Browse Forums Eco Living 1 Aug 02, 2011 11:04 pm . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 2Aug 03, 2011 5:38 am 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: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 5Aug 03, 2011 9:58 pm B STAR If you still dont like the idea of this why do you just raise you water tank a little. Install very thick pipe and gravity feed your cistern. It doesnt matter if it takes a bit longer??? Or how about include this with a larger cistern that has storage of say 20litres. Then it could do about 4 full flushes. So even it it takes 10 minutes to fill you have plenty of buffer. Providing a higher tank would be OK for the toilet only but the problem would be the washing machine...the inlet control valves need a fair bit of pressure before they operate. 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: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 6Jan 18, 2012 12:58 pm Hey pepsi_drinker, How did you end up going with the pump/pressure tanks? I have been grappling with the exact same problem - I want a RainBank to save the hassle of switching back and forward if the tank runs dry - but at the same time I want a large pressure tank so the pump is not forever 'cycling' (stop/start). I have the article from renew mentioned above, where it talks about pressure tanks. The system involved there, I believe, didn't have the complication of the RainBank though. I'd be interested if you found any further information on *how* it could be done. Let me know if you want a copy of the article and I will dig it out Re: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 7Jan 18, 2012 1:09 pm michigan_frog Hey pepsi_drinker, How did you end up going with the pump/pressure tanks? I have been grappling with the exact same problem ........... There has been no movement recently due to our (potential) builder shutting down over the Christmas break. I did however get an email from him a couple of days ago with "V2" of our plans, so things will start to happen now he's back at work !! I agree, something like this shouldn't be rocket-science, I'll email Davey this afternoon and ask the question directly, in writing, to them, I'll also point them at this thread. I'll post back as soon as I hear something from them. And as an aside, it shouldn't make any difference, but before the Christmas break, the last word we had with the builder was that we're considering an underground tank, so unless we dig a really large hole to put the house in, any form of gravity feed isn't going to be an option !!! Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 8Jan 18, 2012 1:11 pm I fitted a larger pressure tank to my pump when I lived on tank water. The pump was a davey and had a manual pressure switch. Most pump/irrigation shops on Brisbane knew very little about actual pump applications and had no 'real' experience in the market, as soon as I went to a shop in a rural area, I got better pricing and staff who knew exactly what I wanted to do and how to do it. My father in law has a Davey pump for his toilet/laundry and on the pump housing there is a bung that holds a small spring/valve type thing. If we were to run a pressure tank, then the spring bung thing needs to be removed for the switching to allow for the tank pressure. Re: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 9Jan 18, 2012 2:29 pm Thanks phippsy, The issue is that for (most / all ?? ) new houses a rainwater tank is mandatory, and 99% of people seem to also fit a "Davey Rainbank", or equivalent, and we're trying to get the accumulators to work with the Rainbank. Cheers, P_D . Block settled 07 June 2011 Our little piece of the Interwebs on HomeOne....... viewtopic.php?f=31&t=48577&start=0 Re: Plumbing Genius ( Rainwater) required :) 10Mar 01, 2016 4:02 pm I came across this thread by accident when Googling another subject matter. The questions asked are simple but the thread was posted in the wrong sub forum (new home). Pepsi_Drinker 99% of rainwater tanks seem to be using the Davey "Rainbank" system to automatically switch between the rainwater tank (if available) or the mains water when rainwater is not in the tank. RainBanks are fitted because the larger water tank companies that do the new house installations usually have a commercial association with Davey. I personally do not recommend the RainBank, my favoured automatic option is the clever Acquasaver that works off the mains water hydraulic pressure. http://www.acquasaver.com.au/ The Plumbing Code of Australia also allows bullet proof and much cheaper manual systems that require (simple) manual switching. It is rare for a new home owner to be told of their cheaper and bullet proof options. Pepsi_Drinker A new toilet uses around 6 litres / flush. 6 litres for a full flush, 3 litres for a half flush. Pepsi_Drinker Davey also sells various size accumulators, "Pressure tanks". I phoned up one of the largest rainwater tank / Davey pump suppliers in SA and outlined everything above and said .................. "Can I just put a large, or a couple of smaller, accumulators in the system so that the pump doesn't stop-start so often." Theoretically (discounting losses) if I put say a 60 litre accumulator in the system, and the toilet is 6 litres, the pump should only run every 10 flushes. The rainwater dude thought this was a great idea, but didn't know if it could be done, and suggested I contact Davey Customer Service. I was like......."Hey, every new house in SA (Australia ??) has this issue and I'm the first to ask this question....WTF ??" So, I rang Davey Customer service. They too had never heard of something this revolutionary The dude there went and asked his mate and came back with "No, Not possible". The Davey RainBank's Installation and Operating Instructions state: Do not use pressure systems or accumulators with RainBank®. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. 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 31327 Once you know the basics, the rest is easy. Read my post in the thread linked below. viewtopic.php?p=1919271#p1919271 2 19564 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 8451 |