Cisterns for the storage of rain water have been used from the time immemorial and are constructed in a great variety of forms. For household use they are often made in the form of wooden or metal tanks, either elevated or placed in the basement; the greater number, however, are of the underground variety made of brick or concrete.

Fig. 135.

Fig. 136. - Chain pump often used in shallow wells.

Wooden cisterns are made by manufacturers in different sizes and shipped to the user "knocked down;" that is, they are taken apart and the staves, bottom and hoops are shipped, packed in small space to save space in transportation. Under some conditions they give good service but are apt to leak at times and require attention on that account. In damp basements they give out the disagreeable odor of damp wood.

Tanks made of galvanized iron are much used as cisterns for temporary use. They are inexpensive and give good service but are short-lived. Possibility of leakage is their greatest disadvantage. Underground cisterns are built either in the basement or outside the house. They are quite generally made jug-shaped, but are often constructed of concrete in square and rectangular form. When built of brick the walls are often made of a single course, but walls made of two courses of brick are considered better practice. The walls and floor are made watertight by plastering with an inch or more of cement mortar.

When cisterns are made of concrete, the floor should be put in 6 inches in depth and as soon after as possible the walls are put up. In good construction the walls are 8 inches in thickness of concrete, made of 1 part good Portland cement, 2 parts clean sand and 4 parts crushed stone. If the cistern is square or rectangular in form the walls should be reinforced with woven wire or steel rods, to prevent cracking.

The curb of the cistern should extend above the surface of the ground sufficiently to prevent surface water from entering, and the top should be covered with a wood-lined sheet-metal cover to prevent freezing.