Getting water out of a cistern

A cistern (Middle English cisterne, from Latin cisterna, from cista, box, from Greek kistê, basket) is a receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Often cisterns are built to catch and store rainwater. They range in capacity from a few litres to thousands of cubic metres (effectively covered reservoirs). Middle English is the name given by historical linguistics to the diverse forms of the English language spoken between the Norman invasion of 1066 and the mid-to-late 15th century, when the Chancery Standard, a form of London-based English, began to become widespread, a process aided by the... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... Gelmersee is a reservoir in Switzerland. ...

Creating and using cisterns

Cisterns are built by digging a hole in the ground to form a tank, with a single opening in the top to allow access. The walls of a cistern must be watertight in order to retain moisture. In the early 1900s cisterns were often made with a cement floor and dirt walls that had been coated in plaster. Modern-day cisterns may also be made from above-ground tanks, made of plastic. Cisterns usually have a lid covering their openings to prevent dirt, animals, insects, and other things from getting into the water.

Cisterns are commonly used in areas where water is scarce, either because it is rare or because it has been depleted due to heavy use. Early on the water was used for many purposes, including cooking, irrigation, and washing. Present day cisterns are often only used for irrigation, due to concerns over water quality. Cisterns today can also be outfitted with filters or other purification methods when the water is meant for consumption. A few people leave their cisterns open to catch rain, or have more elaborate rain-catching systems. It is recommended in these cases to have a system that does not leave the water open to mosquitoes, which are attracted to the water and then carry disease to nearby humans. High-altitude aerial view of irrigation in the Heart of the Sahara ( ) Irrigation is the replacement or supplementation of rainfall with water from another source in order to grow crops or plants. ...

Some cisterns sit on the top of houses or on the ground higher than the house, and supply the running water needs for the house. They are often supplied not by rainwater harvesting, but by wells with electric pumps, or are filled by manual labor or by truck delivery. Very common throughout Brazil, for instance, they were traditionally made of cement walls (much like the houses, themselves), with a similar cement top (about 5 cm. thick), with a piece that can come out for water filling and be re-inserted to keep out debris and insects. Modern cisterns are manufactured of plastic (in Brazil with a characteristic bright blue color, round, in capacities of about 10k and 50k liters). These cisterns differ from water tanks in the sense that they are not completely enclosed and sealed with one form, and rather they have a lid made of the same material as the cistern, which is removable by the user. Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or a surface catchment for future productive use. ... An old-fashioned water tank near Twentynine Palms, California Water tanks are used to store water, usually for human consumption. ...

To keep a clean water supply, the cisterns must be kept clean. It is recommended to inspect them regularly, keep them well-enclosed, and to occasionally empty them and clean them with an appropriate dilution of chlorine and to rinse them well. Well water must be inspected for contaminants coming from the ground source. City water has up to 1ppm (parts per million) chlorine added to the water to keep it clean, and in many areas can be ordered to be delivered directly to the cistern by truck (a typical price in Brazil is BRL$50, USD$20 for 10k liters). If there is any question about the water supply at any point (source to tap), then the cistern water should not be used for drinking or cooking. If it is of acceptable quality and consistency, then it can be used for (1) toilets, and housecleaning; (2) showers and handwashing; (3) washing dishes, with appropriate sanitation methods, and for the highest quality, (4) cooking and drinking. If it is free of particulates but not low enough in bacteria, then boiling may also be an effective means to prepare the water for drinking.

Many greenhouses use cisterns to help meet their water needs, especially in the USA. Some countries, such as Bermuda and the U.S. Virgin Islands, have laws that require rainwater harvesting systems to be built alongside any new construction, and cisterns can be used in these cases. Other countries, such as Japan and Germany, also offer financial incentives or tax credit for installing cisterns.

