Water cistern

[jungleboy]

Anyone here put in a cistern recently? What are the costs compared to a well? recommended capacity ? Pros and Cons?

[K44]

Put one in last spring cost about $8k I went with a 3600 gal. fibreglass tank

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by K44

Put one in last spring cost about $8k I went with a 3600 gal. fibreglass tank

How long does a tank last and what does it cost to refill

[greasycheeks]

I just installed a 5000 gallon cement cistern last fall. Our family has been fighting water well issues for decades, on our farm. We absolutely love it. Purchased from Wilbert Sales, installed by a local contractor. We went with a Grundfos pump (pump is in the house, no pressure tank). I wish we would have done it years ago. Best decision ever. One fill costs us $45, and lasts a family of four, 2.5 months. I think the cistern was $14000, about $1800 for the total install. Huge hole to place cistern, trenching, new water line, plus we buried new wiring, just in case we went back to a submersible pump some day. We live two miles from an overhead fill station, with access to town water. We haul the water with a triaxle dump trailer and 1400 gallon poly tank.

[K44]

With 2 in the house and using as much water as we want about 5-6 wks I haul my own water and its cheap, this winter when the weather sucked I ordered a load $100

[huntin'fool]

I've been tossing up the same thing lately...couple questions for you guys

What's the price comparison, all in, for drilling and installation of well vs cistern?

What (if any) filtration system is required for water drawn from a cistern?

[jungleboy]

That's good to know . I have no interest in getting into the water hauling business , so the real cost of having it delivered by water truck is helpful information.

[K44]

Drilling was a poor option for me all the wells in the area are very deep and poor producers I wish I would have put a cistern in years ago. No filters its city water

[huntin'fool]

Originally Posted by K44

Drilling was a poor option for me all the wells in the area are very deep and poor producers I wish I would have put a cistern in years ago. No filters its city water

So is there no worry about having city water stored in the cistern for upwards of 3 months?

[K44]

I think they put enough crap in it probable last forever

[Red Bullets]

Here is a water well map of all the wells in alberta. Great for reference as to the wells and water in your area. The map will show each of your neighbors wells, how deep they are, ground drilling structure and flow rates. Might help you decide whether a well or cistern is more practical.

Just zoom into your land location.Click on the well numbers to access info.

You will be amazed how many wells there are in the province. Domestic and oilfield.

http://groundwater.alberta.ca/WaterWells/d/

[coolpete1]

Originally Posted by K44

Drilling was a poor option for me all the wells in the area are very deep and poor producers I wish I would have put a cistern in years ago. No filters its city water

well water in strathcona county is disgusting anyway , my aunts well water tastes bad and stinks , but it tests safe to drink.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Here is a water well map of all the wells in alberta. Great for reference as to the wells and water in your area. The map will show each of your neighbors wells, how deep they are, ground drilling structure and flow rates. Might help you decide whether a well or cistern is more practical.

Just zoom into your land location.Click on the well numbers to access info.

You will be amazed how many wells there are in the province. Domestic and oilfield.

http://groundwater.alberta.ca/WaterWells/d/

The acreage we bought does have a well already but it is probably 40 yrs old and I know it has lots of Iron in it (because we used to own this same place 30 yrs ago and hated the water then). We are thinking of moving back there and I am looking at other options for water . This has been helpful thanks

Oddly the map doesn't show my well and it doesn't show the well at my outlaws old place either.

[K44]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Here is a water well map of all the wells in alberta. Great for reference as to the wells and water in your area. The map will show each of your neighbors wells, how deep they are, ground drilling structure and flow rates. Might help you decide whether a well or cistern is more practical.

Just zoom into your land location.Click on the well numbers to access info.

You will be amazed how many wells there are in the province. Domestic and oilfield.

http://groundwater.alberta.ca/WaterWells/d/

Not very accurate doesn't show wells were I know there are some and wrong depth

[greasycheeks]

The last well that we drilled was a 350 foot dry hole. Close to $15000 down the drain. The local water witcher picked us a dandy spot. This was the seventh attempt in 50ish years. We then had a seismic outfit scour our yard for water (about $2500?). The only water under our feet was the rotten, rusty, no volume crap that we were already drilled into.

[jungleboy]

Originally Posted by greasycheeks

The last well that we drilled was a 350 foot dry hole. Close to $15000 down the drain. The local water witcher picked us a dandy spot. This was the seventh attempt in 50ish years. We then had a seismic outfit scour our yard for water (about $2500?). The only water under our feet was the rotten, rusty, no volume crap that we were already drilled into.

