By: Chris Hanley
A cistern
is a man-made reservoir or receptacle for holding
water. It provides, in many cases, the sole water
supply for properties on St. Croix. City water
service does not extend far beyond the town
limits, therefore cisterns are a very important
part of any structure. Most cisterns are located
where one might normally expect to find a
basement. Think of it as a very flooded basement!
It is filled by rain collected from the roof
through downspouts, which lead into the cistern.
It is most commonly made of concrete and a part
of the overall structure, although you may find
stone or pre-made tanks as well. Many cisterns
are "sealed" with a paint-like latex
rubbery material.
|
It does a perfect
job of sealing any potential seepage areas or
just for a clean, smooth, surface. One good coat
will probably outlast you. To provide access to
the cistern, most have a square 2'X 2' lift-able
cap to allow for entry to clean & maintain.
There are also overflow outlets usually of
6" PVS/iron located at the top of the
cistern sticking out the side of the structure.
It is a good idea to keep these outlets covered
with a screen cap to prevent the entry of any
number of god's creatures, but still allow water
to flow out. You don't have to worry about algae
in a properly sealed cistern, even without
chlorination. That's because without sunlight,
algae cannot live. Many people occasionally add a
bit of bleach anyway. |
HOW DOES THE WATER GET
TO MY FAUCET?
|
| Somewhere on the
property there is a water pump and pressure tank.
Often you will also find the water heater in the
same place. The pump is connected to a suction
pipe, which extends from the top of the cistern
down to within a few inches of the bottom. This
gap prevents any potential sediment from getting
sucked up into the system. Some suction pipes
have a special fitting on the end, which assists
with this. The pump sucks the water out of the
cistern and into your building, pressurizing the
pipes within the building. When you open an
outlet (faucet/toilet flush etc.) the pressure in
the system slowly drops until a pressure switch
on the water pump kicks on the pump to
re-pressurize the system. You may often hear the
pump come on as you use water. In recent years
some people have chosen to install in-line filter
systems which further clarify the water. These
islands are blessed with nice clean air, and the
natural purification by distillation courtesy of
Mother Nature is commonly considered good enough! |
WHAT DO I DO WHEN IT
DOESN'T RAIN?
|
| Sometimes rain no come. Not to
panic... it just means you have to get out the
checkbook to get some delivered. There are many
water delivery services on the island. The rates
are usually around $85-95 for 3000 gallons of
well water ($150/3000 gal. distilled) delivered
and pumped into your cistern. Most often it will
be sent through the overflow, but in many of the
newer homes, fill pipes are purposely installed
near the driveway or other convenient location to
ease the chore of the delivery person. So long as
you don't waste water, you should rarely have to
buy it. Some areas of the island get more rain
than others. |
HOW MUCH WATER DOES MY
CISTERN HOLD?
|
| Cisterns vary in size from house
to house. Generally you should expect to have 10
gallons of storage capacity for every square foot
of roof area. Check the latest local code for the
exact requirements. Thus, 2000 square feet of
roof requires 20,000 gallons of cistern capacity.
Remember to include the overhangs, etc.. A quick
and easy way to figure out how big a cistern is,
is by measuring it; (length X width X height) =
cubic feet X 7.4 = # gallons. In most cases
people will offer estimations of size.
Rarely does a person know the exact size
of his/her cistern. Even on most real estate
listings, you will see an approximate size...
this is common. |
DO I NEED TO CLEAN MY
CISTERN?
|
| That depends on whether or not it
is dirty! It is generally recommended that you
clean your cistern every 3-5 years. But that
really depends on how much debris gets into it.
If your house is surrounded by leave-dropping
trees or there's a storm blowing dirt and
particles around or your don't have proper screen
covers on your gutters or ... or ..., etc. A
quick visual check with a flashlight will reveal
how much dirt has settled on the bottom. It is
normal to have accumulations of dirt and sediment
on the cistern bottom. But be sure that it isn't
thick enough to dose the gap between the bottom
and the suction pipe leading to the pump. If this
happens then you will soon be seeing dirty water
coming into the plumbing system. You do not want
this to happen. Many people opt for cleaning the
cistern themselves. It is not an easy or pleasant
job to do. In most cases you are better off
calling a reputable cistern cleaning company. It
is usually cheaper and easier to let an expert
take care of it for you. |
THERE'S A FROG IN MY
CISTERN, WHAT DO I DO?
|
| Don't panic Believe it or not,
this is VERY common. Don't try
"bleaching" or "salting" him
out, you'll only spoil your water supply.
Instead, have your cistern cleaned and checked
for the spot where the frog got in. There is
definitely a gap, opening or other small crevice
where god's creature has found his way in. They
most commonly enter through the overflow pipes,
which may not have a screen cap or cover. Many
people consider this to be normal and acceptable,
and do nothing about it. We recommend you have it
cleaned. Once the cistern is cleaned, make sure
that this entry area is promptly closed off. |
For any of your real estate
needs ... remember to call Farchette & Hanley Real
Estate,
and ask for one of our full time, professional
brokers;
Chris Hanley
|
Rick Rothenberger
|
Jan Hanley
|
Lad
Concepcion
|
David Fedeles
|
|
Dave Carr
|
|
Jack Capiello
|
|
Farchette
& Hanley Real Estate Since 1930
# 52 King
Street, Christiansted, St. Croix, VI 00820
(800)964-9755
or (340) 773-4665
|