Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design Re: rain water tank 2Jun 23, 2008 10:09 pm Whats the size of the tank??
May be you can ask to do some concreting where you want to install the tank? Also its good idea to get some plumbing work done, such as connecting tank outlet to flush system in toilet. Now-a-days most builders provide tank as a standard inclusion, Check with your builder first. Regards Re: rain water tank 3Jun 23, 2008 10:09 pm Do you want to use rainwater to flush your toilet etc?
If so then you need to ask for a isolation device like the davey rainbank so it will auto switch between both water sources when required. Steve Re: rain water tank 4Jun 23, 2008 10:46 pm I think we would only use the water to water lawn - what is required if we only want to use it for the lawn?
Is it a lot more expensive to get everything connected so we use it in the toilet as well? Re: rain water tank 5Jun 23, 2008 11:04 pm It sis lot cheaper to do it now - and IMO - I'd have the pipes done to cater for it - the plumber will freak - but he'll just have to get used to it.
re the garden - Nothing required other than a pressure pump when you want to get some pressure from the tank. So more to the point - get a waterproof power point within a reasonable distance of the tank and run the pipes underground to it now. and plan on secure - locked box or inside the house location for the pump. I had an external one stolen once Steve Re: rain water tank 6Jun 24, 2008 1:27 am In vic it is illegal to use tankwater that is conncted to the toilet system for anything else. You woukd need a seperate tank for the garden
For garden water nothing is really required unless you are burying the tank and then you may need electrical connections for a pump to bring up the water. Otherwise after the house is finished you can just get a plumbing kit for your downpipe to divert to the tank and the weight of the water level will provide the pressure for the hose Building NB Hampton 19e finishing at end july 08 Re: rain water tank 8Jun 24, 2008 5:27 pm I think Newbie may be referring to a greywater system.
Dreamhome, we are getting a big water tank 110 000L for our place (rural). We agreed for the builder to do the sand pad for the tank at the same time as they do the earthworks, And they will also plumb it in to the house system (and drainage off the roof etc). After earthworks we're arranging for the tank to be delivered and erected before the rest of the house is built, purely for ease of access and because it works out a bit cheaper that way. I think we also have to buy the pressure pump, not sure on that. So my advice is to consider where your tank will be going, what size it is. And then determine what sort of pad you need (ie sand pad, or concrete if it's one of those small jobs). Also consider at what stage the tank would have to be put in (due to size or whatever). Either way you can always get the builder to price it up for you. If you think you can do it for less then see if they're happy for you to supply the tank & they do the rest. Re: rain water tank 9Jun 24, 2008 9:16 pm Jac08 sorry newbie74 but you are incorrect. Your rain water tank can be used for both toilet AND garden. (The sewerage doesn't flow back into the tank). Not sure where you got your information from???? Sorry Jac08 but newbie74 might be right. Picture this: You have a rainwater tank plumbed to supply your toilets. The tank has a device in it that measures its water level, so when the level gets down to say 10% it automatically tops up with town water until it reaches a level of say 20%. In other words the only time the tank will get more than 20% full is when it rains. Now assume that it rained a couple of weeks ago, your tank is 40% full but it hasn't rained since and your gardens are now dry. You might still be living under severe water restrictions that forbid you from watering from a tap, but you figure that your stored rainwater can be used to water your garden, so that's what you do. Trouble is, you have dropped your tank level down to 30%, it doesn't rain for another week and the level drops to 10%, so then it makes up with town water! In other words, the town water came on unneccessarily soon because you watered the garden a week ago! I know there's a lot of assumptions there, but it shows that if you water your garden from your 'toilet' tank, in effect you are breaking the water restrictions. Geoff - Decophile. Re: rain water tank 10Jun 24, 2008 9:38 pm The simple answer is that if the tank is topped up by mains pressure water, you must treat the contents as if it was from mains pressure.
I have a 3000 litre tank that is not connected to mains. It is sitting on a 1.5m x 1.5m x 15cm slab. The tank has a siungle connection from the roof, with an overflow piped into the storm water via the downpipe. My second tank has just been ordered. There is a valve at the bottom ehich feeds to a pump. Adrian B Re: rain water tank 11Jun 25, 2008 4:38 pm I work for one of the water companies so you can safely say I'm an expert on the subject of water...expecially water restrictions. My water mains DO NOT fill up my water tank only RAIN does. This is what happens when you connect your water tank to your toilet flushing system:
It rains and the water running off your roof is piped into the water tank...filling it with 'grey water'. There is a marker in the tank which when the 'gregwater' fills to a certain level a switch from mains occurs and your toilet will use the 'greywater' to flush. IF the 'greywater' in the tank falls below the marker level the switch will revert back to mains water to flush your toilet. The 'mains' DO NOT in ANYWAY fill your tank hence I'm not going against water restrictions. If I want to water my garden I have a 'bib' tap connected to the raintank which I connect my hose to and then I can water away...using 'greywater' NOT MAINS. Where are you guys getting your information from??? One day hopefully all houses will be using 'greywater' instead of 'drinking water' to flush their toilets and water their gardens. Re: rain water tank 12Jun 25, 2008 8:46 pm Jac08 - Do you in the industry refer to rainwater as 'grey water'
Everything and all the people I talk to refer to greywater as water that has come from the washing machine, bath or shower. Black Water is fromthe toilet and technically the kitchen sink as it has large content of soilids in it too. If the water comes as rainwtaer is from the roof - while not drinkable - I've not heard of it being classified as greywater before. Steve Re: rain water tank 13Jun 25, 2008 11:38 pm Same here, so I could only assume you were referring to it as grey water to imply that there weren't any filters in line or to help distinguish it from the mains water?
