OP
Moving to the Farm
- Thread starter Tororider
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OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
wmonroe
Elite Member
Good size tank. Will it be for potable water? If so it might need a good shot of chlorine and some cleaning. How many gallon is the tank?
OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
It's a $525 gallon tank I was able to pick up for $100 off craigslist. I looked at Tractor Supply today and their 225 gallon of the same style is $500! Pretty happy with the price I found.
It will only be used for potable in emergency or extended power outages. I plan to power wash it and probably treat with bleach if necessary. I am thinking I will have to paint it in order to keep algae from being a problem.
Larro Darro
Elite Member
Nice looking ram. We had sheep when I was a kid. Daddy had tamed one of the rams when he was young, and could pet him. But one day while he was getting petted, he put Daddy on his butt. So always be careful around him. When the rams used to fight, it would sound like a rifle going off when they butted heads. They have quite a punch.
A funny sheep story from my childhood. We had a neighbor who was a retired Air Force Lt Col. He was a good guy, but didn't know anything about farming. One day he was visiting, and we found one of the young rams hung up in the fence. Daddy took out his knife and castrated him before getting him unhung. That got all over the Col. He said he was going to make sure he never got caught in a fence when Daddy was around. But it was a job that needed doing, and an opportunity to get it done in a safe and easy manner.
Larro
A funny sheep story from my childhood. We had a neighbor who was a retired Air Force Lt Col. He was a good guy, but didn't know anything about farming. One day he was visiting, and we found one of the young rams hung up in the fence. Daddy took out his knife and castrated him before getting him unhung. That got all over the Col. He said he was going to make sure he never got caught in a fence when Daddy was around. But it was a job that needed doing, and an opportunity to get it done in a safe and easy manner.
Larro
OP
Tororider
Veteran Member
Larro, I like the fence story. The kids have all been warned not to be near the sheep unless I am holding the ram. I won't take any chances. It only takes once.
If you clean it good and kill all the bacterial/algal growth currently in there, you probably won't have future algae problems as long as you fill it with chlorinated water and then keep it completely filled. We add a few small chips of pool chlorine to our storage water barrels about once a year. No algae at all. They live in a shaded spot, which helps.
- Jay
- Jay
Gem99ultra
Elite Member
We addressed the problem in a similar manner but on the cheap. We bought two 330 gallon tote bins that had previously been used for food grade material. Both have gate valves with quick connects for emptying and are mounted in the usual metal cage. Rinsed them good and filled them with filtered tap water, and added 1 quart of Clorox to each. Capped them and keep them in the storage shed.
We have them elevated on regular 8"x8"x16" concrete blocks to make it easy to draw water. I'm looking for a 2" -> 3/4" hose adapter bib so if necessary I can pipe water straight from the tanks into the house piping, but so far I haven't found one.
farmer2009
Elite Member
Do you know what was in the tank previously? If it's ever had any chemical in it use household ammonia to neutralize it. Then a good industial soap to clean. Then bleach it. Those poly tanks are known for absorbing things.
Gem99ultra
Elite Member
Yes, it was a food preservative similar to Sodium Benzoate. Original owner was a chicken processing plant.
