The question of is my tank water safe to drink can be a difficult one for those who do not know the answer. This article will give you some information on what you need to know about your water and how it impacts safety.
1) How do I know is my tank water safe to drink?
Some people say that if there is no chlorine smell in the water, it means the water is safe. Unfortunately, this could not be farther from the truth. The fact of the matter is that there are several ways to purify your tank. Each one has its benefits and drawbacks–meaning you will need to do some research before deciding which method (if any) you prefer using for yourself or your family.
2) What methods can I use?
There are many options out there regarding how to treat your drinking water when living off-grid with a cistern system. For example, distillation, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet light, gravity-fed filters powered by either electricity or hand pumps, filtration systems powered by electrical power sources in the home, and more.
The best method for you will depend on your specific needs, preferences, budget, climate, region of the country in which you live (some methods are better suited to certain areas), ease of use, water quality, or taste issues already occurring with your current system or treatment type(s) used currently, power/energy availability where you are located geographically at present–and even maintenance schedules.
Because there is no “one size fits all” solution for cistern systems, it’s essential that before making any decision about how to purify your tank water, each person does their research into all potential solutions available locally. To help aid in this process, we have included lots of tips below to get you started.
Tanks are the most common water source for rural areas worldwide, but what if it’s polluted? | Foter With that said, let us move into discussing how to make your cistern water safe (and even drinkable) when possible. For starters, treat or filter all tank water before drinking no matter where you live, especially in third world countries without proper treatment facilities available; doing so will reduce potential bacterial/viral contaminants, and other microorganisms like protozoan cysts like giardia lamblia (which can cause intestinal distress issues), cryptosporidium oocyst ((similar to giardia)), helminths eggs from snails present around storage tanks within distribution lines due to poor filtration and aeration, and the list goes on.
For cisterns in more developed countries like America or Australia where we have advanced infrastructure with proper water treatment facilities (i.e., chlorine/chloramine injection), UV sterilization, ozonation, sediment filters to remove particulates via size exclusion (like sand particles), activated alumina for iron removal/manganese oxidation. These carbon block filters can reduce specific VOCs such as benzene from gasoline fumes. The best option is either a granulated active charcoal filter system OR using good old-fashioned Iodine tablets.
We hope this information has been helpful to you.
