Browse Forums Eco Living Re: Sludge in rain water tank 23Jul 16, 2015 5:16 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 26Jul 23, 2015 3:15 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 27Jul 24, 2015 4:06 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 28Jul 24, 2015 8:35 pm Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: Sludge in rain water tank 30Jul 25, 2015 11:58 am 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 31Jul 25, 2015 12:11 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 34Jul 25, 2015 5:13 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 35Jul 25, 2015 5:17 pm 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 36Aug 08, 2015 12:41 pm Quote: Sounds like the pump has a pressure tank Yes it does. Quote: Regulations state that the tank overflow must be mosquito proofed. there are also other things that can get up drainpipes. We're now thinking of having a Flap Valve / Frog Flap from Rain Harvesting on the end of the overflow pipe and no slotted pipe. Our latest dilemma is what sort of pipe to use for the downpipe from the gutter outlet to the tank's meshed inlet. We were impressed with the dimensions of 100mm (nominal) DWV pipe, and thought we might use that, but it doesn't comply with AS/NZS 4020 (re Drinking Water), and there seem to be a couple reasons why it wouldn't be suitable: A bloke from my local hardware told me DWV pipe has root inhibitor sandwiched between the outer and inner layers of PVC in the pipe wall. The root inhibitor is dyed blue or pink, and he showed me one that had been cut, and I could see the blue circle. If the pipe is cracked or deteriorates in time, the root inhibitor chemical could leach into the water. EDIT: I now think this is a mistake – see my post 11 Aug. And a bloke who used to work for one of the big pipe firms told me that DWV pipes use ground up recycled plastic (in the form of a foam) sandwiched between the inner and outer layers, and it wouldn't be known whether this recycled plastic had been contaminated. So we're considering either -having two 90mm downpipes of PVC stormwater pipe going into each tank, although we can't find any that complies with AS4020, or -using galvanised downpipe made up to fit the Rain Harvesting Leaf Diverter and First Flush Diverter. The standard 100mm which is available off the shelf isn't quite the right size. or -using PVC pressure pipe which is AS 4020 compliant, but which is expensive and doesn't come in very convenient sizes. Is there any PVC stormwater pipe that's AS4020 compliant? Or any other suitable pipe? Are there any other suggestions for downpipe (preferably bigger than 90mm) that's suitable for rainwater used for drinking? Re: Sludge in rain water tank 37Aug 08, 2015 11:49 pm einadia Quote: Sounds like the pump has a pressure tank Yes it does. Pressure tanks can be made with either a drinking water compliant bladder or an 'industrial' bladder. There was a cheap and popular 100 litre pressure tank sold on eBay a few years ago that was advertised as suitable for household use but people started complaining about the taste of the water. It was then found that the tank was fitted with an industrial bladder. If the plumber was referring (earlier) to the pressure tank bladder, you can have them replaced but just be aware that the replacement must be suited to purpose. Pumps are also sold as garden and household and the prices are usually identical but some manufacturers make all of their pumps suitable for potable use. You need to check. If you are concerned about the state of the pressure tank's bladder and if it is a small tank, you may be better off buying a larger pressure tank than replacing the bladder in the existing one. uPVC DOWNPIPES What you have mentioned about the root inhibitor in DWV pipes is something that I was not aware of. It certainly raises some ethical issues but the plumbing industry is not bound by ethics. A couple of years ago, I was told during a conversation with a senior person from one of the two major uPVC pipe manufacturers in Australia that uPVC pressure pipe, stormwater pipe and DWV pipe were all made from the same material except that DWV pipe had a small amount of regrind added and stormwater pipe had a larger amount of regrind added. There was no mention of root inhibitor! Note that uPVC pressure pipe is made from virgin material and is certified to AS/NZS 4020. On reading what you posted, I checked some DN 90mm uPVC stormwater pipe and some DN 100mm uPVC DWV pipe and found that the middle 'sandwich' of both the stormwater and DWV pipe contained the majority of both pipe's material. As to how much regrind was in each 'sandwich' , I cannot say. The DWV pipe's 'sandwich' did seem to be a very light pink/orange colour as you also indicated but I would be confident that the inner and outer uPVC sheaths are made from virgin material. uPVC is a very strong material but the DWV inner core does raise some ethical questions when plumbed for potable water use as I have mentioned. The practicality is this: The only manufacturer that I knew off (Promains) who made AS/NZS 4020 certified uPVC stormwater and DWV pipe went into receivership