Private Water Supply Systems

This term covers any supply of water not from the mains. It is not just those very isolated properties that this would apply to, but a number of people are finding it a more economic and convenient solution in the long term.

Mostly they will be from wells, boreholes or springs.

It is covered by separate legislation in England called the Private Water Supplies Regulations 2016, and the subsequent Private Water Supplies (Amendment) Regulations 2018. Similar legislation is in force in Wales. Before any private water supply can be used, it has to be tested and approved by the local authority (to protect public health), on behalf of the Drinking Water Inspectorate, which is a UK Government organisation. Water has to meet the standard of being ‘wholesome’ which means free from pathogens, chemicals and with nitrate and nitrite content below a certain level.

That said, there are at least 140,000 properties on private water supplies in the UK (source ukwta.org) and more people are looking into the potential long term cost savings of drilling a private borehole, especially where their water usage is heavier than normal.

How do they work?

Boreholes and wells to storage tanks.

Sometimes private water supplies will service a group of properties or larger commercial properties such as hotels or holiday parks. In this case they will probably have a ‘raw water’ holding tank from the borehole which then feeds via filtration to a treatment plant and from there to the tank or tanks for treated water storage.

In a simpler single dwelling (or commercial property) installation there may only be the ‘raw water’ main tank, which would then be filtered, pumped and piped to a much smaller loft tank within the building, passing through the treatment plant on the way.  Tanks-UK have several potable water tanks suitable for loft tanks, which come with the required byelaw kit.

Treatment systems

Water treatment can be chemical or by UV. In the case of multiple properties supplied, the treatment plant would most likely be similar on a small scale to those used by public water companies, using a chemical dosing system.  For individual properties a UV treatment system would probably be used as it is less complex and takes up less room. This is obviously a specialised area, and we recommend you contact a water treatment specialist for this.

Pumps and filters

Tanks-UK supply a range of water pumps and filters, and can advise on new or replacement pumps for your water system. The DAB E-sysbox boost pumps are ideal for pumping from wells and boreholes. The filters would be the initial stage of treatment for the raw water.

Underground or above ground?

Underground water tanks can be a good choice for water pumped from a well or borehole. There is less chance of external contamination and no UV degradation from sunlight. As discussed in last week’s blog, the SPEL GRP tanks are ideal and extremely durable, but there are a variety of sizes and configurations of plastic tanks for underground water storage.

Above ground tanks can also be used and many of the large capacity vertical tanks are WRAS approved for potable water, so can be used for the treated water as well as for raw water.

Just give us a call on 01953 665940 or email info@tanks-uk.com with your requirements and we’ll send you a quote.