Care for your tank: a simple periodic check and signs that call for lining or cleaning
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The tank is the source of all the water in the house, yet its lid is rarely opened. This guide gives you a periodic check that takes minutes and explains the difference between what you can handle yourself and what needs professional cleaning or lining.
Signs that need attention
- A change in the water’s taste, smell or colour, or sediment on the floor when you open the lid.
- Green algae on the inside walls of the roof tank (light is getting in).
- Cracks or flaking on the inside walls, or white salt deposits on the outside walls.
- A level that drops without consumption, or rises without filling (water entering).
- A broken or loose lid, or an overflow opening without a mesh.
Before you open the tank
Never enter an underground tank alone or without ventilation; closed spaces may hold oxygen-poor air. The self-check is by looking from the hatch with a light only. Cut power to the pump before working around a roof tank, and do not climb on a plastic tank.
The periodic tank check in 7 steps
- Check the lid and openings
Is the lid sealed? Do the overflow and vent have a mesh against insects and dust?
- Light the inside and look
With a torch from the hatch: water colour, floor sediment, algae on walls, cracks or flaking.
- Level test
Close the fill and stop consumption, mark the level and wait hours, then compare. Details in the tank leak guide.
- Check the float
Does it close fully when full? A continuous water sound when full means a float that does not close.
- Check the surroundings
Damp, salt or sunken tiles around an underground tank, and stains on the ceiling under a roof tank.
- Taste and smell with care
A change in taste or smell means stop drinking from the tank and request an inspection and cleaning.
- Record the date
Write what you found and the date, and set the next check.
What you do yourself and what you leave to a specialist
Yourself: seal the lid, fit mesh on the overflow and vent, keep contamination sources away from the tank, and clean its surroundings.
Specialist: entering the tank, cleaning and disinfection, crack treatment, internal lining, and pump-line repair.
Common mistakes
- Using household cleaners inside the tank without sufficient rinsing.
- Painting the inside with a material not designated for drinking water.
- Leaving the lid open “for ventilation”.
- Ignoring algae in the roof tank.
When is professional intervention needed?
A level that drops or rises, visible cracks, a change in the water, or a long time without cleaning. See tank inspection and then tank waterproofing.
Frequently asked questions
How often should the tank be cleaned?
It depends on the water source, the tank’s surroundings and its sealing; the practical rule: check every few months and clean when sediment or a change in the water appears.
Is household chlorine enough for disinfection?
Disinfection needs a dose, contact time and proper rinsing; better left to those with the documented materials and method.
On-site service is available in Saudi Arabia; the guides and tools can be read anywhere.
This page is informational and educational. Confirming a leak, an insulation condition or a pest infestation always requires an on-site assessment, and structural questions are for a licensed engineer. We do not publish promises we cannot prove.