Something strange in the water tank

Is the tank covered ? (i.e. could something have fallen in & died...)

Such a 'kit' would consist of two fairly large labs, one for chemical analysis and one for bio analysis.

I trust she's no longer drinking it. Its not something I would leave.

NT

It's not covered then? And are we talking about the cold water storage tank for the HW system?

Probably not a mould as such but could well be some rather nice colonies of bacteria...

I'll assume that your sister and her family are well, don't suffer from upset tummies or lower digestive tract troubles any more than the odd occasion that the rest of us do.

If it is the CW storage tank for the HW system. I'd plug the outlet, turn off the supply, siphon out the contents leaving about an inch in the bottom. Slosh a bit of bleach on the sides where the growths are, give the whole tank a good wipe around with the dilute bleach, siphon that out, refill a bit, rinse the tank, siphon that out, maybe repeat if it still niffs a bit of bleach, unplug the outlet refill. Finally get and fit a proper cover.

To my knowledge it's the only cold water tank in the house and it feeds everything, certainly refills when you use a cold tap, will check on the hot taps etc.

Is it more of an issue if it is for the hot water system then?

It looks just like mould though.

No history of illness other than the norm.

Well access to the tank is a nighmare. The only reason I spotted it was that she wanted me to fit a new ballcock as the old one keeps dripping and eventually overflows. This causes a problem as the overflow pipework leaks and causes damp. The last time this happened someone ripped down the paneling in the main bathroom and exposed the tank. It currently has no lid and is inside the main bathroom.

Not really a DIY person, I gave up on the ballcock as I could only just reach the nuts and was worried about leaving them without water.

How serious is this? Should she pay for someone to clean it out immediately?

Is it common?

Surely there is a good chance of it coming it come straight back?

Can you buy tanks which are guaranteed microbe free?

Help!

Thanks

Haymish

no, the other way round. Cold water is drunk, and not steriilsed first.

Tell me youre kidding. Youve got a pound or so of mould. bacteria or decaying flesh in your drinking water and youre asking how serious it is! She's not still drinking it is she? I've got the Darwin award right here ready for you.

NT

So what is sterilsing the hotwater? Heating it to 60C or so will not sterilise it, indeed some bugs will love it.

The fact that he reports no particular illness in the family shows that what ever this growth is it's not particulary harmful. The cold water storage tanks, again feeding both hot and cold taps (mains water only arrived here about 20 years ago), were not well covered and there was a good layer of brick dust and lumps of stone in them together with many dead wood lice, a large dead centipede and a dead mouse. We didn't suffer any ill effects for the couple of years all that lot was up there. I have since cleaned the tanks out and put proper covers on them.

Not really, some bugs may grow a bit (or even a lot) quicker in the hotwater.

Well I think it's time to bite the bullet and get the tank cleaned and sorted out properly with new ball c*ck, non leaking over flow pipework, and bring it up to full Byelaw 30 insulation/cover/overflow compliance.

Depends how it got in there. If the tank isn't covered the chances are it came from the air or something falling in. Mains water is pretty damn clean so not likely to have arrived by that means. Clean the tank with some bleach and I'd say you'd be very unlucky to have it return.

Not that I know of and I wouldn't recomend that anyway, just like I don't like taking antibiotics without very good reason. MRSA and the like are the direct result of the overuse of antibiotics. I'd rather we didn't provide the circumstances in which even worse bugs could evolve.

Yes, she's still drinking it, along with my 4 year old nephew and 8 year old niece.

Anyone recommend a firm in Birmingham who specialise in this sort of thing? I found these people but they are too far away.

Just find a reputable plumber and have the tank replaced. Shouldn't be especially expensive - £50 for parts, and a few hours of work.

The builders probably took a dump in the tank.

Is it an old galvanised tank?

Until recently people were used to drinking water from tanks with all sorts of interesting stuff in them, via lead pipes, and most of them came to no harm whatsoever. In fact it's likely that cohabiting with stuff like that made our immune systems more robust in times past, and the recent hysteria for sterilising everything is causing more problems than it solves in the long term.

From memory, it did looks like a galvanised tank, why?

Haymish

You often get salts building up on the sides of galvanised tanks, so that could be the problem. I think it may be a sign that the tank is disintegrating, so closer inspection may be an idea.

Your sister would be better off with a modern water tank anyway.

The description of the mould you have given and the description of the wate rtaste.

The galvanising has gone and the mould is chemical corrosion, producing the taste.

Time for a nice new plastic one, before it perforates and things get wet.

The Darwin award trophy is now sitting on the table, looking shiny.

I dont think thats true. Its equally possible the blue stuff is harmful but not with enough virulence that the family has yet succumbed. Yet. But more to the point, if theres a colony theres a food source, and thus other bugs will be growing in the mix, and some of those can be very nasty. If not dangerously infected now, it may be at any time. Bugs do always show up when theres something for them to eat. They may be fine now, that doesnt make it safe though.

yes, more often people dont, but also many have paid the price. Its like wiring your lights on bell wire, you can do it and usually itll work ok, but I still dont recommend it.

NT

Pretty obvoius what a tank is made of I would have thought. Did it going "thud" or "boing" if you hit it? Galvanised go boing...

If it is galvanised definately swap it out for a plastic one. The "growths" may well be corrosion salts tainted blue by dissolved copper salts from incoming pipe work. That much corrosion is a Bad Thing, as others have pointed out.

Quite agree, there is mounting evidence that the rise in allergies is related to the rather too clean enviroment many now live in. Trouble is the media and advertertisers play on peoples worries about "germs". There is something currently advertised, "Bug off" or similar, that so blatently uses this concern that it is laughable, at least to anyone with half a brain cell.