The Tinaco - It's Importance in Daily Life

Válvulas - indeed

I've learned much in my life about residential living. The furnace filter, the cleaning of the eavestroughs, proper caulking techniques and so much more. I consider myself somewhat knowledgeable about how to live in a house. I have never been without water. Turning on the tap and having water pour out is a given. It's basic. Gravity, the waning and waxing of the moon, etc. Water is released at my request at the turning of a tap. Until yesterday.

Our new house was a short term rental for years before we bought it. We considered this a good thing - surely it will be well maintained to garner praise from the guests, ensuring continued income for the owner. That theory was correct with one proviso - we bought the house and the rental company, seeing no income and being jerks, pretty much did a down-tools and walk-away on the property.

The pool bomba & switches

The laundry room contains numerous switches, some labelled. Valves are on the outside wall, aptly marked piscina, tinaco and poza. Edgar the plumber shows up on his motorcycle, his assistant riding pillion. Edgar speaks less English than I do Spanish and has never been in this house yet navigates the logic required to fill the pool to its proper level. Via sign language, miming and telepathy Edgar transmits the necessary knowledge for me to appropriately set the switches and valves involved. The afternoon torrential downpour stops and Edgar bids me farewell and good luck - turn off the bomba and poza switches and close the poza valve.

After Google translate informs me that "pump" is translated in Spanish to bomba, Edgar's messages became clearer. There are no explosions or Richie Vallens tunes. Not wanting to appear overly stupid I nod with assurance that indeed, I understand the order of switch switching and valve closing.  "Okay, Edgar - I've got it".
Vanity.

It took over a day for our water to stop appearing when requested.

Tinaco bomba switch

My initial assumption was that the water bill had not been paid. Our realtor insisted it was paid in full for a full year from August. There was only one solution, call in Edgar.

The tinaco

Edgar quickly determined that the tinaco was empty. Huh? My knowledge of residential life in Mexico is obviously lacking. Those black plastic cisterns on the roof of every casa contains the water supply, gravity feed built in. A bomba is required
to get the water up there. Turn off the bomba and you're dry. Lesson learned.
I think.