How Do You Clean Your Domestic Water Tank?

Bacteria, algae, and other grime build up can be prevented with regular cleaning and maintenance of your water tank. Each of these things can be very harmful when not properly taken care of which is why its essential to follow the right procedures when it comes to tank cleaning.

It’s important to ensure that not only the water but your tank is as clean and as safe as possible. Even if your use for the water is to water your garden, the tank needs to be dirt-free and hygienic because that will preserve its durability and prolong its lifespan.

But how do you care for your water tank properly? Well, that’s the purpose of this article. We’ll tell you everything you need to know about cleaning and maintaining your domestic water tank.

Steps To Cleaning Your Domestic Water Tank

Sometimes, water tank cleaning can be done by the user but it’s better to actually get a tank cleaning professional service in. They are well trained and know how to handle all the cleaning equipment as well as properly maintain the tank itself.

Preparation

Typically, we would begin with emptying the tank however, there are some risks you should assess beforehand to ensure that the BS8558:2015 requirements are being met.

If you have a team preparing to clean the water tank, they must be suitably trained, have the correct PPE equipment, and must be certified. And remember to communicate with any other building users about the cleaning work to prevent the usage of any taps during the process.

Draining the Tank

Empty the tank by opening the tap and drain out any liquid that still remains. Maybe by connecting a hose pipe, just to avoid any water wastage as this can then be used to wash the window exterior or cars.

Tank Cleaning

The interior surface of the tank should be scraped clean and a wet vac can be used to vacuum the interior walls and floor.

Any dirt and sediment that you can see must be removed and if you spot any signs of damage such as corrosion or scale, you should make a note of this so that it can be treated. If a specialist service is cleaning for you, you may be able to ask to them if they have any equipment with them to treat the damage such as tank coating systems.

To clean the tank, you can use a stiff brush, water hose, or a high pressure water jet and you can use a combination of hot water and regular detergent as a basis before rinsing and disinfecting the tank. Make sure to rinse the tank around until the water is running clear.

Disinfecting your Tank

For chemical disinfection, the water in the tank should be chlorinated and then the tank outlet can be opened to allow the chlorinated water to flow throughout the system. If testing all taps is not possible for you then make sure to at least test the sentinels at the end of every pope-run.

Another way you could disinfect your tank and the pipes is to use liquid bleach or anti-bacterial sprays. As long as your tank is decontaminated and all germs have been eradicated, it doesn’t matter which method you choose. (Although the chlorination method may require checks made by technicians.)

Similarly to chlorinating the water, fill the tank with water during disinfection so this mixture can run through the taps to sterilise the pipes.

Empty the Tank

If you chlorinated the water, then it needs to be neutralised and drained half way. If not then it should be emptied completely.

In any other case, the tank should be emptied completely and the disinfecting water disposed of. Then the tank can be refilled with fresh water and left to stand before flushing it through the entire system.

The lid should always be replaced properly afterwards to make sure that no debris or dirt falls into the clean tank. Once the tank is dry, it’s ready to be used again.

Reach Out to Cold Water Storage

With our 30 years of knowledge and experience in this industry (water hygiene), we can guarantee the best possible service here at Cold Water Storage.

We provide water treatment services along with Legionella risk assessments. Everyone with a water tank should be complying with water hygiene regulations. So if you’re interested in our services, get in touch with our team! They’ll get back to you ASAP!

Call us on 01943 872 311 or you can send us an email at info@coldwaterstorage.co.uk.