The mains filling the tank idea also sounded strange to me, but I thought it may have been possible purely because I know tanks are supposed to have a certain level of water in them to help with stability etc. Re: rain water tank 14Jun 27, 2008 9:20 pm Yak_Chat If the water comes as rainwtaer is from the roof - while not drinkable - Careful, there are hundreds of thousands of Australians that would disagree! Geoff - Decophile. Re: rain water tank 15Jun 27, 2008 9:48 pm Eager said
Quote: Yak_Chat wrote: If the water comes as rainwtaer is from the roof - while not drinkable - Careful, there are hundreds of thousands of Australians that would disagree! Correct I'll rephrase that. Unfiltered and untreated rainfall that is collected from your roof is not technically classified as potable (drinkable) water. Many drink it without issues - but technically - it could give you giardia, and a whole batch of other lovely health issues. If your constitution is low or the bug is good enough. Re: rain water tank 16Jun 27, 2008 10:08 pm Maybe im getting out of my depth but our farm used collected rain water in a massive water tank on the side of the house, and so did... well everyone!
There may have been a sand filter or something however Im sure there was no additional treatment but that was the water for everything, drinking, flushing, washing etc etc. Out in the bush thats just how it is. Re: rain water tank 17Jun 27, 2008 10:21 pm You're 100% correct there MikkyG.
Most rainwater in the bush is collected and used as is - unfiltered It's just that peoples stomachs are not tough enough to be able to cope with - real bugs - so the govt departments need to say - it's not safe. And in reality - someone who has always drunk chlorinated city water - who suddenly changes to drink tank rainwater - may have a reaction - or catch a bug. Just like the risk we take when we travel overseas. They are used to a higher level fo bugs and we are not. Hence the "naming of the said water? and it's "said" drinkability. Steve Re: rain water tank 18Jul 04, 2008 8:42 pm YakChat, I'm sure you are right in your 'technical' definitions but I find that concept very strange. What you're saying is that state governments classify rainwater collected from roofs as non-potable, is that right?
If that's so then, in this over regulated country, I find it really odd that (AFAIK) no state has any regulation on the filtration of tank water collected for drinking, and everything else, in hundreds of thousands of rural homes. I've drunk it, mostly unfiltered, all my life without hassles but it's certainly true that what you're drinking has a bit more 'body' than town water. Sometimes literally. These days we do install filters on our tanks/pumps, sometimes very sophisticated ones (we have 3 -- a 20 micron pleated, a 1-micron charcoal plus a UV system) and I'd say that with good filtration tank water is actually a lot cleaner than most town water. But it's not mandatory and it's strange that if the powers that be think that rain collected from the roof makes it non-potable that they have never introduced a regulation/code insisting on filters. They have one for everything else! Re: rain water tank 19Sep 15, 2008 12:33 am Here in SA most old houses have rainwater tanks that are connected to the laundry and or kitchen sink. Used for making decent tea and n general drinking. I don't think there has ever been a big problem with sickness related to drinking rainwater.
regards sean Re: rain water tank 20Sep 15, 2008 2:55 am Sean, I mentioned exactly that on a previous thread and was howled down, but yes, we country South Australians must be tough, nearly everyone I know here has a rainwater tank, standard stuff long before water restrictions made them trendy, and common practice to drink the water, boiled for tea or unfiltered fresh water.
I think my system has built up an immunity over the last 40+ years, I drink rainwater every day and have no intention of stopping now. Interestingly, our builder refused to put a tap in kitchen of new house, 'regulations prevent us doing so as it may be construed that the water is available for drinking and we can't guarantee the suitability of such', however they agreed to put one in the laundry as the water there would be 'construed as being for laundry purposes' which is ok. I argued that we could say the kitchen tap was for washing up purposes but this didn't cut it. Needless to say we will simply fill a jug from laundry tap and drink it anyway, like we do now. Can a plumber put a tap on a rain water tank which is full? Tank is similar to one in photo. Cheers. 0 1672 If you can calculate the reasonable charged head from let's say 100mm below the gutter to the top of where the vertical riser's horizontal discharge pipe will be, that… 11 17540 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 10834 |