Water Delivery

[terracore]

So... apparently the drought isn't our only problem.  After noticing that the only grass that isn't dying is right around our catchment tank we felt around and the ground around it is damp.  I suspected we had a small leak but this is something more substantial. 

Sigh.

So, what to do?  

When I checked the tank this morning it had drained substantially since I previously checked it.  I called up Island Catchment to inquire about getting it fixed and was advised it would be 3-4 weeks, so I asked about just buying the liner and either try to find someone to help me or attempt a DIY.  He said, "I know a guy..." and gave me his number.

I got the liner price and asked him if there were any other types, grades, qualities, etc.  Why yes, they sell a thicker liner which is black and lasts longer.  It was about $300 more.  

So I called the guy.  Well, a dude actually.  He's called John the Catchment Dude.  And believe it or not, a few hours later he was at our house working on it.  About 5 hours after that, the job was done, including getting 4500 gallons of water delivered.  Because even when there is a drought and water delivery places aren't answering the phone, the dude knows a guy.  And now I know the dude and the guy.

I'm glad I opted to pay the extra $300 for the thicker liner, the dude told me that it doesn't get brittle like the white ones and is less likely to have issues, and they last a lot longer.  Also that it makes the inside of the tank darker and algae doesn't grow on it.  It does make the water warmer if one has a crappy cover.

The hole/leak was caused by the outlet pipe hitting the liner when the pump turned on because it wasn't installed correctly and he fixed that too.  He recommended a floating outlet or flux out capacitor or whatever its called but didn't have the stuff to do the job in his truck, but said he could do it when we call him back to clean the tank.

I think he did a good job and was very thorough.  He did things I might not have thought of like re-raking the sand and pulling out rocks that could cause problems later, and scrubbing down the inside of the steel tank to make sure the oxidation didn't create any sharp spots.  He also painted the spider with rust resistant paint.  He didn't seem to be in any hurry and wasn't going to leave until our water was running again.