Ouch!!!

[BucksBoarsandBulls]

That's exactly not the case, sitting water is not a good situation, the reason Hot Water tanks minimum setting is 140F is to kill legionella bacteria. Its killed plenty of people before, generally there is lots of chlorine used in Alberta ( to my knowledge) but water is not something that should sit forever, and still be ok. well thats one plumbers opinion.

[greasycheeks]

As far as water sitting in a cistern, I was told that there is nothing to worry about, as long as there is constant use. Example: it's not wise to leave water sit in a cistern for a few months, at your summer cottage, while there are no occupants. Constant household use creates minor circulation within the cistern, and that, coupled with the breather vent, creates an environment suitable for longer term storage. Don't know if it's true, just repeating what I was told while doing my own pre-cistern inquiry.

[greasycheeks]

Yah that bill hurt a little. That 15 grand was just to move the rig in and drill. He well was never developed because no water seam was located. It did include the cost of wire lining the hole, to verify that a seam wasn't missed. Wire lining cost was $1000.

[BucksBoarsandBulls]

yeah, if your water treatment facility is reliable you're likely alright, its more if you're in a remote place, i know at suncor and fort mckay water being down is a fairly regular occurrence... If it were me, and my family id look into getting a uv filter, so the bacteria cant multiply, you might get sick, but that'd be the worst from bad water then.

http://www.homedepot.ca/product/abso...-system/928171

[Jassingh]

Hello everyone i wad windering if its worth buying a water truck and getting into the distribution for the county folks . Thank you

[tool]

I'm on a cistern here in SW Saskatchewan.

Let me tell you how much hauling water sucks in this weather.
I'm sure if you had a dedicated water truck setup it would be better, but I've hauled hundreds of thousands of gallons in poly tanks and what have you and it is one miserable job. As you'd imagine, everything freezes, nothing wants to work in the cold, you're constantly getting stuck, the guy before you might have pumped the well dry, etc etc etc

As a point of comparison, there is a guy in Moose Jaw that will deliver water for 10 cents a gallon. Municipal water cost to farmers here is about 1.5 cents, so 8.5 cent margin including delivery I can't see how he is getting rich.

Not sure how the prices compare in your area.

[Jack fish hunter]

Cistern sucks would take a well over my cistern any day. Calling a water truck is expensive and hauling it myself is a pain in the ass.

[expedition]

In my opinion the number one consideration is water quality . Most people in Alberta will have poor water quality from a well.

[Jassingh]

I was just thinking about sherwood park a d camrose but not sure how i would price it

[expedition]

Originally Posted by Jassingh

I was just thinking about sherwood park a d camrose but not sure how i would price it

Not unless you do it full time . Also very competitive.

[SamSteele]

Originally Posted by Jack fish hunter

Cistern sucks would take a well over my cistern any day. Calling a water truck is expensive and hauling it myself is a pain in the ass.

This in spades.

We built a new place on an acreage about 10 years ago. Water quality in the area was bad so we went with a cistern. Constantly hauling water is a PITA and a bit of false economy by the time you factor in your time, trailer and tank, wear and tear, etc.

If I had to do it all over again I would do well for toilets, showers, outside taps and cistern for any drinking water locations and probably laundry so you don’t get iron stains in your clothes. It is more expensive at the outset but you aren’t using expensive treated water for sources you don’t taste. Watering a garden or flowers becomes secondary when you are paying to haul every gallon.

[Big Grey Wolf]

Guys, you should top up your cistern water at least once per month. City water has surplus Cl2 chlorine. However most will dissipate in a few weeks depending on temperature of your cistern.
I poured my own 3000 gallon concrete cistern at same time as I poured basement foundation, believe my out of pocket for rebar and concrete was around $2000.
PS You can also add a few chlorine tablets to your water if you want to store it longer. Also any chlorine taste can be taken out with Canadian tire activated carbon filter on your water line to your kitchen.

[Indy]

Another option is a dug out if you have the room - they are pricey for a large one.
I second a cistern for drinking/shower/laundry and well/dugout for everything else. We almost got a cistern as the dugout requires some maintenance if you want to keep the water pristine so every spring ours is gross but the county announced it is putting in a water line directly by our house. Cant wait for that. Will use county water for the house and the dugout for the lawns, pressure washer, etc.