Browse Forums DIY, Home Maintenance & Repair 1 Jun 21, 2016 1:40 pm Of late, our water tanks of which we have two (4500Lt & 2200Lt), have been getting full of sludge and sediment and this has been flowing through into the outdoor taps and also the cisterns that we operate off them. 1. Has anyone any ideas on how this can be remedied? 2. Are there companies that can clean them for you? 3. Do you need to first empty the tanks or can they do it by filtering the water back in? 4. Are there chemicals you can add to prevent the build-up? Thanks Cheers, Tim -------------------------------------------------------- Built 'Cremorne 41' with PD - Handover took place in Nov '08 http://homeforourcherubs.blogspot.com/ Re: Cleaning water tanks 2Jun 21, 2016 1:53 pm First you need decent gutter guards installed to keep leaves and other debris out of the gutters that collect your rainwater. You should also have a good first flush diverter that collects the the first 20 or so litres of water in a rain shower that siphons it off so any other crap in your gutters isn't collected either. Do you have either of those installed ? You need to empty the tank and give it a good clean before you collect water in it again. The sludge will be mostly organic stuff that is breaking down. I don't know of any chemical that will do this. Keeping the crap out of your tank first will be the best thing you can do to prevent this happening again. Stewie Re: Cleaning water tanks 3Jun 21, 2016 1:58 pm Thanks Stewie - Nope, I have neither of those devices in place. Probably worthwhile in hindsight. But now that it's there, to get the rubbish at the bottom of the tank out is the hard part - they are pretty deep. Cheers, Tim -------------------------------------------------------- Built 'Cremorne 41' with PD - Handover took place in Nov '08 http://homeforourcherubs.blogspot.com/ Re: Cleaning water tanks 4Jun 21, 2016 2:35 pm There are specialist companies that can clean out your tank, for instance http://www.watertankcleaning.com.au/ I wouldn't recommend doing it yourself. Every year there seems to a couple of fatalities due to someone getting in a tank to clean it out. The tank is a 'Confined Space' which has many dangers for the unprepared. This link is just one of the latest in a long list http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-new ... kty0z.html 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: Cleaning water tanks 5Jun 21, 2016 2:54 pm Thanks bashworth - agree with the recommendations. Cheers, Tim -------------------------------------------------------- Built 'Cremorne 41' with PD - Handover took place in Nov '08 http://homeforourcherubs.blogspot.com/ Re: Cleaning water tanks 6Jun 21, 2016 6:04 pm Stewie D Keeping the crap out of your tank first will be the best thing you can do to prevent this happening again. Stewie Correct. teml, you water tank installation is obviously sub standard but then again, nearly all are! You need to post some photos and some details if you are to get concise advice about the changes you need to make. All tanks build up sediment and need de-sludging every few years, how long have you had the tanks? Do you have a wet or dry system? Re the dirty water supplied to the pump... If you have a submersible pump, does it sit directly on the tank's floor? If you have an external pump, how high is the tank's pump supply valve fitted above the bottom of the tank at the valve's lowest point? Is the infeed diverted into the tank directly above the outlet valve that supplies the pump? To clean the tank yourself, just remove the top inlet and hold a vacuum device into the tank when the tank is full (more head) and slowly move it around not much above the tank's floor. You can make a device with some PVC pipe joined to 19mm or 25mm poly pipe or hose. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. That was always going to be a challenge and a test of patience. Full marks to your mate. Did you discuss the wet area near the trampoline? 16 17375 No, I even have sections of narrowness where the tiles won't slide up any further. When I manage some spare time, I might play around with the first DIY part of my… 7 4938 |