Water Tanker Glossary
Updated
What do common water tanker terms mean?
This glossary defines the words you'll meet when ordering water by tanker in Dubai — from sweet, potable and TSE water to US and imperial gallons, villa tank parts like float valves and booster pumps, and construction terms such as compaction, curing and dust suppression — each linked to the page where it matters most.
- 30 terms, A–Z
- Each links to the page where the term matters
- Sweet water = fresh, potable water
- Balance tank
- A tank connected to overflow or infinity pools that also needs filling. More →
- Banksman
- A person who guides a reversing vehicle on a site to keep people safe. More →
- Booster pump
- The pump that lifts water from a villa's underground tank to the rooftop tank or pressurises the supply. More →
- Bowser
- A mobile water tank on a trailer or skid, used on construction sites to store and move water. More →
- Compaction
- Compressing soil to a required density; water is added so the soil reaches its optimum moisture content. More →
- Curing
- Keeping new concrete moist so it gains strength — commonly for at least 7 days. Uses sweet water only. More →
- DEWA
- Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, which supplies mains water in Dubai. Emergency line: 991. More →
- DEWA connection
- The permanent mains water connection to a building; new villas sometimes use tanker water until it is completed. More →
- Drinking-water tanker
- A tanker used only for drinking water, filled at approved stations and marked “Drinking water” in Arabic and English, per Dubai Municipality. More →
- Dust suppression
- Spraying water on unpaved roads and stockpiles to keep construction dust down. More →
- Filling station
- An approved facility where drinking-water tankers load water. More →
- Float valve
- A valve that stops a tank filling when the water reaches a set level. More →
- Heavy-vehicle restrictions
- Rules banning trucks from some Dubai roads at set times, e.g. Sheikh Zayed Road 6 am–10 pm from 1 October 2026. More →
- Imperial gallon
- A unit equal to 4.546 litres — about 20% more than a US gallon. Always check which gallon a supplier quotes. More →
- Non-potable water
- Water that is not safe to drink, such as salt water or treated wastewater, used for construction and irrigation. More →
- Optimum moisture content
- The soil moisture at which compaction achieves maximum density, found by a laboratory test. More →
- Pool top-up
- Adding water to replace what a pool loses to evaporation and splash-out. More →
- Potable water
- Water that is safe to drink. In Dubai, potable water is delivered in tankers that carry drinking water only. More →
- Ready-mix concrete
- Concrete batched at a plant and delivered by truck, with its mixing water already added. More →
- Rooftop tank
- A villa tank on the roof, filled by the booster pump from the underground tank, feeding taps by gravity. More →
- Salt water
- Non-potable saline water used on construction sites for compaction and dust suppression; never for concrete. More →
- Site tank
- A temporary tank on a construction site that tankers fill and the crew draws water from. More →
- Sweet water
- The Gulf term for fresh, potable water fit for drinking and household use. Arabic: مياه حلوة. More →
- Tank inlet
- The opening or access cover where a tanker hose fills a tank. More →
- TSE water
- Treated sewage effluent: recycled, non-potable water used in Dubai mainly for landscape irrigation. More →
- Underground tank
- The main villa storage tank below ground, filled by the mains or a tanker. More →
- US gallon
- A unit equal to 3.785 litres. A 2,500 US-gallon tanker holds about 9,464 litres. More →
- Water tank cleaning
- Draining, cleaning and disinfecting a storage tank by an approved company, followed by a refill. More →
- Water tanker
- A truck with a tank for delivering water by hose to tanks, pools and sites. More →
- Water-cement ratio
- The weight of water divided by the weight of cement in a concrete mix; it sets strength and durability. More →
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