Monitoring for cracks, mineral deposits, sediment build-up, and other signs of wear and tear regularly can protect your domestic water storage tank from breaches. There are tanks that are made up of strong materials like steel, fiberglass, or good grade polyethylene. But monitoring is required for those tanks even. It is recommended to check each and every part of your tank while you are inspecting for any breaches. Now the frequency of inspection depends upon where you live, for what purpose your tank is being used, and where the tank is located.

There are two main reasons for the breach in your plastic water storage tank. They are –

Sediment build-up:

This mainly comes from mineral content in your water supply. Hard debris and solid matters can make their way into your water tank. In course of time, they can build a layer at the bottom of the tank and these sediments can become a breeding ground for bacteria and other pathogens. These harmful bacteria can make their way into your drinking water. If left unchecked, these sediments can pose a threat to the structural integrity of the tank, as it can erode the polyethylene walls of your tank. A water tank in Kolkata mostly gets affected by deposits of sediments.

Natural disaster:

Earthquakes, tornadoes, heavy storms can be a reason for broken water storage tanks. If you find any leakage in your tank after a heavy storm or rainfall, immediately start the cleaning work for your tank, as rainwater and storm can degrade the water quality inside your tank by bringing bacteria-infested stormwater. More and more water storage solutions are being designed to withstand harsh natural calamities but still, there are many areas of improvement.

How to prevent breaches?

• You can clean your domestic water storage tank by yourself or you can call professionals to do the work. But these are some basic things that you should know while cleaning your tank –
• Firstly, drain your tank. If you have a large tank make sure to flush the water to a location where it will not inundate the surroundings. If you can drain the entire water then the result will be very much effective. So make sure there is no water left behind after draining.
• Now you need to clean the dirt and grime that has been accumulated on the walls of the tank. The best option is to use a power washer. But some tanks will not allow you to do so as they do not have enough space within them. You can use a hard-bristled brush or a mop for cleaning and make sure to clean every corner of the tank.
• Rinse out the tank with the help of cold water.
• Apply a solution of chlorine bleach and water and scrub the inner wall of the tank. Make sure that you are adding 1 tablespoon of bleach to every 1 gallon of water. Use a pressure washer or else you can clean the tank with a mop as well.
• Allow the solution to sit for two hours.
• Now, completely rinse out the tank and if you have bleached your water pipes then run the taps with hot water. Continue rinsing until the entire solution washes away.
• Refill your tank once you are done with the cleaning process.

So this is the way how you can monitor for a breach in your domestic as well as commercial water storage tanks. It is advised to monitor your tank regularly so that you can prevent the damages at the earliest.