especially when an old tank has been replaced. What you find is that you can't get one large tank up into the roof space so instead the plumber will get a suitable volume out of two smaller ones joined together. As Sleeper 12 says the ballcock should be in one and the outlet for the cold water in the other. That way you get a flow between the two. Sometimes its easier for the plumber to put both connections on the one tank because of the locations of the pipes for the old tank. So the water in the second tank just goes up and down with water usage but doesn't get completely changed, thats not ideal but won't kill you. If you take a bath you'll probably drain the tank a good way down as the tank will also be the cold supply for your hot water cylinder (if you have a traditional system and not direct hot water).

If there is access to both tanks its easy to put a new ball cock in the other tank. On a plastic tank you normally have a large metal stiffener to stop the weight of the ball cock from deforming the tank. I'ts normally just a large oblong washer https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/ballcock-valve-tank-plate.html. If plumber was doing this I know some would leave the old ball cock in place but I'd put a half inch tank connector in its place with a cap on the end. Something like https://www.mcmahons.ie/compression-350-1-2-flanged-tank-connector + https://www.mcmahons.ie/compression-372-1-2-blank-cap. Don't reuse the old valve while you are at it put in an new one which won't be much more than a tenner.

The Reader

My attic tank is c ontaminated as result of a recent water mains repair, it needs to be cleaned. Is there any step by step guide that I could follow to clean it out thoroughly.

GalwayMan74

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056069#Comment_119056069

Tie up the ballcock and turn on the bathroom taps till its empty .

then mop up the remaining crap , clean and let the ballcock free again.

Try not to let anything go down the out pipe.

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119056680#Comment_119056680

If you're doing that and not using a siphon, make sure that your taps don't have aerator inserts on them, otherwise they'll get filled with junk. Aerators normally twist off at the spout, so give then a clean too while you're at it.

C. Eastwood

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119054158#Comment_119054158

You said that for a few months that you were feeling sick.

The Building Regulations requires that the only tap in the house fed from the local authority watermain is the Kitchen sink tap.

Therefore, all the other taps in the house do not provide Potable water, because they are fed from the Water Storage Tank in the Attic. This water is contaminated. Also unfortunately birds and rodents sometimes end up in these tanks.

People should not drink water from any tap, unless they are positive that the water from the tap is directly from the LA watermain.

Ceramic

You’d wonder how Ireland and the UK ended up with such weird, and frankly backwards, plumbing systems. Nobody else in Europe uses these filthy attic tanks and the mess of booster pumps and so on that go with them to ensure you get a shower rather than a trickle.

Everywhere else has adequately sized mains and pressure - it all just works.

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119059218#Comment_119059218

Ya maybe it was just all the drinking alcohol we were doing lol. Couple of the lads used to drink from the bathroom taps (I know!). Also another one said he used to gargle with the water while having a shower ( I know !).

Ceramic

The tanks should have a lid at the very least.