Abstract: A particle precipitator in the form of a cylindrical tank accepts raw water through a tangentially and horizontally mounted pipe. The precipitator is divided into three separate chambers, a lower, middle, and upper chamber separated by two baffles. The raw water enters and circulates into the lower chamber and because the lower chamber is of much larger volume than the inlet pipe, the velocity of the raw water is substantially reduced. During the raw water's residence time in the lower chamber, many of the larger particles are permitted to precipitate out to the bottom of the precipitator tank. The water then flows through a center opening of the lower baffle to the middle chamber and around the outer edges of the upper baffle to the upper chamber. By the time the water reaches the upper chamber, most of the larger particles have had a chance to precipitate out and the water in this upper chamber is substantially cleaner than it was when it entered the precipitator tank.