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More Information

Photograph of an abandoned cistern Cisterns for Drinking Water Water
InspectAPedia®  -    

  • Cisterns for Drinking Water Water, problems, maintenance, advice
  • Indoor attic and basement or crawl space cisterns
  • Outdoor cisterns as a source of drinking water
  • Acceptability of cisterns for drinking water if HUD financing

This article describes the use of cisterns as a drinking water supply source including rooftop cisterns, attic cisterns, ground-level and below-ground-level water storage cisterns. We also discuss the acceptability of cistern water supply for HUD financed properties.

InspectAPedia offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at InspectAPedia.com/Contact.htm.

Readers of this document should also see Water Tank Types and before assuming that a water problem is due to the well itself, see Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost. Also see PLASTIC CONTAINERS, TANKS, TYPES and see WATER TANK SAFETY. Our page to photo shows an agricultural cistern located in central Mexico. This cistern was fed by a pump delivering water from a nearby drilled well that in turn had been sunk in the bottom of an older hand-dug well. Traditionally and still in some parts of the world people direct roof runoff from the rainy season into a cistern where it is stored for use during dry periods.

© Copyright 2012 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use page top links to major topics or use links at the left of each page to navigate within topics and documents at this website. Green links show where you are in a document series or at this website.

Cisterns and How to use them for Drinking Water Storage

Basement water cistern photograph (C) Daniel FriedmanA cistern is basically a water reservoir of any kind which is used to accumulate and store water for future use. Cisterns are usually constructed close to the building which will use their water, sometimes even inside it.

Water from a cistern is typically pumped out by hand, drained by gravity, or it may be pumped by an electric pump such as a one line jet pump.

Interestingly the owner broke through into the cistern from the basement and drilled a modern steel casing well right in the bottom of the cistern - some of the new equipment is also visible.

Cisterns to store water for drinking or agricultural purposes are widely used in dry areas where rainwater runoff may be stored for future use.

However all water storage cisterns that are to be used for drinking or potable water supplies are at risk of contamination either from external sources or from bacterial growth during the water storage interval.

Cisterns may be located inside or outside of a building, and may be above ground or below ground level. Our photograph of a concrete cistern (above left) was taken in the basement of a 1920's home in New York state.

And of course a water pump (WATER PUMPS, TANKS, WELLS - BASICS) and probably a water pressure tank (WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR) will be needed for ground-level or below-ground-level water storage cisterns.

Attic Cisterns & Water Pressure Tanks

Photograph of an attic expansion tank for a heating boiler

Cisterns in attics are an open-type water storage reservoir or a water pressure boosting system similar in function to rooftop cisterns and water storage tanks.

A cistern was generally placed where it could be fed by gravity from roof or surface runoff, but any indoor open topped reservoir of water could be called a cistern.

Attic Cisterns or water tanks are installed in some buildings to perform the same function as rooftop-mounted water tanks. Other smaller attic containers that look like a water reservoir may have been just an expansion tank for the heating boiler system.

Basement & Indoor Cisterns in Older Homes

The basement cistern shown below is located below a pre-1900 home in New York. Later owners broke open a passage into the basement cistern and now use it for storage. This cistern was originally filled by downspouts directing roof runoff into the basement.

Photograph of an open cistern at an old property. Photograph of an open cistern at an old property.
Photograph of an abandoned cistern

 

In the U.S. cisterns were often located in the basement of a (pre-1900) home.

The cistern at left was built abutting the home foundation wall, probably filled by roof drainage and downspouts, and was later abandoned. The building owners later drilled a well in the floor of what had been a cistern and broke through the foundation wall to give ready access to the rest of the home's basement.

 


Cistern overflow drain (C) Daniel Friedman

Finding Abandoned Cisterns

Cisterns inside older buildings can be tricky to spot - the cistern may have been partly demolished, such as in photos shown above, or the cistern may be a walled structure whose top is just below the joists of the building's first floor, as we see in the photos just below.

A tip that led to our discovery of this cistern was an unexplained drainpipe protruding to outside through a building wall. We traced the drain to a nearly-hidden basement cistern where it handled cistern overflow.

Watch out: an abandoned cistern, like any abandoned tank or excavation at a property, may be unsafe or a child hazard.

In a seasonally damp climate such as New York, an in-use basement cistern would certainly be a likely source of unwanted building moisture

Open Water Tanks Indoors Form Mini-Cisterns for Spring-Fed Water Supplies

An open indoor water tank (photos below) can also function as an intermediate limited-quantity water storage tank or in effect a "mini cistern" that stores local water for a building fed by gravity from an up-hill spring or artesian well.

