how do you clean out a cold water tank in the loft

[cks]

I am trying to sell my house and I have been told that my cold water tank in the loft needs cleaning out, is it somthing I can do myself and if so what do I need and how do I do it, or is it somthing I should get the experts in to do.

 

[JohnD]

I have a feeling that it has no lid on it and someone has found dead spiders, mice, birds or squirrels drowned it it.

If you drain it (turn off the supply and run a tap) you can then easily pick out the dead bodies and mop up any sediment. You can get some rubber bungs at your DIY shed, hardware store or plumbers merchant to block up the outlet so you don't wash sediment down the pipes while you are cleaning it out.

Buy a lid (and preferably also a lagging jacket for it).

It will then be as clean as most people's tanks.

If it had dead stuff in it though you ought to give it a scrub out and disinfect, it's not difficult but there must be rules for how much to rinse it (which I don't know - someone will be along in a minute).

If you tell us what is inside the tank that will give us some clues. I hope it is a plastic one, not galvanised steel (which will be rusty by now)?

 

[cks]

It is a plastic tank but it has no lid on it

 

[cks]

It is just general sludge found in it as it had no lid. No dead bodies were in it

 

[JohnD]

Then just get a lid, drain it, bung it, scrub it out and sponge out the muck (try not to let it escape down the pipes).

Personally I would use a houshold cleaner and long-handled scrubber, and let it rinse out through the taps before refilling it. Use cold taps to avoid it getting into the hot system. Use the rinsing water on the garden.

If, after refilling it, you turn off the supply and drain it again through all taps, that should wash out any traces of cleaner.