Even though most residents of Olongapo have water supplied by the Subic water district, we still need water tanks at our homes.

Commonly called "gravity tanks", they're really just water storage tanks. Sometimes they're raised to the point where gravity works to create pressure and sometimes they're not. In some places in the Philippines, pressurized water isn't available and they truly are used as gravity tanks.

Our Primary Water Supply

Our primary water supply comes from the Subic water district, based at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. The pressure fluctuates from a low pressure of about 25 PSI to a high pressure of about 45 PSI. The fluctuation is caused by the number of homes supported by the main water line, which appears to be a 1 inch pipe at our elevation.

When we have a power outage, we also have a water outage because the water district uses the same electricity source to power the water pumps. Even if the electricity is out for a mere 30 minutes, the water will be out for at least an hour. When it returns, the pressure gradually builds back up enough to be considered usable.

There have been occasions where we've had water outages for up to 8 hours when there wasn't any electrical outage, supposedly for maintenance. Just like the electrical services, we are usually not informed in advance. I recently found out that they broadcast the outages on the radio, but how many people listen to radios these days? The only time people actually listen to them, as far as I can tell, is when they're in a vehicle.

Water Tanks for Water Storage

This has been on my "to get" list for quite some time. Since I'm working with a strict budget, it will probably be a few more months before I actually buy a water tank and set it up. This will be a backup water supply requiring manual switching using either gate or ball valves.

While we have water available from the water district, the tank will be filled. When there's a water outage, we'll turn the valves so that the backup water tank can be used. I'm not sure what size water tank we'll end up getting, but a 500 gallon tank (or whatever the equivalent is in liters) is probably the best bet. We'll still be able to take showers and be able to do our laundry, clean our dishes, use our toilets, etc. The tank will be elevated, but only above the second floor plumbing. We have a third bathroom on the first floor and that should suffice during the outages anyway.

Due to the corrosiveness of the humidity and salt in the air, a water tank needs to be made of either plastic (like a bladder) or stainless steel. Most of what I've seen for sale is made of stainless steel, so that isn't a problem.

Our Failed Attempt

When we had our house built, the contractor insisted that we put in a pressure tank along with a water pump. During a water outage, nothing but air was pumped into the pressure tank. The tank was worthless for water storage due to its design, but we didn't know that at the time.

We left the pressure tank in place, with the water pump turned off, because the normal water pressure was more than sufficient. About a week ago, the bottom plug of the tank blew out due to being corroded. Even though the tank was stainless steel, the plug was not. I've since removed the tank and bypassed the plumbing connections it used.

I had nothing to do with buying or installing the pressure tank when the house was built. My wife didn't really know what was going on either. The contractor was a moron and has since gone out of business. It turns out that every home he was in charge of building had flaws that cost the owners more money than necessary. My home is no exception and I'll go into more detail about that as time progresses.

(Image source: Cropped and shrunken from Tanks a Lot, Philippines at PhilFAQS)

• Plumbing and Plumbing Supply Problems
• My Custom Kitchen — Cabinets, Cupboards, Counters and Electricity
• Building Our House in the Philippines
• A Dirty Kitchen and Laundry Room
• We're Replacing our Master Bathroom Bathtub with a Shower