The Stool Bus Returns

Way back in 2010 or '11 we had to pump out the tank of water and accumulated airborne debris before building work could progress.  That job was done most efficiently and cheerfully by Chris Armstrong and his pumping skills equipped on the prosaically named Stool Bus - more usually engaged in emptying more fundamental tanks.

For nearly ten years the rainwater that has fallen onto the tank and outbuildings has been harvested in a 1,000 gallon underground tank.  The water is used mainly for toilet flushing and over time the water had become discoloured - especially so recently with a tar based flat roof on the extension.  It was time for a thorough cleaning of the rainwater tank and today was the day.  Chris and his son William did the honours with The Stoolmaster and some seriously heavy duty power washing:

 The main tank was soon pumped dry (it was brimming full incidentally) and flushed so attention was paid to the pipework between the tower and the underground tank.  There we found the likely main cause of the discolouration in a sump at the base of the tower's main outlet which was absolutely full of black gunge - rotten leaves probably:

That is about two feet depth of gloop, through which every bit of harvested rainwater had to percolate, unsurprisingly discoloured!  this sump got the same treatment as the main tank but Chris decided to go back upstream further - into the massive cast iron pipe beneath the tower wall and up towards the main outlet valve.  The flushed water kept issuing forth as black as your hat before turning clean-ish.   To my knowledge this pipe had never been cleared, possibly ever.  Chris was sure he could feel something in the pipe.   Then there was a clatter and shards of pottery emerged plus some pieces of Mary-Rose-like black wood.  It soon became clear that the pottery were remnants of a broken telegraph insulator which must have been in the pipe for decades.

 These insulators are just about the size and profile of a hand-grenade.   Our supposition is that the open topped water tank was just too tempting a target for some railwayman of yesteryear.

Just need some rain now.