The black half inch class C pipe which feeds into the concrete water holding tank in garden started leaking where it screws on, as the ground shifted and the pipe got pulled out of the connector.

The mess you see in the photo ( http://i67.tinypic.com/bg61eh.jpg ) is half a day's digging through stone, mud and water to get to the pipe, which I managed to cap off via a connector and short length of garden hose (to top up with manually for the time being).

There was no way of shutting off the pipe before, so float valve servicing was a job for a pair of goggles, freezing hands, and lots of spare split-pins and swearing! Now I've got access to the pipe, I'd like to:

* Install a box for the connection to live in for easy access including a stop valve
* Tee off a standpipe for a garden hose
* Not have to replace the current copper threaded fitting which is embedded in the side of the tank.

Additionally, the tank is fed via a tee from local farmers trough feed, which in turn comes from a spring catchment which runs into a large holding tank on a hill which serves several properties. When there's been heavy (or little) rain, the water gets silty, and every 2 years I clean out about 4 inches of silt from the bottom of the tank and then jetwash and flush the whole system with a few drops of hydrochloric acid.

Sometimes, some of the silt doesn't get time to settle, and despite the take-off pipe being about a foot off the bottom of the tank, particles then gets pumped up to the header tank in the roof, so I have to clean that and the toilet cisterns out from time to time.

There's a fine particulate filter for the kitchen tap but I think that putting one of these inline before the outside tank would just clog up quickly .. I've "googled it" but I just have so many options, many way beyond my budget. I'm a self-employed single parent financially recovering from the summer holidays, can't afford the plumber's quotes but have basic plumbing skills - what are my options, preferably keeping the whole lot under £200 max?

Thank you!

(side notes before anyone gets alarmed: yes, this is drinking water, but we've got a fine particulate filter and UV on the kitchen tap, only use it for tea and coffee, and have big refillable bottles to make cold drinks from in the kitchen. And it (just) passes the occasional mandatory local council test).