Does anyone have a storage tank for pool water?

[iadams]

In the spring, I usually have to waste some water to bring the level down (I do so when backwashing or vacuuming so make the best of the waste). If we have a fairly wet spring I might dump thousands of gallons.

Then summer comes. Here in my corner of Maryland it has been hot and very dry. I’m on a well so filling from the hose is not a great choice. The water is fine but I don’t want to deplete my well or wear out my well pump. Tomorrow I’m paying $280 for 4000 gallons of water, the minimum load, and probably only need 2000.

I always thought it would be nice to have a 1000 tank nearby to put extra water in so I could draw from it at times like this, then fill it back up when the pool level is high. I’d even consider collecting water from the roof through some kind of sediment filter to supplement it if needed.

Does anyone here have some kind of water storage setup? It would come with a high initial cost but it wouldn’t take many years of needing to buy water to pay for itself.

Note that I have a mesh cover, so in winter I would still plane checking and pumping water out to stay well below the skimmer, but I usually let it fill from March-May rain and don’t normally need to buy water in spring for opening. This would only be for summer (drain it in winter).

 

[JJ_Tex]

They were working on one of our neighborhood ponds and had a very large bladder that they used to drain the water down in the pond for a few days. Once they were done with the repairs they pumped the water from the bladder back into the ponds.

I would assume one of those would work for storing excess pool water. A quick google found a few options (but pricier than I thought):

Ready Potable Water Bladders | Drinking Water Bladder Tank

Potable Water Bladders tanks, Pillow Tanks, and Water Storage Bladder tanks. Drinking water bladder tanks, Call Ready Today 941-739-9486

readycontainment.com

 

[scdaren]

If you have the space, just get yourself a few 275 gallon or 330 gallon IBC totes, like these -- IBC Totes, Portable Water Tanks, IBC Tanks in Stock - ULINE.

Don't pay those stupid prices though - check on your local craigslist for someone selling used reconditioned ones. I'm in the fertilizer business, and we buy truckloads of these - and actually one of our main suppliers we found on craigslist. Not sure what the market is like for them in other parts of the country, but I would look to pay $150 or less per tote. When you put the water in them, add in a good dose of chlorine and cover them with a tarp to keep the sun off, water should stay nice and clear.

 

[Leebo]

If you have the space, just get yourself a few 275 gallon or 330 gallon IBC totes, like these -- IBC Totes, Portable Water Tanks, IBC Tanks in Stock - ULINE.

We’ve got two of these ourselves. Our water is high in iron so we try to avoid filling up as much as possible. During the spring when we’ve gotta drain some from all the rain we drain into these and add a ton of chlorine to it. Still almost always gets weird stuff at the bottom after a few months, but we’ll just dump that last inch or two into the grass and move on.

 

[iadams]

We’ve got two of these ourselves. Our water is high in iron so we try to avoid filling up as much as possible. During the spring when we’ve gotta drain some from all the rain we drain into these and add a ton of chlorine to it. Still almost always gets weird stuff at the bottom after a few months, but we’ll just dump that last inch or two into the grass and move on.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. I've said before, if I were building this pool from scratch I would include some kind of water storage for it. I definitely need something.

 

[B.lu]

I love this thread. Thanks for posting. I am in the same situation as you. I've been emptying my dehumidifier into my pool this past week, to add even a little extra water. Last summer it rained so much I had to drain multiple times and this is my second summer with the pool. I'll have to pay to have pool water delivered soon but the cheapest I can find so far is $350 regardless of how little water I need. I'll look into some of these ideas for next summer!

 

[Newdude]

I'll look into some of these ideas for next summer!

These farm tanks go cheap on the Offerup app by me. Maybe by you guys too.

 

[Kaylee34]

Another vote here for farm tanks. One of my never ending projects will be channeling rainwater to farm tanks for later use. Filling pool, irrigating the garden, lots of uses.

 

[scdaren]

These farm tanks go cheap on the Offerup app by me. Maybe by you guys too.

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Just check what was in it before - avoid harsh chemicals or pesticide. Food grade use is best. We find a lot that were used for food oils or sweeteners.