When do I need to clean my cistern?
A cistern must be cleaned to remove sediment and any other contaminants. It’s a good idea to clean your cistern:
- at least 1 time a year to remove sludge and sediment build-up, or more often if the water looks, smells, or tastes different
- if contaminants (e.g., rodents, surface water from overland flooding) get in the cistern
- after it’s installed and sediment needs to be removed from the bottom of the tank
When do I need to disinfect my cistern?
Whenever a cistern is cleaned, it needs to be disinfected .Your cistern needs to be disinfected without being cleaned if:
- it’s just been installed, even if there is no sediment or contaminants at the bottom of the tank
- you have plumbing maintenance work done from the inside of the tank (e.g., replacement of valves, pumps). Anyone who enters a cistern needs to wear clean footwear.
- the source water that is delivered isn’t safe to drink (potable)
- a bacteria test result comes back positive. If the source of bacteria isn’t easy to see, check the inside of the cistern.
