Is your family’s health at risk from dirty water? 5 Essential tips from the tank level indicator experts
1: Visual Tank Inspections Every 6 Months
Check your rainwater quality for clarity and smell, this can be the first indication that water in your tank is detreating. Regular testing of your water quality is essential, and kits are not expensive or hard to find.
2: Clean your gutters
Gutters can be a collection point for vegetation, dead animals, and other nasties. These can not only block your pipes but can clog up your Basket Strainer. Gutters should be checked every 3 to 6 months
3: Check Basket Strainer
Remove leaves and other debris from the strainer. These can easily build up and allow contaminants to enter the water tank. Check for rips and holes and replace, if necessary, they range in price from $20 to $100 and can be found at most hardware stores
4: De-sludge tank every 2 years
The recommendation from the Australian Department of Health is to check for accumulated sediments every 2 to 3 years. There are 3 main ways to clean the sludge from your tank, and depending on your circumstance you can pick the most ideal: –
- If your water tank level indicator is reading low enough to empty the tank, you could consider hosing out the sludge. If this is possible to do then this can clean your tank the most thoroughly. However, in a lot of cases the water tank level is deemed too high, and some tanks are not accessible to the standard person
- Purchase a rainwater tank vacuum and undertake the cleaning yourself. This can be an extremely risky task if you do not know what you are doing, and can also be extremely expensive, with professional pumps costing $1000’s. Check your water tank level sensor to make sure there is enough water in the tank to do this, as some water will be lost in the cleaning process
- Hire a professional company to clean your tank. This is the most viable, cost-effective option, especially if your water tank level indicator is reading high enough for a small loss of water, as up to 10% of your water tank level can be lost during cleaning. The cost to clean a 100,000L tank should be around $500 and take around 4-5 hours.
5: Open your First Flush Diverter
Before the first rains of the seasons come, open your first flush diverter to allow the vegetation, sediment, and other undesirables from your roof, to be diverted from your water tank. The time between rains can be excessive and a lot of potential contaminants can build up on your roof. If your water tank level sensor is not reading too high, it can be tempting to put the first rains in your rainwater tank, but this is not recommended