Simple Test: Will Algae Grow in Your Water Storage Tank?

Water storage tanks can often be exposed to extreme sunlight which encourages algae growth. This quickly leads to polluted water that cannot come in contact with a human or an animal without causing harm or sickness. This would include everyday applications such as drinking, washing the clothes, playing in sprinklers on a hot summers day. The bottom line is, once algae grows in your water storage tanks, the water basically becomes useless if you are a long way from a water source.

3 simple steps to take to see if your Water Storage Tank will grow algae:

1. Put your tank in the sun if it isn’t already
2. Safely open the top lid and check for sunlight penetrating through the sidewall
3. If you see the side wall glow your tank is at high risk of growing algae

We recommend you do this test on your water tanks before you make the final decision as to which vertical tank you choose. This sounds simple but it is the truth.

How do you stop algae growing in your Water Storage Tanks?

This has been an ongoing argument that has eventually been resolved with strenuous testing and most important of all, the actual facts. If your plastic tank is manufactured with a compound color, you will get a total blackout of sunlight. Take a look at some examples inside of tanks below to see what we are talking about.

A Water Tank myth that is not true:

You may have read or heard that if your tank is manufactured with an opaque color, you will not grow algae in your water storage tanks. Almost every water tank manufacturer in today’s market says that an opaque color will stop the sunlight coming in, thus stop algae producing. This is not true! The bottom line is there must be no light penetrating the tank wall, to stop algae. I would strongly encourage you to look a little further into this concept. Actually, to save you spending hours on extra research, we have the answer right here.