Rain Water Pump Commissioned
A few weeks back, our rain-water collection pump was finally commissioned. The photo shows two pits (each 600 x 600mm) - the first of which is a settling pit to help removed any debris collected from the roof. The sump-pump is in the seond pit, which also has two over-flow pipes that discharge to the stormwater "legal point of discharge".
Our tank only holds 12,500 litres, as it was initially required only to supply water to the toilet cisterns. But with the on-going drought, I am likely to triple this to 36,000 litres eventually, so that we can water the garden during summer.
posted by Steve at Sunday, September 30, 2007
5 Comments:
With the drought right now how are you going with actually filling the tank to the full 12,500 litres?
I've considered a rain tank for our place here in Townsville, but with everything else we are working on it's kind of on the back-burner until we get some more things done.
Does Victoria has rebate scheme for installing rain-water tanks?
Bill - yes Vic does, but you don't want to claim it ... as the Govt will send someone out to clamp a METRE to your free rainwater and CHARGE you for usage.
Your taxes, in action.
Thanks for the comments. I assume the water-meter on your tank is in jest(?). Although I could see it coming true one day... Sewerage charges from properties are based on a percentage of your water consumption, so any significant change is consumption will result in savings on your sewer bill too.
Oh ....regarding the drought, and ability to fill the tank:-
1mm of rain collects 400 litres of water (...I am collecting from 100% of the roof area). So I need 30mm of rain to fill the tank. The tank has been collecting water for about 6 weeks now - it is two-thirds full.
If the up-coming summer is like the last one, I will no doubt empty the tank.
In an average year we (used to) get about 600mm of rain. If we get one-third of that in a drought, then the total rainwater collected annually would be about 240,000 litres. Hence the need for more storage!
It would be great to catch most of that water. Townsville's an interesting area because although we are in the tropics we are in a rain shadow. They used to advise people not to get a rain water tank here because of how the rainfall is (don't know the details) but I think with the drought they are now recommending it.
I wonder if you are allowed rain water tanks in the new communities up here. You aren't even allowed to put in a hills hoist in most of the new suburbs.
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