Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-05
WATER TANK WITH HEATER
An Easily Constructed Concrete Tank Which Elm
mates the Necessity of Stock Drinking Ice Water.

line from that to the upper corner,
cutting along this line.
This makes the ends in level or
wedge shape 2 feet 10 inches wide at
the top and 2 feet inches wide at the
bottom. These are nailed inside the
two sides, and if you have used 1-inch
lumber you have the correct width, 8
feet wide at top and feet 6 inches at
the bottom.
This will not require a bottom, but
nail two strips of 4-foot length across
the top so as to rest on the two sides
Of the outside part of mold. This will
support the inside or core in its proper
place in the center.
In constructing the tank lay a
foundation of small stone covered with
concrete grout. This should be from 4
inches to inches, depending on the
soil. Then set your mold upon this,
leaving out the core form at first, but
having the f1rebox form in place.
Now fill this with concrete, tamped in
we'll to depth Of inches. Then put
your fiue in place; this can be COM
mon 6-inch stovepipe and extend to
the end of tank and then UP to the end
of chimney, as shown in sectional view.
After you have this in place cover
with concrete to the top of same or
more, about Z inches thick; then upon
this lay your re-enforcing rods These
| are not absolutely necessary. but as
they make the permanency of the work
a positive fact it is advisable to use
them. These rods can be quarter-incf
iron rods and are laid two to the foot
each way, as shown in sectional illus
| tration.
After re-enforcing rods are in place
| fill with concrete until your depth of
bottom is exactly twelve inches from
the foundation. This gives the bottom
above firebox a thickness of four
inches which is ample, and for usual
purposes three inches would do.
| Place the inside form or core in posi-
ton and fill to the top with concrete
and allow to stand in the forms until
it begins to harden.
Then carefully remove the forms so
as not to iniure the work and paint the
inside or walls Of tank with mixture
of water and cement of the consistency
of thick cream.
Put this on just like paint and one or
two good coats This will bond with
the concrete and give smooth finish
to the walls, and is an aid to making
the concrete more waterproof.
4 II it is desired to make the tank alb
l,solutely impervious to the water it con-
tains you can use the wax system. This
is done in the easiest manner by dis
solving the paraff1n wax in gasoline.
For one tank single cake in quart
1 of gasoline is enough Shave the wax
up fine and it will dissolve quickly
/. Paint this on the inside walls of the
tank after you have applied the cement
and water. Do not apply until the
concrete is thoroughly dry, and as the
gasoline evaporates, leaving the paraf-
fin impregnated in the wall, you have
an absolute protection against the wa
ter soaking into the concrete.
II applied in the above proportions
and then allowed to dry before the tank
4 is used there will be no effect of either
the gasoline or wax in the water.
i The best mixture for the walls of the
4 tank is mixture of one part Portland
i cement to two parts of sand and three
parts of small gravel, Averaging about
4 one-half inch in size. This is best used
very wet and "puddled" or poured in
like wet mud, as then the excessive
moisture in the concrete will aid In
COMPRISING the concrete or increasing
the density. Again, it will shrink when
i dry from wo-sixteenths to one fourtl
! of an inch and thus enable the forms K
to be taken away easier. For the bot
! tom, i. e., UP to the floor level. you can
use leaner mixture of about 1, Q, 4
This will do very well for that part of
the tank and be fully strong enough for
the work.