September and how it started in a cistern

Looking at the outside and into the cistern from the top ( see my boots :))

I hope every one had a fun time this long weekend. I worked at home in between having a good time.

It all started on Thursday when the cistern pump was running so I turned it off and looked in the cistern and it was empty. The wife had just got a load of water only 2 weeks ago so we should not be out this soon. With it being so dry and no rain we have to have water trucked in. She was not too happy when she got the news. With all the water gone there must be a crack in it some place.

We tried to think back how long ago we cleaned it out and sealed it. Talking to my daughter she said the last time she remembers us doing it she was about 10 and she is 34 now. Wow, how times fly’s when we are having fun LOL. So it has been at least 20 years the last time it was done. It should be cleaned and sealed every 3 to 5 years.

Saturday morning the wife and my self went out there and cleaned all the slug that settled in the bottom over the years. There was about 3 to 4 inches of it and scooped out the rest of the water. It was a bucket at a time and a lot of buckets that went out of it.

For the ones that no clue what a cistern is. It is a holding tank that is in ground that holds water. This one is brick what has a coating of cement on the inside. That gets coated with white Portland cement to seal it. This one is round and a little over 6 foot across and 12 feet in the ground, with a 2 ft. X 2 ft. opening at the top to put a ladder in to get inside.

Sunday I was back in it cleaning, scraping, and scrubbing. Latter in the after noon I went to a BBQ to have some fun and be with good friends.

Monday I was hard at it once more cleaning out all the cracks so I could seal it. My youngest son come over to help and we worked until it was ready for sealing.
So Tuesday I called around to find a bag of white Portland cement. That is not as easy as one thinks. I made at least 20 calls and was about ready to give up when the last place I called told me they had it but could not sell retail L but he gave me a name of the place I could get it. I went and picked it up and headed back home to start working on coating the inside to seal it. It was about 12:30 when I started and finished up at 4:30. It was so hot that I had water in my boots when I took them off. So that sealed it all and I got 2 coats on the bad parts.

Today Wednesday I had to do a final coat on the bottom to make sure it was sealed. That did not take to long. It has to dry for a day or two then all I can do is pray for rain to fill it up. Then we will have water at the house once more.

Latex_ Robert