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PRODUCTS
Maintaining an AquaDam steel rainwater tank
The rainy season is almost over (except for the Cape) so
AquaDam recommends this is a good time to clean out
water storage tanks. • Watering your garden
Following these four easy steps, you can decontaminate
your water: • Washing your laundry
• Agricultural purposes
• Flushing your toilets
• Washing your car
1. Drain your tank completely.
2. Fill the tank to a quarter full, sprinkle 80g of calcium
hypochlorite (HSCH) for every 1 000ℓ of water. Then fill
the tank completely with fresh water, close with a lid
and leave it for 24 hours.
3. Flush out or empty your tank. Do not drain the tank
into a septic system or adjacent surface water body!
Continue to flush the water out until the wastewater is
clear and you cannot detect any chlorine odour.
4. Test your tank and make sure it is free of any chlorine
residual. Once you cannot detect any chlorine residual,
obtain operational & maintenance (O&M) total coliform
bacteria water sample.
You can store your water for months at a time, using storage
tanks. Owning a steel rainwater tank is key to storing
rainwater for future use. You can recycle your rainwater for
use in a variety of ways, including:
AquaDam says the steel rainwater tank is by far more
superior to plastic in strength, versatility and durability, for
various reasons:
Plastic Rainwater tank
Advantages:
• Lighter in weight
• Colour options
• Lower cost
Disadvantages:
• Plastic reacts with heat and then produces BPA (an
organic synthetic compound which might lead to a
deadly disease and can even lead to reproductive
hormonal disorder).
• Phthalic acid (a very harmful acid) is commonly found
in plastic. This is known to cause allergies, asthma, and
pregnancy complications.
• Plastic contains chemicals like petroleum, which has an
adverse effect on the nervous system and might cause
respiratory irritation.
• Stored water in a plastic tank becomes smelly and is
unfit for drinking.
• It alters the taste of water.
• The growth of algae, fungi, and bacteria is a very
common occurrence in plastic.
• Water stored in plastic rainwater tanks are unfit for
household work, like washing clothes and watering
plants.
• Water from plastic rainwater tanks is not good for our
skin and it also damages the quality of hair, leading to
hair fall.
• Plastic rainwater tanks need maintenance regularly.
• The colour of the plastic rainwater tank fades due to
sunlight.
• Difficult to transport (manufactured in one piece).
• Plastic rainwater tanks are not eco-friendly.
Steel rainwater tank:
Advantages:
• Made from galvanized steel (prevents corrosion)
• Durable and strong
• Lightweight
• Size options
• Can be repaired faster
• Easy to transport (it is built in sections)
Disadvantages:
• Colour options (don’t have a wide variety available like
the plastic rainwater tanks).
• Some metals can’t mix. PA
An AquaDam steel water tank.
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February 2020 Volume 25 I Number 12