How often should a water tank be cleaned in Dubai?

Every building in Dubai stores its water before it reaches a tap. That storage is where water quality is won or lost, and it is the part of the system nobody looks at until something is wrong.

The short answer

Twice a year, six months apart. That is the interval Dubai Municipality works to for residential and commercial tanks, and it is the interval we schedule unless a building has a reason to need more.

Why twice a year

Three things happen inside a tank between cleans.

• Sediment settles. Fine particles carried in the supply drop out of suspension and build a layer on the floor of the tank.
• Biofilm forms. A thin layer grows on the walls, particularly above the waterline where warmth and air meet.
• Seals and covers degrade. A lid that no longer sits flush lets in dust, insects and light, and light is what lets algae start.

None of these are visible from a tap. Water can look and taste normal while the tank it came from needs attention.

What a proper clean involves

If a visit does not include draining the tank, it is not a tank clean.

A full clean is not a rinse. Ours runs:

1. Drain the tank completely and isolate the supply.
2. Remove sediment by hand and by vacuum.
3. Scrub every internal surface, walls and floor and the underside of the lid.
4. Disinfect with an approved solution at the correct contact time.
5. Rinse, refill, and check the covers, seals and overflow before we leave.

Signs you should not wait

Call sooner than six months if you notice a change in taste or smell, visible particles in the water, or staining in sinks and baths that was not there before. In a building with a lot of turnover, or one where the tank sits in full sun, the interval is often shorter.

Types of tank

We clean every tank type used in Dubai: GRP, RCC, polyethylene, stainless steel and HDPE. The method changes with the material - a stainless tank takes a different disinfectant contact time to a GRP one - but the sequence above is the same.