Identifying best quality water tanks in kenya can be a daunting task especially with the saturation in the market, yet water plays a very essential role in human lives and the lack of it can turn disastrous.
According to UN Water, Water scarcity can mean scarcity in availability due to physical shortage, or scarcity in access due to the failure of institutions to ensure a regular supply or due to a lack of adequate infrastructure.
To ensure steady supply and availability of clean water, a convenient storage is important. Pumps Africa Magazine looks at best quality water tanks in Kenya that can be used for the above purpose.
The best types of water tanks are; Plastic water tanks and Steel water tanks.
Here are some of the features of best quality water tanks in Kenya.
Plastic Water tanks
For best performance, a water tank should be rust resistant to keep the water from being contaminated with rust particles. A rust resistant tank will also serve for a long time hence durability. When buying steel tank for water storage or any other purpose, always go for stainless steel.
The tank should be able to total block UV light (sunlight) so that water growing plants like algae, and other living organisms that require sunlight to survive in water will not have a chance of living in the tank. This leaves the tank’s water safe for drinking.
Black plastic water tank is recommended for purpose of UV light protection.
A good water tank should be easy to clean as overtime, solid dirt from atmosphere and the collected water settle at the bottom of the tank.
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Durability is key for long service life; look out for water tanks that have to warranties as they will not serve you for a long time. Some manufacturers will provide warranties and guarantee specific number of years a tank will serve.
Plastic water tanks are preferred for various reasons including: ease of installation, durability, UV light blockage design, availability in various sizes and capacities, costs, ease of cleaning and low maintenance.
Always ask the supplier or manufacturer for installation guidelines when buying your plastic water tank.
Preet Chheda, CEO Vectus Kenya Ltd advises that plastic tanks should only be bought from manufacturers who use UV material. He clarifies that UV material can be any other colour but the preferred option should be black.
“The best way to drill the outlet or inlet, would be by using a drilling machine, this will keep the warranty of the tanks safe and will also not damage the tank due to a change in the temperature,” he adds.
Steel water tanks
Steel water tanks, however not as popular as the plastic water tanks, are also a good choice. They are highly durable, stainless steel tanks are rust resistant, unlike other metallic tanks. They come with big water storage capacities, most steel tanks are used for community water supply or by municipality water utilities.
They are free from UV light penetration as they are sealed in all sides and the shiny surface helps reflect sunlight.
Steel tanks can be installed on the ground, underground and can also be raised. Each installation mode has specific guidelines that should be followed to ensure proper and sage installation. Always seek for professional services when installing your tank.
How to check for durability
Chhed instructs that the best way to determine the quality of the tank, is to check and compare the weights of different tanks from different manufacturers. “The simple rule is, the more the weight of the tank the thicker the walls of the tank are, so more strength to withstand the pressure of water.”
He advises against pressing the tank on its sides to determine how light a tank is in weight. The best way, he recommends is to look out for the total weight of a tank. The lighter the tank, the less likely it is to hold the pressure of the water that is stored within.
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