Storing Water in Above Ground Tanks

Many people automatically assume that water stored in tanks must be chlorinated or otherwise treated to prevent algae or bacterial growth. This is because they are accustomed to dealing with systems that store large quantities of water for long periods of time in tanks that are not very active, as is the case with cisterns or very large above ground tanks.

Well Managers® ad water to storage several times per hour and are sized so that the contents is turned over several times per day. For that reason, Well Manager storage tanks are very active and stay cold.

Others ask: don't you have to treat the water because it is in contact with air and airborne bacteria?

The answer to that question is: If you were going to worry about contact with air causing water contamination then why aren't you worried about the water in the well. Low yield wells running on standard pump and pressure tank setups are heavy breathers - they pull in a lot of air. When the well pump is running it is withdrawing water from the well at several times the well's yield so the water level in the well is dropping rapidly. This has the same affect as withdrawing a piston from a 6" bore - it creates a suction that draws air in. In the case of a well the air is rushing in through the vents at the under side of the well cap which is often only inches above the grass. When the water level rises the air is pushed out and the cycle repeats when the pump comes on again. Low yield wells suck in a lot of air.

Secondly; why do people believe it is more sanitary to store water in a hole in the ground than in an above ground storage tank? Anyone who has done much well work will tell you that they often find bugs inside the well casing running around frantically when the light hits them as the well cap comes off. And where do you suppose their excrement and dead end up?

Thirdly; In 1864 Louis Pasteur demonstrated that germs and bacteria do not spontaneously generate thus debunking a commonly held belief that had persisted for 2000 years. In other words, if there are no bacteria in the well water then there is no reason to expect any in the tank. If the well water contains e.coli, iron or sulfur bacteria then treatment will be necessary otherwise it is not - UNLESS local ordinance or state law requires it.

We have had many systems in for 7 years and the tanks look as clean as they did the day they were put there.

One of the advantages of being able to see your water is that you can detect visual changes that may indicate something has changed and there is now a bacterial problem. You can't see that in the well. AND, if bugs move in despite the screened vent opening several feet - not inches - above the floor, you will see that also and probably do something about it.