tegwin
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 11:07 AM |
|
|
Water tank in garden victorian house
Ok... I think I have a question to which Locostbuilders will not be able to answer... but its worth a try..
We have a 2000 imp Gallon water tank in our garden (we live on a hill), so the tank is well above the level of the house!
The roof appears to be a brick arch, later reinforced with concrete, the walls are smooth concrete castings done in situ.
The main chamber is 2x2x2m but there is a smaller chamber off to one side, I cant see what is inside it but the entrance is about 1m high....
There is an old lead ball valve in the main chamber connected to a small bore pipe which I assume would have been connected to the old water
main...
There are numerous springs along the line of hills at about the same height as the tank, although im not sure how spring water could get into the
tank...
Does anyone know anything about tanks like this? Anyone know what its purpose might have been? 2000 gallons is big!
What are the chances that its just a header tank, rather than a spring collection tank?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
|
|
|
|
|
liam.mccaffrey
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 11:13 AM |
|
|
I am a qualified storage tank engineer/repairer but unfortunately it doesn't really cover this type of tank. I can try and give an informed
opinion though.
Any pics?
[Edited on 27/9/09 by liam.mccaffrey]
Build Blog
Build Photo Album
|
|
|
bi22le
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 11:15 AM |
|
|
Well Tegwin you should never under estimate the power and knowledge of Locost members. You should however not listen to my knowledge of victorian
spring water collection tanks as I know diddly squat!!!
Hope someone can help!!
Track days ARE the best thing since sliced bread, until I get a supercharger that is!
Please read my ring story:
http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/forum/13/viewthread.php?tid=139152&page=1
Me doing a sub 56sec lap around Brands Indy. I need a geo set up! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHksfvIGB3I
|
|
|
tegwin
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 11:26 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by liam.mccaffrey
I am a qualified storage tank engineer/repairer but unfortunately it doesn't really cover this type of tank. I can try and give an informed
opinion though.
Any pics?
[Edited on 27/9/09 by liam.mccaffrey]
An informed opinion would be a fantastic start  Please, do go on
No photos at the moment, I tried to get some inside the tank this morning and you cant see much.... The water is very clear though!
The top of the tank is just a bog standard manhole cover.... I suspect falling in would be lethal!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
|
|
|
liam.mccaffrey
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 12:37 PM |
|
|
is the tank buried entirely? is there vehicular access to it? If not you would assume that it would have been spring filled.
its not collecting water at the moment is it?
My gut feeling is that it is a mains header tank for collected spring water that has been retired and the inlet blocked off. You could pump some dyed
water in and see where/if it emerges. We do this a lot at work to trace broken clay pipes runs
I personally wouldn't go down there, and would look at sewer access people or such like with proper BA gear and gas monitoring kit to go down
and have a look and see whats in the small chamber.
Would love to see some pics, i love stuff like this!
[Edited on 27/9/09 by liam.mccaffrey]
Build Blog
Build Photo Album
|
|
|
tegwin
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 12:49 PM |
|
|
Yes, its burried entirely, the hillside is about 35 degrees, so its build back into the slope... interestingly, the base of the tank would be about
where the bedrock starts.
There is no vehicular access to it, although the road above is only about 5 meters away and some 3 meters higher than the tank.
The modern water main for the house comes past the tank from the road above to the house...
The tank is currently about 85% full with a about 2-4" of sediment on the bottom (deeper where the manhole is for obvious reasons)
The outflow pipe is still clearly visible at the bottom of the water and is a perferated tube that comes about 1.5 feet into the bottom of the
tank...
I have no reason to believe the water is going anywhere, appart from seeping out thanks to natural loss.
It would be nice to work out if/how the tank is being fed and then use the water either to turn a tiny turbine at the bottom of the garden, or use the
water for a couple of small fountains.... (assuming its spring fed)...
I quite fancy draining the tank out and investigating further, but if the water is removed totaly from the tank, the pressure from the surrounding
hillside might just cause the walls to rupture...It looks pretty sound, but its a risk that needs considering
Need to make/find an underwater camera and have a look in the side chamber without draining the water out....
Presumably if it were spring fed, there would be some form of sediment trap between the spring and the tank?
If the tank failed catastrobically, the resulting surge of water would proberably knock a hole in the house at the bottom of the slope  
I dont think putting die in the water would help, I suspect there is little loss seeings as the outflow is blocked off... Perhaps I should excavate
down slope from the tank a little and see how far the pipe goes...
As for entering the tank... once its drained of water, a simple candle test would proberably be ok
[Edited on 27/9/09 by tegwin]
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
|
|
|
mookaloid
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 01:13 PM |
|
|
How to Make Your Own Waterproof Camera Enclosure
"That thing you're thinking - it wont be that."
|
|
|
blakep82
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 01:16 PM |
|
|
i'm starting to think you must live in some nuclear bunker type place!
________________________
IVA manual link http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCES&itemId=1081997083
don't write OT on a new thread title, you're creating the topic, everything you write is very much ON topic!
|
|
|
tegwin
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 01:57 PM |
|
|
Haha... Yes, perhaps the tank is a mini bunker designed to supply fresh drinking water to the "garage" cough.. nuclear bunker...
I just found a load of leadgas piping under the floor in one of the bedrooms complete with nail holes where at some point over the last 150 years
someone has put nails through it... thankfully its disconnected..... we also found some authentic cast bell pull linkages and cams under the floor...
its a work of art!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!
www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 27/9/09 at 01:59 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by tegwin
As for entering the tank... once its drained of water, a simple candle test would proberably be ok
Unless there's methane in there!
Know anyone with a Davy lamp (miner's lamp)? If the flame flares up, there's methane. If it goes out, there's CO2 or CO.
|
|
|
bob
|
| posted on 28/9/09 at 10:38 AM |
|
|
Interesting
I have lived in my Victorian house for some 11 years now,we have a small extension to the rear of the house that was completed by previous owners in
1979. Locals i have met have told me a tank roughly the same size as yours had to be dug out where the footings were placed for the extension,the
general opinion is water storage by locals.
Bore holes are very popular in the area with the water table in some gardens reachable with 12 to 15ft of scaffold pole and a hand pump.
|
|
|
bob
|
| posted on 28/9/09 at 10:57 AM |
|
|
Maybe the victorians were ahead of the game re global warming,in australia and other warmer climes water preservation is paramount.
I know its not a diffinitive answer but google has failed me for once on this one.
Image deleted by owner
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 28/9/09 at 11:26 AM |
|
|
Thinking about it - my parents had a victorian house when I was a kid, and that had a large galvanized tank over the outside WC and coal store (2
separate places, I hasten to add!). I think it was original, as some other neighbours still had them. It was filled from one of the downpipes.
I'd guess that it served the same purpose as a water butt, as it certainly wasn't suitable for drinking! Or maybe they had different
standards back then...
|
|
|
bob
|
| posted on 28/9/09 at 11:54 AM |
|
|
Captured rainwater was used for flushing toilets in victorian houses and probably used in clothes washing tubs too,i'm thinking the underground
tanks were literally just extra storage without using valuable overground space.
The Victorians did uttilise as much space as possible for allotment gardens.
|
|
|
David Jenkins
|
| posted on 28/9/09 at 12:01 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by bob
Captured rainwater was used for flushing toilets in victorian houses and probably used in clothes washing tubs too,
That's probably it - the tank was over the outside loo, which also had the wash-house at its side!
|
|
|
