One key factor that comes into play when it’s time for maintenance or repair of your water storage tanks is accessibility. 

Many homes and businesses need water storage tanks for various purposes. This is especially true in places with limited access to municipal water supply or where water is routinely rationed.

Today, several homes, as well as businesses, install plastic storage tanks for easy access to clean water. While this is great, one key factor comes into play when it’s time for maintenance or repair is accessibility.

How Accessible Is Your Water Tank?

More often than not, the accessibility of water tanks isn’t taken into consideration during the installation process; and then problems arise when it’s time to do simple routine checks or repair broken parts.

This can be a big issue, especially if the tank is installed during the construction phase of a property. The problem becomes apparent once the water tank requires servicing or needs to be replaced.

It can be challenging to fix issues if there isn’t an easy way to access the tank. The following are ways to ensure that you have easy access to your water tanks;

Install Away From Walls and Low Ceilings

A Tank installed against a wall gives little room for maintenance or repair workers to work. As a result, it can be more difficult than it needs to be to assess the damage or inspect a tank that needs cleaning.

Moreover, the cleaning process will be tedious, and eventually, whoever’s cleaning might be unable to do a thorough job. It takes a downhill turn from here because you can’t do proper maintenance on your tank.

Installing water tanks close to walls or ceilings can be a huge issue when you need to replace them. While you can easily cut up an old tank to remove it, new tanks need to be installed as a single piece.

Therein lies the problem. You’ll save yourself the extra costs of having to tear down walls or remove ceilings if you simply install your water tanks away from them.

Install Sturdy Ladders Where Necessary

 As a rule of thumb, most water tanks are installed on tall scaffoldings or highly elevated platforms to help with the water pressure. As a result, you will need to climb to reach the top of your tank for maintenance.

A strong free or built-in ladder will be handy for these types of tanks. Although there are tanks that are installed on platforms close to the ground, a ladder can still be helpful, as many of these tanks aren’t built to withstand so much human weight.

Proper Spacing Between Multiple Tanks

 In cases where you have to install more than one tank, it’s important to create enough space between them to allow easy access during routine maintenance.

While adequate spacing makes maintaining water tanks easy, it also ensures proper ventilation to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and algae in the tanks. In any case, it’s a win-win.

There are a few things to consider when spacing water tanks. These include;

• The Size and Type of Tank: the appropriate distance to put between tanks is determined, in large part, by the size of the tanks you intend to install. Many times, larger tanks require more spacing between them than smaller tanks. Similarly, the type of tanks you intend to install, such as metal or plastic will also play an important role in determining how much space should be left between them.
• Intended Use: the appropriate spacing between tanks is also largely dependent on how the tanks are going to be used. For instance, tanks that are used for irrigation water supply can be placed far apart for more coverage.

While the elements mentioned above will affect the distance between water tanks, there’s a simple general rule to follow. Ideally, water tanks should have at least 3 to 5 feet of space between themselves and at least 10 feet of space from other structures.

Proper Arrangement of Pipes

 Water pipes are essential in distributing water to and from tanks, but they shouldn’t become obstacles to tank maintenance. One way to ensure this is installing them away from the floor and arranging them properly.

Having a bunch of pipes all around your water tanks or on the floor can be a hindrance when the time comes to clean your tanks. Also, in some cases, the pipes can become damaged during routine maintenance if they aren’t arranged properly.

Why Is It Important to Have an Accessible Water Tank?

Maintenance

 As water tanks can be a breeding ground for bacteria and other harmful materials, it’s important to perform routine checks and maintenance to ensure they provide clean, safe water for your needs.

For this to happen, water tanks need to be accessible to make the process hassle-free.

Repair

If your water tank has a problem, like a leak, or blockage, it needs to be easily accessible for easy and quick repairs.

Monitoring Water Levels

 If you need to check the water level in your tanks manually, you will be able to do so easily if your tank is very accessible. As a result, you will be able to plan carefully and ensure that you always have enough water for your needs.

Final Thoughts

It’s important to do routine maintenance on water tanks to keep them in good functioning order and ensure the water they store is clean and suitable for use.

As a result, accessibility to maintenance is something to consider carefully when installing these tanks.

At FF Cleaning services we provide maintenance support to water storage tanks and are always available to help with your questions.