Photograph of an open top gravity type storage type steel water tank Photograph of a storage open top gravity type steel water tank

At some locations there is an up-hill or rooftop water source which is fed into the building entirely by gravity. The open top water tank in these photos used a simple float valve to let water into this storage tank. Where such intermediate storage tanks, perhaps fed by an uphill spring, were located in the upper floors of a building they fed water to building piping where it could flow by gravity when a water tap was opened.

Our photographs show that this indoor water tank has rusted-through and is no longer functional, but the float assembly (photo above-right) makes clear how the tank worked.

Free-standing Water Tanks Function as Large Cisterns at or Close to Ground Level

Here we show two types of freestanding above-ground water storage tanks, at the Taboada Hot Springs (Guanajuato, Mexico, photo at left), and in Dutchess County, NY (photo below right).

Water tank in Mexico (C) Daniel Friedman Water tank in Dutchess County NY (C) Daniel Friedman

Rainwater Storage Tanks & Cisterns

Outdoor Cisterns, are often located in the basement or courtyard of buildings where they collect rainwater for future use. In arid areas such as the U.S. Southwest and parts of Mexico, very large cisterns are often placed in a courtyard where they collect rainwater for use during the dry season.

We prefer the ground-level water storage cistern shown below to the more traditional below-ground cisterns because the above-ground or on-ground rainwater tank can at least avoid contamination from surface water runoff that otherwise can enter a below-ground cistern.

Rainwater holding tank for a passive solar home (C) Daniel Friedman

In a seasonally damp climate such as New York, an in-use basement cistern would certainly be a likely source of unwanted building moisture and would thus be a risk for problematic mold growth.

In arid areas such as the U.S. Southwest and parts of Mexico, very large cisterns are often placed in a courtyard where they collect rainwater for use during the dry season.

The above-ground water cistern storage tank shown in our photo (left) is located in Mexico and is discussed at PASSIVE SOLAR HOME, LOW COST.

Rainwater for this cistern is collected from a near-flat rooftop and channeled to a large fiberglass holding tank - the blue tank in our photograph, (above left). Piping also permits directing water into this tank from a well-fed cistern located atop the concrete block tower).

The tower's height provides water pressure to the building. Currently water is taken out of the bottom of this tank by a simple tank drain valve and hose attachment; to supply this water upwards to the building plumbing fixtures or perhaps to the cistern, a small electric pump will be installed.

We discuss water pressure booster pump and tank systems in detail at PUMP, WATER PRESSURE BOOSTING

Advice for using Cisterns for Water Supply

  • Safety: be sure the cistern is of sound construction and that it is safely covered or protected from someone falling into the cistern or from a child climbing into it. Also see details at WATER TANK SAFETY.

  • Direct roof runoff, not surface runoff, into the cistern. Some clever roof runoff management systems direct the first roof runoff onto the ground, permitting dust and debris from the roof surface to be disposed-of before the remaining roof runoff is directed into the cistern for water storage. Other water sources may be used to supply cisterns, including even local or municipal water supplies. In this case the cistern is being used as a backup or off-peak water supply source.

  • Do not assume that water stored in a cistern is potable prior to filtering and treatment. The water should be tested for contaminants before used for drinking; it's fine to use cistern water for watering plants or lawns if that water usage is suitable and permitted by other conditions.

  • Do not install an open, un-covered cistern in a building where moisture from the cistern could cause a mold or rot problem.

  • Plastic Water Storage Tank Health & Safety: some water storage tanks are made of plastic polyethylene terephthalate aka PET.  PET plastic water tanks may be a health risk to consumers: Commentary published in Environmental Health Perspectives in April 2010 suggested that PET might yield endocrine disruptors under conditions of common use and recommended research on this topic.

    Proposed mechanisms include leaching of phthalates as well as leaching of antimony.[14] Other authors have published evidence indicating that it is quite unlikely that PET yields endocrine disruptors.[15] - Web search 6/27/2010 Wikipedia.
    We discuss how to identify the type of plastic used in a water tank and the health and safety of different types of plastic tanks in detail at
    • WATER TANK SAFETY
        Water Pump Safety
        Water Tank Relief Valve
        Water Storage Tank Health & Safety
        Types of Plastic Water Tanks
        How to ID Type of Plastic Water Tank
        Water Storage Tank Safety Checklists


  • Provide access to the cistern for inspection and cleaning
  • Pumps for cisterns: if you intend to rely on an electrical pump to move water from the cistern to its point of use during bad weather and possible power outage your pump will need a backup source of electricity. See PUMP, WATER PRESSURE BOOSTING
  • Springs as Water Supply what are they, can they be sanitary and safe?
Attic cistern

 

Attic Cisterns or water tanks are installed in some buildings to perform the same function as rooftop-mounted water tanks. This little attic reservoir found in the Justin Morrill historic home.