last year. I consider this to be a blight on the plumbing industry because the regulations clearly state that pipes in contact with drinking water must be certified to AS/NZS 4020 yet there have been *tens of millions of downpipes that harvest water for potable use fitted with non compliant uPVC pipes while the company that made the compliant pipes was unsupported by the regulations and went into liquidation. * The 2011 Census found that there were 832,100 households in Australia that were not connected to mains water. In Victoria, the VBA technical solution sheet 4.05 Charged Systems To Rainwater Tanks states: The pipe materials and fittings must be approved in accordance with AS/NZS 3500.1 and AS/NZS 3500.3 and be fit for purpose (either drinking or non-drinking). The following types of materials are commonly used, however any materials used must comply with the requirements of the relevant standard. Drinking water Polyethylene pressure pipe to AS/NZS 4130 Polyethylene (PE) pipes for pressure applications. PVC-U pressure pipe to AS/NZS 1477 PVC pipes and fittings for pressure applications. AS/NZS 2032 Installation of PVC pipe systems specifies that PVC-U pressure pipes installed in direct sunlight must be either painted with light coloured water-based paints, or otherwise protected. For drinking water, the above listed downpipe material requirements apply whether the system is charged or not charged. Where rainwater is to be used for drinking or human consumption, the connecting pipe material/s must comply with AS/NZS 4020 Testing of products for use in contact with drinking water. Drinking water is water that is intended and suitable for human consumption, food preparation, utensil washing or oral hygiene. Non-drinking water PVC-U at least DWV quality to AS/NZS 1260 PVC-U pipes and fittings for drain, waste and vent application. uPVC stormwater, DWV and pressure pipe are all made to different nominal diameter (DN) sizes to prevent the different pipes being joined together. Using larger bored and thicker walled pressure pipe as downpipe would be expensive and not practical in any case and as you can see, the VBA solution does not offer a solution, it only states the regulations...(which were never enforced in Australia in any case)! I will make some inquiries during the week as to whether there is another manufacturer but I am not confident. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 38Aug 09, 2015 7:03 pm Just an aside here, Logan City Council require the suction side of the pump to not only be pressure pipe (AS4020), but it must also be painted with UV paint. It was one of a couple of pedantic items that got knocked back on our final plumbing inspection. Have you heard of that before ? Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Re: Sludge in rain water tank 39Aug 09, 2015 9:07 pm AS/NZS 2032 states that uPVC pressure pipe installed in direct sunlight must be either painted with light coloured water-based paint or otherwise protected. The Logan City Council requirement that the suction side of the pump be fitted with a uPVC pressure pipe is WRONG. 1. Many pump manufacturers recommend in their warranty conditions that a flexible coupling is used on the suction side. The reason for this is because many tanks will flex and bulge as they fill and empty. If a hard (inflexible) connection was to split, the tank could drain a considerable amount of water before it was noticed. 2. The applicable Standard is found in AS/NZS 3500.1 Section 11 PUMPS. This section specifies requirements for the installation of pumps used in water services for buildings. 11.4 (b) states: Pumps shall- have vibration eliminators at the base of the pump, on the suction side and the delivery side of the pump, so as to minimise the transmission of noise into the building structure and along the piping system and to prevent undue stress being placed on the pump. Blue stripe poly pipe is commonly used on the suction and delivery side of pumps as a flexible coupling. Polyethylene is an inert plastic that is certified to AS/NZS 4020 - products in contact with drinking water. 3in1 Supadiverta. Rainwater Harvesting Best Practice using syphonic drainage. Cleaner Neater Smarter Cheaper Supa Gutter Pumper. A low cost syphonic eaves gutter overflow solution. Re: Sludge in rain water tank 40Aug 09, 2015 10:28 pm Well it is pretty rigid, it has basically what I'd call 'meccano' pieces to hold it level with the pump inlet, and where it goes in through the top of the tank the gap around it is silicone sealed to stop moquitoes supposedly, so there's really no movement allowed on the suction side. The silicon seal was another reason for the final inspection knockback, as it hadn't been siliconed on the first inspection. At least if it breaks, the pump is on top of the tank, so there will be minimal loss. Owner Building at Jimboomba Woods in Logan City Qld. Blog : http://bandlnewhomebuild.blogspot.com H1 thread : viewtopic.php?f=38&t=68283 . Can a plumber put a tap on a rain water tank which is full? Tank is similar to one in photo. Cheers. 0 1668 18 90480 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 10629 |