07-15-2013, 01:17 AM
I presume you are talking about a "doughboy swimming pool" type of catchment tank. As pointed out in the CTAHR handbook on rainwater catchment*, a free booklet everyone who has a catchment system should own and read, a big problem with them is that they are vulnerable to collapse due to earthquakes. So, yes, placement relative to the house is important.
A friend was going to place one uphill from the house, basically at raingutter level, thinking this would be a great way to get some built in water pressure... until I showed him how a seismic event could cause waves that could knock the pool wall down and create a mini-tsunami that could take down his whole house. He hadn't thought of that. [xx(]
And in other news, I have a neighbor in Volcano who built a new house, fully permitted, by the book, and had a company install a corrugated steel water tank... which failed inspection because it was 1' too close to the house. No kidding, they had to take it apart and move it. [:0]
I'd at least check out that place in Shipman Park that manufactures the molded poly tanks. Sometimes they have B grade merch at reduced prices that is structurally sound but has visually flaws or needs cleanout before use.
*Free hardcopy booklet is available at County Extension offices, and pdf file is available free online: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf
A friend was going to place one uphill from the house, basically at raingutter level, thinking this would be a great way to get some built in water pressure... until I showed him how a seismic event could cause waves that could knock the pool wall down and create a mini-tsunami that could take down his whole house. He hadn't thought of that. [xx(]
And in other news, I have a neighbor in Volcano who built a new house, fully permitted, by the book, and had a company install a corrugated steel water tank... which failed inspection because it was 1' too close to the house. No kidding, they had to take it apart and move it. [:0]
I'd at least check out that place in Shipman Park that manufactures the molded poly tanks. Sometimes they have B grade merch at reduced prices that is structurally sound but has visually flaws or needs cleanout before use.
*Free hardcopy booklet is available at County Extension offices, and pdf file is available free online: http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/rm-12.pdf