The Water Tank

We have an old water reservoir on the land. All the tubes are functional, but it was in terrible disrepair. There were many large cracks and holes in the corners, along the walls, and on the floor. We decided to renovate it so that it we could feed the fauctes farther our on the land, as well as have a swimming pool in the summer.

Prep Work

There was a grape vine growing on the upslope side of the tank, which we decided to remove in order to make room for a deck. That required cutting into the terrace and rebuilding the rock wall, as well. As it turned out, having spent several summers working on the trail crew in Kings Canyon National Park many years ago enabled me to throw together a retainer wall quite quickly.

I used my trusty Makita in order to hammer out the large cracks. Then I went over the entire surface to make a grid onto which the new plaster could bind. After exposing everything, I first used a 1:1 mix of water:cement, which I painted onto the entire surface. I relied on the advice of an old stonemason, who told me this was what they used as a primer before the time of primers. Then I filled the large cracks with my plaster mix, which was a mix of sand, lime, cement (6:1:1 ratio) and water. After waiting for 48 hours, I did the plastering.

Plastering the inside

I wanted to do the final plastering in one go, so the plaster would be able to cure as one. As it turned out it took me 16 hours from start to finish. Some days are long…

The Deck

Now it was time to finish the retainer wall and build the deck. For the deck I used round eucalyptus wood and cut chestnut boards. I used our Alaskan Sawmill to cut the boards and installed them as is. Before use I roughly sanded and oiled the boards.

In the end I also installed a ladder. I used the budget option of a wood/plastic composite. I have no idea how long this will last, but actual pool ladders are ridiculously over-priced and this seems to work quite well.

I also finished the entire surface with a mix of lime:cement:water (1:1:1). This I painted on, much like whitewashing a wall. As opposed to whitewash, this mix also has cement. I’m hoping this will help seal micro-cracks, though I could find nothing to support this in my research. I intend to apply this mix once a year in order to retain a waterproof membrane. So far the tank has been holding the water well.