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"pilas de agua"

English translation: water storage basins

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Spanish term or phrase:"pilas de agua"
English translation:water storage basins
Entered by: Pamela Faber Benitez

09:09 Dec 7, 2013
Spanish to English translations [PRO]
Tech/Engineering - Construction / Civil Engineering / provisión y almacenamiento de agua en una área residencial
Spanish term or phrase: "pilas de agua"
Hello all.

The context sentence is this:

"Chava nos informó que las válvulas check ya no funcionan y Zenteno se va a encargar de reemplazarlas en la tubería de 3 pulgadas que sale del pozo y va a las pilas no. 1 y 2."

I am not sure what "pilas" are when water is concerned. I know what a "pila de bautismo" is, but I'm pretty sure that isn't what they mean!


Gracias por su ayuda.

Bob
Bob Haskell
Local time: 09:40
water storage basins
Explanation:
Pilas are water storage and wash basins, commonly used in Central America for potable water storage when water is not readily available.
Selected response from:

Pamela Faber Benitez
Spain
Local time: 17:40
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3water storage basins
Pamela Faber Benitez
2water tower / water tank
Wendy Streitparth


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


18 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
water tower / water tank


Explanation:
Depending on the type of construction.

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 17:40
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 20
Notes to answerer
Asker: Muito obrigado! (I'm in Rio de Janeiro). You are quite right; in the present case I'm fairly sure it's a tank rather than a tower...

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56 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
water storage basins


Explanation:
Pilas are water storage and wash basins, commonly used in Central America for potable water storage when water is not readily available.


    Reference: http://ewb-stl.org/honduras/PimientaReport_Espanol.pdf
Pamela Faber Benitez
Spain
Local time: 17:40
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 48
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
Notes to answerer
Asker: However, and I admit this context detail was not clear in the quotation I provided, the water in question which is being stored is water for use by an entire community of residential homes, which seems to exclude the translation you've suggested. I do appreciate your help, and am willing to be enlightened if I'm wrong... Muito obrigado! (I'm in Rio de Janeiro on a short vacation).

Asker: Well, now I'm stumped. We would have to actually get a look at the "pilas" in question or find out more about them. I gathered from your wording "water storage and wash basins" that you were referring to small containers, but obviously - from the article and pictures you sent me a link to - they can be very large indeed... I rather suspect that in this housing development (which, by the way, is called "Cíbola del Mar" - another translation challenge) the "pilas" in question are more along the lines of a large tank... Let me look into it.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Rita Swyter: Agree with this option for the application
4 hrs
agree  Gordon Byron: Here's a distionary reference that confirms in general the use of pilas de agua: http://es.thefreedictionary.com/pila
4 hrs
agree  Lydianette Soza
8 hrs
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