Hydraulic ram pumps and Sling Pumps

4. Installation of a corrugated iron tankWhen you order a corrugated galvanized iron tank, ask for the~measurements or find one fromwhich you can take the measurement. The height between the gutter outlet (where the downpipe isconnected) and the ground is your clear height. If the tank is 2.20 m high and you have 3.00 m clearheight, prepare to build a plinth about 0.5 m above ground. If you can make a higher plinth,remember the advantage in case you want to connect a hose to distribute the water on a vegetablefield. Pressure will be higher if the tank is elevated as high as possible.If the tank is supplied before you could build the plinth, make sure the tank is stored safely. Thelarger the tank, the more it is affected by storms. More than once, a tank not properly stored hasbeen blown away by storms and as a result badly damaged. The supplier only has to guarantee safetransport with loading and unloading. Check the tank for damage.The plinth can easily be built of cement blocks. If they are hollow blocks use them upside down andfill the chambers of every course with concrete. Remove the topsoil on an area of slightly largerdiameter than the tank and build a circular wall as high as needed (see Fig. 4.1). Place four steelanchors into the joint of the first or second course of the blockwork in such a way that they areopposite each other in pairs. This means one anchor at each quarter point of the circumference.They are used to fasten the tank with a steel rope. The space inside the circular wall should be filledwith soil or gravel and be well compacted. Waste material is usually not suitable since it is verydifficult to compact. Compaction should be done mechanically in layers not exceeding 300 mm, seeFig. 4.2. If possible the filled-up plinth should be compacted by water as well. Only after the filling isvery well compacted should a concrete layer not less than 50 mm be applied. The top of theconcrete must be flat, level and smooth.figure 4.1 figure 4.2It is common but not recommended to put the tank on top of the plinth. The problem is that after thetank is filled with water, occasionally depending on the difference in temperature between the waterand the concrete plinth, condensation water will develop between the bottom of the tank and theconcrete slab. This condensation water cannot evaporate easily because of the tied joint betweentank and slab. Over the years, this water will cause corrosion to the tank's bottom. This can beavoided if a layer of 20-mm timber boards is placed on top of the plinth (see Fig. 4.3), before thetank is fixed in position. The advantage of this is double. Firstly, the timber will hinder thedevelopment of condensation and therefore this will occur less often. Secondly, if condensation27