Water is a necessity for human life. We need it to drink, cook and clean with. But did you know that water storage tanks are an important part of your home? A water storage tank provides the necessary pressure in order for water to flow through pipes from your house to different locations around the property. It also makes sure there is adequate pressure when you use a high-pressure hose or sprinkler system on your lawn or garden. So, what is a water storage tank? What do these tanks do and how can they benefit you?
Discover the answers in this article now!
What Is A Water Storage Tank?
As the name suggests, water storage tanks are the containers that hold and store water to use at any time. When running your kitchen faucet, water flows from the storage tank to the tap, supplying water for your needs.
This reverse osmosis storage tank helps ensure water source for your later use, which means you don’t have to wait for the system to fill up your bucketful!
To meet current water demands, manufacturers have produced many water storage tanks, ranging from sizes, shapes to configurations. From a small 5-gallon water tank installed under your sink to a large 120-gallon well-pressure tank, they appear everywhere to satisfy the water needs of humans.
What Are Water Storage Tanks Used For?
Water storage tanks are applied in various applications and industries where there is a need for water storage. Particularly, they appear in every household, commercial food and beverage service, irrigation, agriculture, industrial manufacturing, and fire suppression.
Depending on specific applications and daily water demand, households and business owners will determine the tank’s size and specifications.
In terms of specifications, there are currently three types of water storage tanks with different specific uses. They consist of pressure tanks, reverse osmosis tanks, and thermal expansion tanks.
A pressure tank is applied in most households that use well water as the main source. It helps ensure the consistency of water pressure thanks to the control of fastly cycling off and on.
As for the two others, people frequently use reverse osmosis vessels to supply pressurized water without booster pumps, whereas thermal expansion tanks are used to protect plumbing systems.
How Does A Water Storage Tank Work?
A water tank holds water from the reverse osmosis system until there is a need to use water. The water flows into the storage tank from the water sources, such as a reverse osmosis system or a well. This water pumping process lasts until the tank is full. When needed, you can immediately take a full glass of water, take a bath, and water the plants!
Depending on the scale, water storage tanks come in two types, including pressure tanks and atmospheric tanks. Generally, pressure tanks are prone to use for household purposes or on a small scale. Meanwhile, people choose atmospheric tanks with large storage capacity for municipal use or outdoor activities. They also serve for agricultural purposes, transporting wastewater, and even commercial fertilizer storage.
How Does A Pressure Tank Work?
Pressure tanks are composed of a pressure pre-charge and an air bladder/ chamber. With the aid of compressed air, these tanks create water pressure inside them. Once these containers are full of water, the water weight will commence the process of compressing the air.
The more the air compresses, the higher the pressure within the tank. When the tank reaches its standard internal purpose, it will signal the water source to finish the delivery process.
Once you turn a faucet on, the air pressure will exert on the water as it’s free out of the tank, pushing pressurized water down into the pipes and exit from the faucet in your sink. The air will begin to expand anew, decreasing the pressure within the tank and alerting its water source to restart delivery when water releases from the pressure tank.
It also applies to the pressure tanks storing water from the well, which means the tank will signal the pump to turn it back on. For reverse osmosis tanks, lowering pressure will send signals to the system to recommence production.
These pressure tanks are also called hydropneumatic tanks, as they make use of the aggregate strength of air and water to create the pressure power within tanks. When using pressure tanks, you might not need water pumps to create pressurization because the air inside these tanks will naturally boost the water pressure just as soon as the tanks are filled up.
Besides, there are also constant pressure storage tanks that don’t depend upon hydropneumatic pressure.
Hydropneumatic tanks might be overloaded if they provide the water for many appliances simultaneously (for instance, if the dishwasher is working at once with the shower). This will reduce the pressure throughout the water system.
Nevertheless, things are different for constant pressure tanks! No matter how many appliances are demanding the water, these tanks can provide strong water pressure most of the time. Thanks to a specific sensor, constant pressure tanks can follow the pressure of water better. These vessels also allow the water to stay at a consistent, stable pressure.
How Does An Atmospheric Tank Work?
An atmospheric tank doesn’t have diaphragms or air bladders to pressure the water within its reservoir. Instead, it holds water at surrounding environmental pressure, which means the pressure will not bear down on water inside the atmospheric tank.
Since there is no pressure applied to these water tanks, gravity or a booster pump plays an important role in drawing and transferring water from the tanks into pipes.
These large storage tanks come equipped with UV inhibitors, and the ambient pressure contributes to enhancing their weather resistance, even in severe conditions.
What Key Factors Need To Consider Before Picking A Water Storage Tank?
Since water storage tanks are diverse in the market, you should consider some key factors before making a purchasing decision.
Coatings
The biggest enemy of any water storage tank is corrosion, so the coating belongs to the key components you have to consider carefully.
Fortunately, most water holding tank suppliers have equipped a technologically edge-cutting coating with outstanding abrasion and corrosion resistance for their products.
To be specific, epoxy is currently one of the most common coatings on the market because of its exceptional features in adapting to severe temperatures. In particular, the shock-proof feature and corrosion-resistance of powder epoxy layers are superior to liquid epoxy ones.
Tank Size And Placement
For spacious spaces, consider a water tank of short height and wide diameter. Limited areas will need some tanks of tall height and small diameter.
Expansion And Moving
It’s important to think of future plans, like moving house or expanding the business. This consideration also impacts the final decision. According to water tank suppliers, vertical expansion of current tanks is more economical and effective than setting a second one horizontally.
Cost
This criterion has a close tie with the above factors. Initial costs are not the total cost of using water holding tanks. It’s necessary to consider the whole life-cycle cost, including installation, maintenance, re-coating, or repairing costs. These issues can cost you a lot.
Some Other Criteria You Need To Care About
Besides these elements mentioned above, you also need to heed ease of access and pressure requirements. If you’re still confused, you can consult suppliers and neighbors who have installed a water storage tank!
How To Set-up Water Holding Tanks?- Compact Guide
The set-up phase will vary subject to the water storage tank.
In this article, we will give you a compact installation instruction for the well-pressure tank since it is more complicated than the RO one!
- Connect the water inlet with the pressure tank, make sure the water pump draws water directly from the well.
- Use the check valve to assure water flowed in a direction only or not flowing back when turning off the pump.
- Apply one pressure-reducing valve on this system to prevent the dramatically over-excessive pressure, resulting in its discontinuous operation.
- Make sure the well-pressure tank connects with the boiler drain firmly. This step is extremely helpful in case you have to release the whole water from the water storage vessel.
- Install a pressure switch. This device bases on the water pressure within the tank and then signals to the pump to know the right time to turn off or on smoothly.
Bottom Lines
What is a water storage tank? Well, it is a container that stores water. The main benefit of these containers are their ability to store large volumes of water and keep it fresh for long periods of time without the need for electricity or other energy sources, making them perfect in cases where power outages are common. You should use one if you want clean drinking water all year round!
Thank you for reading this blog post. We hope it has been helpful to understand the different types of water storage tanks, how they work and the factors to choose a suitable water storage tank. If not, feel free to reach out with any questions or comments that come up during your research!Our page will continuously bring helpful content for you. Stay tuned, and see you in the next articles!
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