Scientific Belief -- When we want to set up a water tank, why do we put it higher than our house?

Question

I want it to be answered as a Scientific Belief. Thank you! :) God bless.

Answer 1

So that manual power is not used again to fetch the water.

Answer 2

Gravity

Answer 3

downflow pressure is greater

Answer 4

You can either pump the water every time you need to use it or pump it up into the tank once and let it flow out every time you need to use it.

Answer 5

Gravitational potential in theory will allow it to flow unassisted.

Only bad scientists get "Scientific Belief"s, most call it a cognitive bias...

Answer 6

Good Question Cody! All those other people before me are right with their answers. I live in a small mid west town. My question is...... Why do all these small towns take their names after water towers? (ha ha)

Answer 7

A water tower is an incredibly simple device. Although water towers come in all shapes and sizes, they all do the same thing: A water tower is simply a large, elevated tank of water.  

Water towers are tall to provide pressure. Each foot of height provides 0.43 PSI (pounds per square Inch) of pressure. A typical municipal water supply runs at between 50 and 100 PSI (major appliances require at least 20 to 30 PSI). The water tower must be tall enough to supply that level of pressure to all of the houses and businesses in the area of the tower. So water towers are typically located on high ground, and they are tall enough to provide the necessary pressure. In hilly regions, a tower can sometimes be replaced by a simple tank located on the highest hill in the area

Answer 8

I don't know what you mean "be answered as a Scientific Belief". Hydrostatics is a well-known area of physics, and as others have answered, city water towers are used to provide a constant source of pressure to the municipal water supply so that flow is maintained throughout the system. The pressure of the water is equal to the density of water (ρ) multiplied by the acceleration of gravity (g) by the height of the water in the tower (h), or P = ρ g h, minus hydraulic losses in the piping. Please see the link for more information.

Answer 9

Because of gravity. The higher the tank, the pressure will be nicer and the flow of water would be nice.

Answer 10

So that the water in the tank has positive head on it.  The highth of the tank, say 5 meters, means that the water at ground level has 5 meters (.5 bar, or 50 KPA) of positive head (pressure), so gravity makes it flow.