How often should you clean your water tank?
Most households in Nairobi think about the tank only when the water starts to smell or the shower runs cloudy. By then the sediment layer at the base has usually been building for a year or more.
What actually accumulates
Three things. Sediment settles out of the supply and forms a soft layer at the base. Biofilm — a slick bacterial layer — grows on the walls, particularly near the waterline. And where light reaches the water, algae takes hold, which is why translucent tanks left in direct sun go green fastest.
Borehole supply accelerates all three, because it carries more dissolved minerals and organic matter than treated municipal water.
A sensible schedule
- Municipal supply, shaded tank: every 6 months
- Borehole supply: every 3 to 4 months
- After any plumbing work or supply interruption: immediately
- New installation: before first use, always
Cleaning is not just draining and refilling. The walls need mechanical scrubbing to remove biofilm, and the tank needs disinfection to potable standard afterwards. A rinse moves the problem around; it doesn't solve it.
Ask whoever cleans your tank for before-and-after photographs and a dated certificate. If they can't produce either, you have no way of knowing what was actually done up there.
Wanjiru Kamau
Operations Manager at 254 Cleaners.
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