Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Dec 09, 2012 6:54 pm Hi there, We bought a house in South East Melbourne recently, it was built in 1955. The new extension was built in 1975, and we realised that the new addition to the house didn't have any stormwater pipes. The existing pipes from the front section of the house are blocked, and are all earthenware. The house sits on a narrow block. 54.5m long but only 10.5 metres wide. As a result of the blockage/no stormwater run off to the back portion of the house, the outside floor bearers around the house had to be replaced due to moisture seepage, and the concrete stumps sunk about 20mm over the course of that time, making the house unlevel. That's been levelled now, so the stormwater system is a priority. The back part of the house has a tin,corrugated iron roof, and the front part are old unglazed tiles. We're only looking at a rainwater tank for garden use (as we have a large backyard), not drinking water. My mate is a plumber who is willing to do the job at cost price, so it's $350 of materials, $800 for labour and $300 for a mini excavator. The back part My wife wants to only use a rainwater tank and get this installed first. She thinks it's a waste of water to have it running to the stormwater pipe, and a waste of money. I would rather do the stormwater run off first, and have a number of tanks retrofitted at a later date, with a possible pump to increase pressure. My plumber did a calculation of the mean Melbourne rainfall (average) and that's about 5,300 litres to 7,350 litres per month, based on the surface area of our roof. That's alot of water to hold in a tank, especially as if it rains already, we'd be soaking the plants in winter. The other issue is where would the water overflow after the tank is filled up. I would rather send the overflow to the street stormwater. Overflow can happen very quickly in Melbourne, my wife seems to think it's okay going to the garden, but in winter that would already be so waterlogged. The soil is sandy loam to a depth of 1.2 metres, so drainage is quite good, but surely so much water would have some effect? What would you recommend in our situation? Thanks! Re: Rainwater/Stormwater system advice 2Dec 11, 2012 7:31 am Unless you put in a very big tank, you will be running water straight through the tank and onto the land. It doesn't fix the problem. Put in one tank but run the water to the legal point of discharge. good luck. Once you know the basics, the rest is easy. Read my post in the thread linked below. viewtopic.php?p=1919271#p1919271 2 19747 DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair But if it is a ground level open pit, then it is not a charged system. No surprises there. The pipes have obviously been altered and there would be a reason for this.… 3 31477 There is a whole lot more to know than just the answers you seek but they are a good start. Overflow outlets have a mosquito proof mesh. These… 3 8547 |