The toilet

The modern water closet or toilet utilises a cistern to reserve and hold the correct amount of water required to flush the toilet bowl. In early times the cistern was located below the ceiling and connected to the toilet bowl by means of a long pipe. It was necessary to pull a chain connected to a release valve located inside the cistern in order to flush the toilet. Today modern toilets may be referred to as close coupled units because the pipe connecting the cistern and the toilet bowl has been completely eliminated. So has the chain. Concealed cistern toilets, where the cistern is built into the wall behind the toilet, are also available. Flush toilet A flush toilet or water closet is a toilet that disposes of the waste products by using water to sweep them away down a drainpipe. ... Toilet found in a Boeing 747 aircraft A toilet is a plumbing fixture and a disposal system primarily intended for the disposal of the bodily wastes; urine, fecal matter, vomit and menses. ...

More history of the word

The word "cistern" is the translation of the Hebrew word bor, a receptacle for water that has been brought to it. This is distinguished from beer, which denotes a place where water rises on the spot, like a fountain. (Jer. 2:13; Prov. 5:15; Isa. 36:16) Hebrew redirects here. ... The Book of Jeremiah, or Jeremiah (יִרְמְיָהוּ Yirmiyahu in Hebrew), is a book that is part of the Hebrew Bible, Judaisms Tanakh, and later became a part of Christianitys Old Testament. ... The Book of Proverbs is a book of the Tanach/Old Testament. ... // Overview of Contents Isaiah (Hebrew ישׁעיהו Yeshayahu or Yəša‘ăyāhû) is a book of the Jewish Hebrew Bible as well as the Christian Old Testament, containing prophecies attributed to Isaiah. ...

Cisterns are frequently mentioned in Scripture. The scarcity of springs in Palestine made it necessary to collect rain-water in reservoirs and cisterns (Num. 21:22). Empty cisterns were sometimes used as prisons (Jer. 38:6; Lam. 3:53; Ps. 40:2; 69:15). The "pit" into which Joseph was cast (Gen. 37:24) was a beer or dry well. There are numerous remains of ancient cisterns in all parts of Palestine. Map of the British Mandate of Palestine. ... The Book of Numbers is the fourth of the books of the Pentateuch, called in the Hebrew ba-midbar במדבר, i. ... Psalms (Tehilim תהילים, in Hebrew) is a book of the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh, and of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. ... Genesis (Greek: Γένεσις, having the meanings of birth, creation, cause, beginning, source and origin) is the first book of the Torah (five books of Moses) and hence the first book of the Tanakh, part of the Hebrew Bible; it is also the first book of the Christian Old Testament. ...

Famous cisterns

• Basilica Cistern in Istanbul, Turkey
• Cistern in Silves, Portugal
• Cistern in El Jadida, Morocco

Yerebatan Sarayi, the Underground Cistern The Basilica Cistern, also called the Yerebatan Sarayı or Yerebatan Sarnıcı, is the largest of several hundred ancient cisterns that still lie beneath the city of Istanbul, former Constantinople, Turkey, at , . This cathedral-sized cistern is an underground chamber of 143 by 65 metres... Istanbul (Turkish: , Greek: , see other names) is Turkeys most populous city, and its cultural, and economic centre. ... Image:Silves. ... El Jadida (الجديدة) is a port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, in the province of El Jadida. ...

See also

• Rainwater harvesting
• Rainwater tank
• Rain barrel
• Water tank
• Ab Anbar

Rainwater harvesting is the collection and storage of rain from roofs or a surface catchment for future productive use. ... Some of the rainwater tanks around CERES Community Environment Park. ... A Rain Barrel is a container (usually plastic 55-gallon food grade barrels) used to catch rain water to be used during times of drought or to reduce water consumption from city water supplies. ... An old-fashioned water tank near Twentynine Palms, California Water tanks are used to store water, usually for human consumption. ... An ab anbar with double domes and windcatchers in the central desert city of Naeen, near Yazd. ...

External links

• The Homestead Cistern, instructions on building a cistern.
• Difference between rain barrels and harvesting systems
• Build Your Own Rain Barrel
• Rain Barrels made from Recycled Plastic