Underground tank ideas

Hi There,

I would like to install an underground rainwater storage tank(s) in my little homestead on the western coast of Turkey. I would like bury the tank(s) for aesthetical reasons. I made some research and found that some tanks are built for underground use and some are not. The primary difference seems to be the strength of the build and the materials so that an underground tank does not collapse under earth pressure. However, the so called underground tanks are about 4 times more expensive than surface ones.

My question is that would there be a safe way to use these surface barrels for underground storage. Perhaps building a concrete base and walls may help. Or perhaps I can use relatively smaller tanks and do not bury them very deep. Maybe the tank shape may make a difference. In any case, if you have any ideas (hopefully tested) ideas please share them so help this poor soul.

A lot of people seem to use earth bags or ferrocement to make underground tanks.  Both ways are much cheaper than buying a tank.  Not sure if that will work for your situation.

Here is one option. An underground tank ,built in Arizona, USA.  

Underground tanks can have the sides pushed in by the earth when the tank is empty or partially filled.
Soil pressure is damaging.
Many cisterns were built over the centuries right throughout theMiddleEast, so there will be details of them locally.
Essentially you need to use bricks to create a cylinder in the ground, and cap it off with a domed roof.
Flat roofs have the same collapsing problems, but if its at ground level, it will be better.

Echoing what John says.

Does where you live in Turkey freeze ever? If you're going to bury the tank, you'll need to consider the frost line too.

long ago I was fortunate enough to tour part of the Middle East/near east and did some exploring on my own. I was fascinated by some of the ancient underground cisterns that were lined with what looked to me like almost mosaic tiles very functional large water storage made with natural materials probably 1000-3000 years ago.

Dear All,

Thanks very much for these great ideas. The location where I want to install the tank is near the Aegean coast of Turkey and it hardly ever freezes. After seeing all these ideas and considering the cost, labor, and the visuals I think a partially buried tank is the easiest option for me. I've looked around and it looks like you can safely bury a surface tank up to 1m into the soil. This way if the tank is 2.5m tall, I will only see its top 1.5m. This may be acceptable given that it is the easiest solution. As long as the top of the tank is below the roof's water collection pipes and the pipes are snugly fit, the water should flow into the tank.