Attic expansion tank

Attic expansion tanks and pressure relief systems Don't confuse an old heating system attic-mounted expansion tank for a water tank however. These are not potable water storage systems.

The heating system expansion tank will be connected to the heating system radiators or basement boiler and may have a simple overflow pipe to permit excessive water (or system pressure) to spill outside.

Heating systems with this equipment installed may not have a modern pressure and temperature relief valve.

Attic expansion tank systems used on heating boilers are potentially less safe than installing a relief valve right on the boiler, since the attic-located pressure relief system is located so remote from the heating boiler.

Is a Cistern an Acceptable Water Supply for HUD Financing?

Cistern (C) Daniel Friedman Drilled well in dug well (C) Daniel Friedman

Cisterns and HUD financing: HUD Handbook 4150.2 Section 3-6 indicates that properties served by cisterns are not acceptable for mortgage insurance. However, the HOCs have the authority to consider waivers in areas where cisterns are typical.

Our photo (above left) shows a hybrid system: this outdoor cistern is filled by pumping from an open casing in a drilled well that was inserted in the bottom of a dug well that went "dry" (photo, above right).

As will be apparent to readers, both the open top of this cistern and the open casing in the bottom of the dug well are sources of water contamination.

See WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES for more information about cisterns, well and water source clearances from potential pollutant sources, and possible exceptions that can permit use of cisterns for drinking water supply.

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  • InspectAPedia.com® - Daniel Friedman - Publisher & Editor.
  • Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest corrections or additions to articles at this website, and if you wish, to receive online listing and credit as a contributor. Particular thanks are due to the many experts and also consumers who read and critique technical articles at InspectAPedia.com.

Use links just below or at the left of each of the pages at our website to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

PLUMBING SYSTEM INSPECT DIAGNOSE REPAIR

APPLIANCE EFFICIENCY RATINGS
CISTERNS
  Attic Cisterns & Tanks
  Basement & Indoor Cisterns
  Open Water Tanks Indoors
  Rooftop Water Tanks
  Ground Level Water Tanks
  Rainwater Storage Tanks & Cisterns
  Advice for using Cisterns
  Is a Cistern HUD Approved?
OIL TANKS
PLASTIC CONTAINERS, TANKS, TYPES
PLUMBING SYSTEM ODORS
PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH ADJUSTMENT

WATER ODORS, CAUSE CURE

WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
WATER PRESSURE REDUCER / REGULATOR
WATER PRESSURE REPAIRS & COSTS
WATER PRESSURE LOSS DIAGNOSIS & REPAIR

WATER PRESSURE & FLOW MEASUREMENT
WATER PUMPS, TANKS, WELLS - BASICS
WATER PUMP CONTROLS & SWITCHES
WATER PUMP PROBLEM DIAGNOSTIC TABLE

WATER PUMP REPAIR GUIDE
  AIR DISCHARGE at FAUCETS, FIXTURES
  CONTROLS & SWITCHES
  INTERMITTENT CYCLING WATER PUMPS
  WATER PRESSURE BOOSTER PUMP
  PUMP & TANK REPAIRS & COSTS
  SHORT CYCLING WATER PUMP
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSES
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSE: WELL PIPE LEAKS
  SHORT CYCLING DIAGNOSIS TABLE
  WATER PUMP ELECTRICAL SWITCHES
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE BOOSTER
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL ADJUSTMENT
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPAIR
  WATER PUMP PRESSURE CONTROL REPLACE
  WATER PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE
  WATER PUMP RELAY SWITCH
  WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING
  Water Tank & Pump Costs
  WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
  WATER TANK PRESSURE GAUGE
WATER PUMP SAFETY
WATER PUMP SHORT CYCLING
WATER PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY
WATER PUMP SAFETY
WATER PUMP WONT STOP RUNNING
WATER SHUTOFF VALVE LOCATION, USE
WATER SHUTOFF VALVE, WELL PUMP

WATER SOFTENERS & CONDITIONERS
WATER SOURCE ALTERNATIVES
WATER SUPPLY & DRAIN PIPING
WATER TANK TYPES: WATER, OIL, EXPANSION, ALL
WATER TANK LIFE EXPECTANCY

