Best source of catchment tank cover?

[Cagary]

Somehow got a hole in my tank cover. Maybe it was that meteor shower the other night. Anyway , where is the best place to buy a quality catchment tank cover for a standard 10,000 gallon tank at a good price ?

-Veritas odium parit”(Terence 195–159 BC))-"Truth begets hatred".

[terracore]

http://punaweb.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=13889&whichpage=1

"Here's the prices today [2014] for a 10,000 gallon tank (23 foot wide cover) at Island Catchment in HPP:

Standard cover with 3-5 years life expectancy: $150
Higher quality cover with 10-15 years life expectancy: $250

Using the pessimistic life expectancies of 3 or 10 years, $50/year for standard or $25 for HQ."

[MarkP]

I bought three 10' x 20' shade cloth tarps from Ace Hardware for $50 per tarp plus enough bungee cords to secure each tarp across the top of my 15' diameter tank. I had to criss-cross them to get complete coverage which resulted in the center being almost opaque. I have my floating pump inlet in the center of the tank plus the shade cloth is stretched drum-tight. The result is attractive and effective and does not sag into the water. It forms a bug-proof and slug-proof seal around the top of the tank. I suppose if a volcano went off and there was a large ash fall I might wish I had a solid cover but otherwise it seems to address the issues of concern such as ponding where birds would come to enjoy a bird bath. Many problems are solved by not having any trees nearby (works for roof/gutters too). In general the top of my tank is a pleasingly clean black plane crossed by the gently curving edges of the stretched shade cloth tarps. Kind of modern-artish.

[terracore]

"if a volcano went off and there was a large ash fall I might wish I had a solid cover"

I talked to the guy at island catchment about upgrading to a solid tank cover. The cover costs more than a complete tank setup installed. That includes the price of the (required) upgrade to fortify the tank. Solid covers are usually placed on the tank and the weight adds to the outward pressure the tank is already fighting holding the water in.

Having lived through ash fall multiple times as a kid from St. Helens, I can appreciate what a mess that would be with water catchment. The first thing I'd want to do is disconnect the tank inlet from the roof supply, then if the ash wasn't hot, setup a temporary ash cover over the tank. An HPM style electrical conduit / tarp carport would do but would need constant attention during the ash fall to keep it from accumulating. They would sell out very quickly but I have enough stuff on hand to approximate something.

If/when it happens, make sure you don't try to wipe the ash off your windshield or use wipers, it will scratch your glass. It has to be rinsed off with water.