Tank water is used in many rural regions throughout New Zealand as a primary source for drinking water in these areas. While chemical free and often considered safer and tastier, tank water is exposed to numerous pathogens that are not fit for human consumption.

Disease causing microorganisms like bacteria and viruses can be transmitted via contaminated water supply. Tank water is especially susceptible to contamination through faecal matter, run off from roof tops, or stream/river water. Faecal matter carries faecal –coli bacteria that causes virus like cryptosporidium and giardia. Symptoms of these highly unpleasant viruses include diarrhoea, dehydration, fatigue, fever, vomiting and stomach pain.

So how do you treat tank water?

Treating tank water is essential if you want clean, safe and bacteria free drinking water for your home. There are a number of products you can use to eliminate contaminants from your water tank. Chlorine is a widely used product but it has a high chemical content and it alters the taste quite significantly, also it has a limited effect on some of the more nasty bacteria. Water Dosing with a chlorine free product like Geo Shock can also reduce the effects of harmful contaiminents and is good when cleaning your tank.

The most effective tank water treatment is ultra violet disinfection. UV light kills 99.9% of micro-organisms leaving tank water bacteria and chemical free. UV serialisation works using ultra violet lamps which effectively eliminate pathogens by rendering them unable to reproduce.