Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jul 05, 2009 1:53 pm At 4am this morning I had a thought that it is probably going to be easier to get my water tank in place before fences go on which means researching it all now and not in 6-12 months time. So, I have a space of about 3.5m long by 1.2m wide but due to the location on the blind side, I still need to be able to have access past the tank so I'm after a tank no wider than 700mm. That bits fine and easy enough to sort out, but what isn't is the pump! What do I need to look for in a pump? I know nothing about them. It's going to be connected to 2 toilets and then used for the garden. Do I need a specific flow rate? (or whatever it's called) Also, what about pumps that do the auto cutover to mains water for the toilets when the levels are too low? Also, can you get ones that you can manually turn off the flow to the toilets? (In summer I may prefer to just use tank water for the gardens). Also, what are these first flush water diverters? Is that so you don't get gunk into your tank? Are they worthwhile? Help!! 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 2Jul 05, 2009 6:19 pm Too many options lisa you need to see a pump person Check out davey, onga, grundfos. Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 3Jul 05, 2009 6:23 pm I was speaking to someone yesterday who said he heard that once the tank is connected to the house it then forms part of the water supply, meaning it faces the same restrictions as your normal water supply i.e. you cant use it for the garden anymore... Can anyone confirm? Its kind of relevant to your question to Lisa Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 4Jul 05, 2009 6:28 pm onc_artisan I think you are right I was at a nursery today and they wanted to sell me this "great deal" but couldn't tell me a lot about the pump... I've been pointed towards Rainbank (http://www.rainbank.com.au/) which looks like it attaches to a pump and controls the water flow from tank and mains etc like I want to do, I will give Davey a call tomorrow. Bam: I would say if you fill your tank with mains water then that's not allowed but I'm not sure why anyone would do that. 'A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.' Louis Pasteur Vegie garden: viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27637&start=0 My Backyard Adventure Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 5Jul 05, 2009 6:29 pm Bam I was speaking to someone yesterday who said he heard that once the tank is connected to the house it then forms part of the water supply, meaning it faces the same restrictions as your normal water supply i.e. you cant use it for the garden anymore... Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 6Jul 05, 2009 6:31 pm He just said that as the water was now 'supplying' the house, it is considered part of your normal water supply, hence the restirctions Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 7Jul 05, 2009 6:32 pm Im not saying its right, its something Im interested in clarifying also Custom European Cabinets - Melbourne Kitchen Specialist PM for business details as website currently being updated! Our Crazy Owner Builder Journey! Re: Water tank pump - what do I need? 8Jul 05, 2009 9:05 pm We have the Davey "Rainbank" which fits in a box on the wall near the tank, it's the same size as an electricity meter box. The pump is submerged in the tank. It works well, very quiet, good pressure. We've only been using it for a week, but no teething problems so far. I see in your main building thread that you already have a "green" pipe for your cisterns to connect to a tank - I assume the plumber has just connected the green pipe to mains water through a "loop" which will later be connected to the tank controller. That's what they did at our place before the tank and Rainbank were installed. A "first flush" diverter uses a floating valve to redirect the first several litres of storm water away from your tank into a length of pipe with an auto or manual drain valve on the bottom. The first few litres of storm water contain dust, bird poo, industrial fallout etc that accumulates on your roof during a dry period. Some friends who live in a rural area with only tank water once found a small dead animal in their first flush diverter. When the diverter fills up, the storm water starts flowing into your tank. I was disappointed that we don't have a "first flush" diverter on our rain inlet pipe, but the manual says there is a first flush filter in the top of the tank. This doesn't divert "roof dust", just filters it - we'll have to wait and see if it's any good. Perhaps the theory is that it doesn't matter if the first flush gunk is in contact with the main body of water in the tank, since all the accessible outlets are marked "do not drink". You could get extra plumbing to manually bypass the tank for the toilet cisterns, but you'd need to do it now, retrofit would be a challenge. And it might be pointless given the comment by bam... bam I was speaking to someone yesterday who said he heard that once the tank is connected to the house it then forms part of the water supply, meaning it faces the same restrictions as your normal water supply i.e. you cant use it for the garden any more... Can anyone confirm? Built the C£arend0n Cambridge: Moved in. Happy campers. Here's our story on HomeOne I might be old, but I have no trouble finishing my... er... 18 90428 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 10620 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 17525 |