Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Aug 25, 2013 4:33 pm Is there a practical reason why water tanks are installed with round pvc pipes? My hub promised to paint them to blend years ago and I'm still waiting. I haven't really pushed him about it cos I figure once they're painted they'll eventually need repainting. But white pvc is so ugly and obvious. Why don't the installers ever seem to use the powdercoated pipes for water tanks? Is it something to do with round pipes having better water flow capacity or some practical reason like that? Re: Water Tank Pipes 2Aug 25, 2013 5:42 pm Round pipes are cheaper, water does flow through them better and there are a better range of fittings for them. The Harder You Try - the Luckier You Get ! Web site http://www.anewhouse.com.au Informative, Amusing, and Opinionated Blog - Over 600 posts on all aspects of building a new house. Re: Water Tank Pipes 3Aug 25, 2013 6:45 pm bashworth Round pipes are cheaper, water does flow through them better and there are a better range of fittings for them. Also - if you are in a pest area - eg Termites - they prefer round to enable you to see behind them better. A square pipe - or rectangle - with the long part against the wall might "hide" termite activity. Re: Water Tank Pipes 4Aug 25, 2013 7:09 pm There are two types or rainwater harvesting diversion systems. 1. Dry systems. This is where downpipes are diverted to the tank's top meshed inlet. Because the pipe is sloped and does not retain water, it is called a dry system. Metal rectangular downpipes can be diverted to the tank provided that the downpipe falls inline with the tank's top meshed inlet. This however can create issues with plumbing the tank's overflow pipe back to the stormwater as there would need to be a largish gap between the tank and the wall. With new houses, this isn't a problem as the stormwater is easily plumbed with the stormwater connection at the side of the tank (away from the downpipe). This diversion would apply to just the immediate downpipe though. If the tank is sited so that the downpipe and the stormwater connection is at the end of the tank, then it is difficult to plumb a metal rectangular downpipe and keep it tidy. If the metal downpipes are round, then it is relatively easy to do as the parts are available and the install will be neat but the pipes must not retain water. Additional round metal downpipes can be plumbed (with a slope) along walls but this is ugly and not always practical. 2. Wet systems. This is where downpipes are plumbed that travel underground to the tank and connect to a vertical riser that diverts into the tank through the tank's top meshed inlet. Because the wet system pipes are buried and retain water, PVCu pipes must be used. Just be aware that standard wet systems have problems and most of the ones that I see on this forum are sub standard installs. This however does not mean that they are necessarily not compliant. Compliance does not guarantee good design. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Building Standards; Getting It Right! Thank you for the generous offer. I need to get the plumber out to give me an explanation. As mentioned I haven't seen any rain water discharge from pipes 1& 3. It… 7 7392 18 74197 From what I know about water tanks (I've been working with a client on them for a few years now) is this - The concrete can last a lifetime if they don't crack for some… 2 6454 |