Darco Incorporated products

FIRE CISTERNS are reliable year-round dedicated water sources for firefighting, often required when there is no central piped water supply in the area.

RAIN HARVESTING or RAIN CAPTURE is becoming increasingly popular for landscape irrigation due in part to recent improvements in drip irrigation technology and the increasing cost of treated potable water.  Darco manufactures underground fiberglass rainwater storage tanks suitable for this purpose.   One inch of rain on a 2000 square foot roof generates over 1000 gallons of free water.  Arid western states such as New Mexico and Arizona support and promote Rain Harvesting and Drip Irrigation which returns moisture to the soil at slow absorbable rates with minimal evaporative loss.

STORMWATER OR RAINWATER management is becoming a routine component in land development projects, particularly along riparian corridors where rainwater runoff surge and silt are degrading water quality and disturbing the natural ecology.  This surge water may be temporarily detained in a structure or tank for a short period of time or permanently retained in a shallow pond or underground structure until absorbed into the soil or evaporated.

Because all underground tank application are to some degree unique, we get calls from people who know they need a tank, but are unfamiliar with all the possible variables to be considered for their tank installation. To help, below is a list of questions we routinely ask our customers so they can better understand what they may need or want.

THERMAL ENERGY STORAGE – Darco underground fiberglass tanks are used for storing energy in the form of cold or hot water.  Cold water created by evaporative coolers or mechanical compressors may be efficiently stored in an uninsulated underground cistern due to the constant cool soil temperature 10 feet below grade.  Hot water is collected from solar panels or another heat source and stored in insulated fiberglass tanks either below or above ground.  Heat pump systems can use stored water to extract heating or cooling energy as needed depending on the seasonal daily temperatures.

POTABLE WATER is suitable for human consumption or use in the preparation of food. Darco manufactures N.S.F. compliant fiberglass underground water tanks for potable water service.  Such cisterns can serve individual homes, clustered homes, or an entire subdivision based on the storage capacity requirements.  As a rule, untreated potable well water holding tanks should be sized to store no more than a 30-day water supply to maintain freshness.

FIRE SPRINKLER RESERVOIRS are holding tanks used to provide fire protection water for a sprinkler system that demands more water than the domestic water supply line serving the building can deliver.

RECYCLED WATER use is a much-debated topic in the Public Health sector today. Generally, citizens are interested in reusing water and many homes are currently being fitted with gray water recycle storage tanks. Much of this is being done by individual homeowners without jurisdictional approval. They want to conserve laundry water, bath water, rainwater, etc. The problem is unanticipated contamination which can render the storage tank a health hazard and a festering, stinking mess. The reuse of household gray water can be dangerous if improperly collected or if potable water is cross contaminated, which is exactly why Public Health Officials are having a tough time dealing with what seems to be such a good idea to the general public.

SEWAGE HOLDING / WASTEWATER TREATMENT installations using Darco Underground Fiberglass Tanks must be engineered and approved for each specific application.  Since the smallest wastewater tank we manufacture is 10,000 gallons, our systems are normally too large for single family homes.

LANDSCAPE IRRIGATION AND KINETIC WATER FEATURES are systems incorporating lawn sprinklers, tree or shrub drip irrigation, as well as small backyard ponds, waterfalls, and wildlife drinkers.  Such elaborate systems often require a storage tank to make the system feasible and reliable during periods of below normal rainfall.  Rainwater collected from summer storms can be used later in the fall when household wells and local reservoirs are being strained.