Clean Water
Reasons to clean Water Storage Tanks
Do you want safe water?
Well of course you do…who would prefer dirty water? The ultimate question is… How do you ensure your family has clean water?
By taking control.. Just believing the water is clean is no longer sufficient
With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic the need to use clean water has become more important.
We have placed various real life Polytank videos on our Facebook Page and the first reaction is one of two things –
Either the videos are fake or this cannot be the state of my Polytank!
A real concern:
The continuous use of contaminated water to cook, shower, brush, make ice cubes and in some cases even drink is a cocktail of slow poison. This eventually manifests as wrongly diagnosed health issues.
Parents and guardians will be up in arms if only they knew what lingers in the water storage tanks at schools, hospitals, hotels, offices and even at home.
Tell tale questions to ask are:
- When was the last time my tanks were cleaned?
- Does my tank have a cover?
- Is my tank directly hit by the sun – causes bacteria to breed in the water
- Does my water smell, taste funny or have a colour?
- Is water leaking into my house from the roof?
Let’s think about this for a moment.
Arguably the most used item daily is water from a water storage tank. Probably a Polytank, Sintex, underground water reservoir or similar.
Water is stored directly from a water company; from a local tanker, a borehole or rainwater harvesting.
Each one of these options comes with its own safe water hazards and of course you use the water from these sources to cook, shower, brush your teeth and so on.
A lot of people request for help with their tanks not to clean them but to fix a leak into their property. Only through this emergency do they find out about the dirty state of the inside of the tank.
There are so many reasons to clean your water storage tanks. Lets look at Medical reasons for a second
Medical Reasons to clean my water storage tank:
Cholera
Cholera is caused by a bacterial infection of the small intestine. It occurs in places with poor sanitation and unsafe drinking water
Symptoms of cholera include abdominal cramps, nausea, rapid dehydration, vomiting and diarrhoea
Cryptosporidium
Cryptosporidium enteritis is a parasitic infection of the small intestine caused by drinking contaminated water
Symptoms of cryptosporidium enteritis include abdominal cramping, malnutrition and weight loss, nausea and diarrhoea
Dysentery
Amoebic dysentery is infections of the intestine that cause diarrhoea. Amoebic dysentery is caused by amoebas found in contaminated food or drink
The symptoms of amoebic dysentery include nausea, fever, and diarrhoea
Giardiasis
Giardiasis is a parasitic diarrheal illness caused by drinking contaminated water
Even though you may be infected does not necessarily mean you will fall ill. However you can still carry the parasite and can spread it to others through their stool.
Signs and symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after exposure and may include diarrhoea, fatigue, abdominal cramps and bloating, nausea and weight loss. Symptoms usually last for two to four weeks
Hepatitis E
Hepatitis E is a virus caused by drinking contaminated water
Symptoms of hepatitis E include jaundice, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, and fever. In rare cases, hepatitis E can result in acute liver failure and death
Typhoid fever
Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection that is most spread through contaminated water
Symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, skin rash, and diarrhoea
Prevention
All these waterborne diseases can be prevented by simply washing your water storage tanks at least twice a year. A small price to pay for good health
The argument …
I have heard the argument that “we definitely don’t drink from it”, but can this really be true? For instance, children who are none the wiser drink water directly from taps ever so frequently.
And this unsafe water has way of trickling down our throat whilst brushing our teeth!
Ehmm or water for ice cubes we put in the fridge. Ice cubes are an intrinsic part of a well made drink. So the next time you are served a iced drink at a restaurant, pause and ask where the water came from.
The connection between consistently using contaminated water stemming from unwashed tanks and the high rate of waterborne diseases is hard to ignore.
One wonders if preventive measures at a very low cost is not more sensible than the reactive option of visits to the doctor. Ignorance they say is no excuse – You must be aware and also act.
A challenge is to take a peek into your water storage tank and touch the inner surface with your fingers and see the result. That is if you haven’t seen cobwebs, insects or something worse already by just looking in!
We recommend you wash your Polytank at least twice a year. You may want to check your Polytank has a secured lid to stop birds or other objects from inadvertently falling into your Polytank.
Imagine a bird hitting its head against the edge of the tank, falling in and drowning. Suddenly the tank shifts from a safe water supply to a toxic cocktail of total havoc.
It’s wise to ensure no leaks to save on water bill.
At FF we are Polytank and Sintex tank cleaning specialists.
