When kept in a properly fitted and maintained food-grade rainwater tank, rainwater from your roof is a precious resource that is safe to consume. For high-quality drinking water, NSW Health emphasizes the need of a well-maintained rainwater tank. Mains water is advised in metropolitan areas since individuals frequently neglect this duty or lack the knowledge necessary to maintain their water tanks. Read more about Rainwater Tank Treatment Western Australia by visiting our website and if you have any questions related to this topic, connect with us.
Easy Maintenance for Water Tanks
Water tank maintenance is not hard and often entails:
checking your tank, gutters, and exterior roof as least every six months
clearing away sediment buildup (referred to as “sludge”) that has developed at the bottom of your tank and doing an inside inspection every two to three years.
Sludge is normally safe, but if it gets into your pump or home pipes, it might create issues (you don’t want to swallow it). Any extra sludge may be removed by installing an automatic tank cleaning equipment, such the TankVac Self-Cleaning System, siphoning it out manually, or contracting a water tank cleaning firm.
Checklist for Routine Tank Inspections
Every six months, it’s crucial to check your roof or catchment area, including the gutters, any openings or exits to your tank, any additional accessories, and any screens. The following is a list of locations you should check:
Verify the structural soundness of the tank, including the access cover and roof. It goes without saying that any gaps or holes should be fixed.
Look for collected garbage, leaves, droppings, dead insects, and similar items on roofs. All content has to be cleaned. Make sure your water tank is unplugged from the water flow if you think your roof needs to be cleaned.
Check for and clear any accumulated leaves and debris from gutters, leaf filters, and first flush devices. As needed, clear the first flush device of any obstructions and water.
Make that the inflow and overflow screens on your tank and any attachments are clean, fastened, and undamaged. These keep rodents, frogs, and mosquitoes out of your tank. If damaged, fix it as needed and check the inside of your tank.
Examine the interior for signs of insects, animals, mosquitoes, or algae. If there are any, locate them and make sure all light ingress is completely blocked and any access points are securely shut.
The mains switch, pipelines, pump, and tank fittings should all be inspected to make sure they are in good operating condition and don’t require any repairs.
Important: When cleaning, make sure to unplug your tank!
Advice on Cutting Down on Maintenance
Making sure your roof, gutters, and accessories are clean and clear of debris like as leaves, droppings, dead insects, and the like is the most crucial and time-consuming part of properly maintaining your tank. The greatest way to lower your maintenance is to take preventative measures, such as:
Maintain the security and cleanliness of your inlet/outlet screens. If you anticipate rain, quickly clean your screens and reinstall them right away. This will assist guarantee the best possible water flow when the rain arrives and takes less than a minute.
pruning any trees or branches that hang over your house or are close by. This will prevent possums from scuttling across your roof and leaf buildup. When they emerge at night to forage for food, they won’t be able to deposit droppings on your roof if there aren’t any trees or branches for them to scuttle across.
Another frequent event that produces tar-like droppings is fruit bats. Avoiding this is difficult, particularly if bats frequently fly over your house at night. Installing filtration at your tap is very advised as you most definitely do not want runoff to wind up in your drinking water.
Bird droppings may land on your roof if they are flying over your house and playing on or near your TV antennae. If they have developed a habit of perching on your antennas, you might want to think about shifting them to overhang the side of your house instead of buying an air gun.
In addition to following these guidelines, try your best to look for and clear any additional leaves and debris during your six-month inspection.
Handling Polluted Water
If contamination is discovered or suspected, remove it as needed and use a suitable amount of non-stabilized chlorine (about 5 mg/liter) to disinfect your tank water. This amounts to 40 milliliters/1000 liters of sodium hypochlorite or 7 grams/1000 liters of calcium hypochlorite. A suitable kit should be used for chlorine testing. Installing water filtration at your tap is something you should think about. Any contamination you might not be aware of can be avoided with the proper filtering, particularly between examinations. It is advised to use a dual cartridge filtration system: one to filter out silt and heavy metals that may be in the air due to heavy traffic, industrial pollution, smelters, and similar activities, and another to chlorinate and filter out dangerous bacteria and cysts. For assistance in selecting the filtration and disinfection techniques most suited for the pollutants you must eliminate, it is advised that you speak with a water treatment professional.
