The Chartwell household/ drinking water tank of rainwater collected from the roof has a nominal capacity of 20,000 litres. Based on average estimated daily water usage of approximately 600 litres, this represent just over 30 days’ supply.
As anyone who relies on the forces of nature can confirm, you need to be water-wise-aware and you should best keep tabs on the comings and goings – the rainfall and the usage. You could, as has happened to the neighbours across the way, end up paying for a tanker-load or two of water at the rate of $360 per trip!
We keep very accurate rainfall data, so the amount of rain is simple to track – to convert these millimetres to litres is a bit of a sticky point, as there may be leaks, and also the garden tank on the other side of the house also gets a small share. We will investigate that a bit more fully after attending to the plumbing there. In total every millimetre of rain should represent 250 litres of usable water. Using my long-lost arithmetic, one would need 80mm of rain to fill an empty tank.
We also take readings of the water level in the tank using a simple calibrated home-made dipstick generally immediately after a rainfall period, and record the readings with the rainfall data. Over the past week, we’ve had gentle drizzle-showers on and off.
This morning when I saw the reading above 20,000, I said to myself, “Hello, hello, at 20,450 litres shouldn’t the tank be overflowing into the reserve tank?”
It was really a rhetorical self-quiz, because I immediately went around the back to query the matter with the overflow system manager. The overflow system manager is a grand name for an 80mm diameter PVC which runs down at a slant from the main tank to the reserve tank. It sounds a lot more posh is I call it a “system manager” and not simply a plastic pipe. The pipe is cunningly hidden from view by a forest of tall hydrangeas.
I couldn’t see the manager clearly through the dense foliage, but I listened for water running into the empty reserve vessel. Nothing at all.
Wait a mo… Over there where the pipe exits the main tank, I detect something like dripping-running water. What the…
I grab the secateurs and start pruning the offensive barricaded area. When a path is finally clear, I can see the water flowing from the outlet. But not inside the pipe via the system manager! It was leaking at the exit hole next to the pipe!
Bad naughty system manager! We will have to schedule a disciplinary hearing for you…
(Above) Clearly one could see the (cleaned) path of the rivulet of water running down the outside of the main tank.
(Above) The whole setup was wobbly and moved around freely. The exit pipe was not glued to the outlet either. Someone had previously used a silicone mastic as sealant, without much success.
I drove down to Farmlands in Waikanae in search of a threaded collar and ring-nut, plus a waterproof sealant. Nope, no luck – I need to go through to Param to the plumbing centre. Tomorrow is Anzac Day, so with many shops closed,that sounds like a Saturday trip, I guess.
(Above): Back home, if I wiggle the outlet just so, I can guide the path of most of the overflow, with only a small fraction leaking past.
With cunning use of my knowledge of hydraulics and my ever-so-slightly renowned engineering skills, I have devised and fitted a Heath-Robinson-type “gasket” to the outlet pipe, which seems as if it will do the trick until Saturday. It’s actually a strip of compressed newspaper…)
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