WATER TANK PRESSURE CALCULATIONS
WATER TANK PRESSURE GAUGE
WATER TANK PRESSURE GAUGE ACCURACY
WATER TANK PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE
WATER TANK REPAIRS
  CONTROLS & SWITCHES on WATER TANKS
  INTERMITTENT CYCLING WATER PUMPS
  SHORT CYCLING WATER PUMP
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSES
  SHORT CYCLING CAUSE: WELL PIPE LEAKS
  SHORT CYCLING DIAGNOSIS TABLE
  WATER TANK AIR, HOW TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR VOLUME CONTROLS
  WATER TANK AIR ADD AT AIR VALVE
  WATER TANK AIR ADD BY DRAINING
  WATER TANK AIR HOW MUCH TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR HOW OFTEN TO ADD
  WATER TANK AIR INLET VALVE
  WATER TANK AIR LOSS SIGNS
  WATER TANK AIR VALVE REPAIRS
  WATER TANK AIR VOLUME CONTROLS
  WATER TANK BLADDERS & CAPTIVE AIR
  WATER TANK BLADDER PRESSURE ADJUSTMENT
WATER TANK DRAIN VALVE
WATER TANK REPLACEMENT
WATER TANK SAFETY
WATER TANK SIZE & VOLUME
WATER TESTING
WATER TREATMENT EQUIPMENT CHOICES

WELLS CISTERNS & SPRINGS
  Basement Wells
  CISTERNS
  DEPTH of a WELL, HOW TO MEASURE
  Drilled Wells - steel casings
    Drilled Well with Submersible Pump
    Shallow Well with One Line Jet Pump
    OLD WELL - RETURN TO SERVICE
    Well with Two Line Jet Pump
  Driven Point Wells
  How Much Water is In the Well?
  How to Test Well Water Quantity
  How to Get More Water From a Well
  Hand Dug Wells
  Springs as Water Supply
  Wash Wells
  Well Pits
  WATER HAMMER NOISE DIAGNOSE & CURE
  WATER PRESSURE LOSS
  WATER PUMP SAFETY
  WATER TANK SAFETY
  WATER TANK TYPES
  WELL CHLORINATION SHOCKING PROCEDURE
  WELL CLEARANCE DISTANCES
  WELL DEPTH, HOW TO MEASURE
  WELL FLOW RATE
  WELL LIFE EXPECTANCY
  WELL PIPING CHECK VALVES
  WELL PIPING FOOT VALVES
  WELL PIPING LEAK DIAGNOSIS
  WELL PIPING TAIL PIECE
  WELL PUMP TYPES & LIFE EXPECTANCY
  WELL PUMP PRIMING PROCEDURE

Water Supply & Drain Piping, Wells, Pumps, Water Supply Equipment

  • Access Water Energy, PO Box 2061, Moorabbin, VIC 3189, Australia, Tel: 1300 797 758, email: sales@accesswater.com.au Moorabbin Office: Kingston Trade Centre, 100 Cochranes Rd, Moorabbin, VIC 3189
    Australian supplier of: Greywater systems, Solar power to grid packages, Edwards solar systems, Vulcan compact solar systems, water & solar system pumps & controls, and a wide rage of above ground & under ground water storage tanks: concrete, steel, plastic, modular, and bladder storage tanks.
  • Cheating on water tests: Testing Water for Real Estate Transactions - make sure your water test is valid
  • Diagnosing Clogged Drains: Is it a blocked drain or the septic system? - A First Step for Homeowners
  • Drinking Water Contaminant Levels - Maximum Allowed
  • Drinking Water Supply, Contamination Levels, Water Testing Procedures
  • Drinking Water Testing Advice for home buyers home owners home inspectors
  • Interpreting Drinking Water Test Results and Correcting Unsatisfactory Water
  • Lead Contamination in Drinking Water: Testing & Correction - Advice (This Article)
  • Lead Testing & Correcting Contamination from Lead Water Supply Lines/Entry Mains - Lead Pipe Problems/Advice
  • Life Expectancy of Water Pumps - Well Pumps: how long should a water pump last? What affects pump life?
  • Life Expectancy of Wells & Water Tanks how long should a water well and its components last?
  • Plumbing Diagnosis & Repair: Water supply, drainage, septic systems, water testing, water contamination, defective plumbing materials & products.
  • Shock or Chlorinate a Well, How to - Procedure for Shocking a Well to (temporarily or maybe longer) "Correct" Bacterial Contamination
  • Smart Tank, Installation Instructions, Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf
  • Typical Shallow Well One Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
  • Typical Deep Well Two Line Jet Pump Installation, Grove Electric, G&G Electric & Plumbing, 1900 NE 78th St., Suite 101, Vancouver WA 98665 www.grovelectric.com - web search -7/15/2010 original source: http://www.groverelectric.com/howto/38_Typical%20Jet%20Pump%20Installation.pdf
  • Water Fact Sheet #3, Using Low-Yielding Wells, Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, Cooperative Extension, School of Forest Resources, web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://pubs.cas.psu.edu/FreePubs/pdfs/XH0002.pdf
  • Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
  • Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost
  • Water pressure tank failures & water pump short cycling diagnosis and repair
  • Water Supply & Drain Piping, water and drain pipe types, inspection, diagnosis, repairs, problem materials, clogging, etc.
  • Water Tests & Fees this water test fee schedule applies when testing is combined with other onsite building inspection services
  • Water Testing: background comments on classes of water contaminants, & links to home buyer advice about water testing, drinking water, water supply
  • Water Requirements, Home & Outdoor Living

Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair

  • Our recommended books about building & mechanical systems design, inspection, problem diagnosis, and repair, and about indoor environment and IAQ testing, diagnosis, and cleanup are at the InspectAPedia Bookstore. Also see our Book Reviews - InspectAPedia.
    • Home Reference Book - Carson Dunlop The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 2010, $69.00 U.S., is available from Carson Dunlop, and from the InspectAPedia bookstore. The 2010 edition of the Home Reference Book is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. InspectAPedia.com ® author/editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume.
  • Crystal Clear Supply provides portable ceramic water filter purifiers and portable reverse osmosis water treatment equipment - see http://www.crystalclearsupply.com/category_s/7.htm
  • Handbook of Disinfectants and Antiseptics, Joseph M. Ascenzi (Editor), CRC, 1995, ISBN-10: 0824795245 ISBN-13: 978-0824795245 "The evaluation of chemical germicides predates the golden age of microbiology..." -
    This well-focused, up-to-date reference details the current medical uses of antiseptics and disinfectants -- particularly in the control of hospital-acquired infections -- presenting methods for evaluating products to obtain regulatory approval and examining chemical, physical, and microbiological properties as well as the toxicology of the most widely used commercial chemicals.
  • Potable Aqua® emergency drinking water germicidal tablets are produced by the Wisconsin Pharmacal Co., Jackson WI 53037. 800-558-6614 pharmacalway.com
  • Principles and Practice of Disinfection, Preservation and Sterilization (Hardcover)
    by A. D. Russell (Editor), W. B. Hugo (Editor), G. A. J. Ayliffe (Editor), Blackwell Science, 2004. ISBN-10: 1405101997, ISBN-13: 978-1405101998.
    "This superb book is the best of its kind available and one that will undoubtedly be useful, if not essential, to workers in a variety of industries. Thirty-one distinguished specialists deal comprehensively with the subject matter indicated by the title ... The book is produced with care, is very readable with useful selected references at the end of each chapter and an excellent index. It is an essential source book for everyone interested in this field. For pharmacy undergraduates, it will complement the excellent text on pharmaceutical microbiology by two of the present editors."
    The Pharmaceutical Journal: "This is an excellent book. It deals comprehensively and authoritatively with its subject with contributions from 31 distinguished specialists. There is a great deal to interest all those involved in hospital infection ... This book is exceptionally well laid out. There are well chosen references for each chapter and an excellent index. It is highly recommended." The Journal of Hospital Infection.: "The editors and authors must be congratulated for this excellent treatise on nonantibiotic antimicrobial measures in hospitals and industry ... The publication is highly recommended to hospital and research personnel, especially to clinical microbiologists, infection-control and environmental-safety specialists, pharmacists, and dieticians."
    New England Journal of Medicine: City Hospital, Birmingham, UK. Covers the many methods of the elimination or prevention of microbial growth. Provides an historical overview, descriptions of the types of antimicrobial agents, factors affecting efficacy, evaluation methods, and types of resistance. Features sterilization methods, and more. Previous edition: c1999. DNLM: Sterilization--methods.
  • U.S. Army Field Manual 21-10, Field Hygiene and Sanitation, 1988, web search 07/02/2010, original source: http://www.enlisted.info/field-manuals/fm-21-10-field-hygiene-and-sanitation.shtml
    The purpose of this manual is to assist individual soldiers, unit commanders, leaders and field sanitation teams in preventing disease and environmental injuries. The manual provides information on preventive medicine measures (PMM) to the individual soldier as well as essential information for the unit commander, unit leaders, and the unit field sanitation team on applying unit level PMM.
  • When Technology Fails, Matthew Stein, Chelsea Green Publisher, 2008,493 pages. ISBN-10: 1933392452 ISBN-13: 978-1933392455, "... how to find and sterilize water in the face of utility failure, as well as practical information for dealing with water-quality issues even when the public tap water is still flowing". Mr. Stein's website is www.whentechfails.com/
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