overlander matt
Member
- Messages
- 270
Just wondering if anyone has any experience of rainwater cisterns located under the floor of their house. It looks like we have one under the kitchen floor given the presence of an arched brick structure and a paving slab on top to provide access. The access point is still covered by a pile of rubble but I will find out more tomorrow...
I have no experience of wells/underground cisterns and wonder what the best course of action should be before it gets covered up again. There was previously a rainwater downpipe running back into the house that I now know feeds the cistern. This pipe won't be reconnected so there should not be any further rainwater to fill it up in future.
My guess is that it was originally located outside the main Georgian house but later, when the house was extended in Victorian times the cistern ended up inside and was buried under the floor. The house was further extended in late Victorian time with a second storey on top of the earlier extension which featured two remarkably large metal cisterns (2m x 1.5m each) in the loft. What these were used for remains uncertain.
I'll post an update when I open it up!
I have no experience of wells/underground cisterns and wonder what the best course of action should be before it gets covered up again. There was previously a rainwater downpipe running back into the house that I now know feeds the cistern. This pipe won't be reconnected so there should not be any further rainwater to fill it up in future.
My guess is that it was originally located outside the main Georgian house but later, when the house was extended in Victorian times the cistern ended up inside and was buried under the floor. The house was further extended in late Victorian time with a second storey on top of the earlier extension which featured two remarkably large metal cisterns (2m x 1.5m each) in the loft. What these were used for remains uncertain.
I'll post an update when I open it up!