Water tanks: concrete underground or plastic?

[buksida]

Looking at water tanks and need to decide on an underground concrete one or burying a couple of those big plastic ones. Have heard good and bad about both so would appreciate and advice on them, including sizes, cost comparison and pros and cons of each.

Cheers!

[hhfarang]

We have two 4000 liter underground ones. Never had any problems with them. The people who build them have to know what they are doing as I think it has to be a special waterproofed or treated cement and a ball float valve mechanism has to be installed correctly to let the tank fill but not overflow.

In the rental home we lived in for a couple of years, there was one of those big stainless steel (I guess, very shiny) ones above ground and we never had problems with that one either so it may just come down to personal preference and a good location to put either type.

[PeteC]

We have underground plastic with a float valve. No problems so far after 3 years. If you have a reliable city water supply to fill it up, you really don't need a huge one. I think ours is 2,000L. If the water supply is not consistent though, the bigger the better is probably the way to go.

FYI, don't know what you're looking at but don't confuse the septic tanks with the water tanks. I think generally the septic is black and the underground water tank is dark blue. Pete

[hhfarang]

If you have a reliable city water supply to fill it up, you really don't need a huge one. I think ours is 2,000L.

True, but there are a lot of areas of Hua Hin that don't have reliable city water especially in the long dry seasons here. We actually have 2 separate systems. One tank (and pump) is just for the garden, while the other set is for the house itself. We have had to get them filled by water truck a few times, but not in the last couple of years.

[Spitfire]

The basic blue tanks are OK if you're going to bury them in the ground, if not buried then they let in too much sunlight and you have the green nasty problem. The new sand wash style ones that are now popular seem better IMO as they don't let in sunlight so the nasties don't grow, thus burying them is unnecessary.

Maybe Terry will see this, think he has some experience at the lodge with this, if I remember correctly he has a couple of the big blue water tanks buried without any problems, correct me if I'm wrong Mr T.

[pharvey]

We've got the plastic blue tanks buried in the ground and have had zero problems (aside from changing a leaking ball float valve) in the 4 or so years we've had the place.

[pharvey]

FYI, don't know what you're looking at but don't confuse the septic tanks with the water tanks. I think generally the septic is black and the underground water tank is dark blue. Pete

Yep, that's exactly what we have.

[buksida]

Any idea on cost comparison with the two?

If blue plastic they'd definitely need to be buried.

[PeteC]

The above ground blue color and below ground are two different animals. The below ground is much more round to my memory, like a big tennis ball. Above ground just a cylindrical standing tank. SF is spot on concerning the sand washed plastic type being the best above ground IMO. Pete

[PeteC]

Any idea on cost comparison with the two? If blue plastic they'd definitely need to be buried.

Am sure others more familiar will comment later on. Our blue underground came as a perk with the house so no idea. I think the 2,000 liter sand wash color above ground are about 8,000? Pete

[JimmyGreaves]

I have a 2000 litre sandwashed type am on tessabahn water and had problems last year with on/off supply. Think that the first question is where is your water coming from, how many people is it supplying what are your garden requirements, swimming pool I believe also comes into the question. We have an outside water house about 4*3 meters I wish I'd built a big hole below it and had that as an extra supply. Think I'm gonna buy another 2000 liter one before songran

Think tessabahn are laying pipes for alot more water down the klong road and from pranburi.

[PeteC]

I looked down into our underground blue plastic one after my last post and the shape is more like a rugby ball but a bit fatter in the middle and stubbier on the ends. I'm sure there's a formal scientific name for that shape but rugby ball is the closest I can get. Pete

[PeteC]

If you have a reliable city water supply to fill it up, you really don't need a huge one. I think ours is 2,000L.

True, but there are a lot of areas of Hua Hin that don't have reliable city water especially in the long dry seasons here. We actually have 2 separate systems. One tank (and pump) is just for the garden, while the other set is for the house itself. We have had to get them filled by water truck a few times, but not in the last couple of years.

That could be the answer to your summer heat. Put some steps in and you have a subterranean Roman ice bath. Pete

[hhfarang]

^ The opening is fairly small, I think I might get a little claustrophobic!

[buksida]

So the general consensus is to go for the big round plastic one and bury it as opposed to a concrete constructed one. Thanks for the tips.