Diverters Pumps & More

FIRST FLUSH SYSTEMS:
Between downpours your roof collects contaminants from the surrounding environment: - bird and animal droppings pollution from vehicles stoves and heaters dust from the atmosphere as well as chemicals from roof coatings and sealants.These are all washed down into your tank with the first flow of rainwater.

First Flush Water Diverters are a critical component of your rainwater management system. They prevent the first most contaminated water from reaching your tank improving both the quality and safety of the water helping to extend the life of pumps and internal appliances such as washing machines & dishwashers and reducing tank maintenance by ensuring it is filled with cleaner water.

The amount of water diverted should be a minimum of 20 litres per 100 square metres of roof area (or 0.2L per m2). In calculating the amount of water to divert consideration should be given to (1) the surface area of the roof " and (2) the amount of pollutants on the roof and gutters.

PUMPS:
With an increasing popularity to pump water rather than use gravitational flow manufacturers can supply a range of pumps that are able to meet your needs both to provide basic flow and to support a fully automated garden irrigation system.

Rainwater pumps should be selected with three things in mind:

APPLICATION
RELIABILITY
NOISE

You will therefore need to know the pressures and flows that you’ll require. For example a shower and lawn sprinkler requires 15 litres per minute (lpm) at 140kPa. However if you are running an irrigation system you might need 60lpm at 400kPa. Work backwards from the number of appliances that you want to run at the same time - add them together and this will give you your required flow rate. The relevant pressure required is determined by the pipe size used and the length of the pipe. If you stick to 25mm or larger and you won’t run into problems around the home and as a general rule multistage pumps deliver the highest pressures. A professional will be able to offer sound advice once you have a clear idea of your application.

Reliability can be determined by several factors: — suitability to the application materials of construction quality of the installation " water quality and pump and controller quality. Noise on domestic pumps is governed by EPA guidelines that set-out time blocks and maximum noise levels at the closest point to your neighbour’s house. The amount of noise generated by a pump is of course dependant on its type.

LEVEL GAUGES:
A very handy device for your tank is a water level gauge. These range from simple dipstick through mechanical float ⁄ stick devices (the higher the stick is above the tank the more water you have) to wireless electronic sensors which send the water level information to a receiver in the house. The choice of device is yours but can sometimes be dictated by the type of tank you own " and its location.

LEAF GUARDS:
Leaf guards can be fitted to either the full length of your house guttering " or as a separate trap (often called a rain head) fitted to any downpipe leading to the tank inlet. Leaves can quickly block downpipes and guards often come as part of the tank package. If not you should consider fitting one before you begin capturing rainwater.