3 Essential Accessories for Your New Rainwater Tank
Posted on: 24 November 2015
Installing a rainwater tank is an increasingly popular choice for Australian homeowners. This is partly due to the reduced environmental impact that a rainwater tank provides for a home. It's also partly due to the significant savings homeowners make on their ever increasing water bills. If you're considering having a rainwater tank installed in your home, then you may feel confused about the plethora of different accessories that are available for your tank. Here are the three essentials that you can't do without.
1. A leaf and light guard
Most rainwater tanks come with mesh guards for the inlet pipes as standard. However, these mesh guards have a fairly loose weave and are only designed to catch larger sticks and leaves. Smaller debris and dirt particles will still enter your tank and potentially affect the water quality.
A specialised leaf and light guard is the solution to this problem. It is a densely woven mesh, which is generally made from polyester. This guard will filter out very small particles of debris and dirt and is highly effective if cleaned regularly. The guard is also made from dark, UV resistant polyester. This means your tank is shielded from excess sunlight which can cause algae growth.
2. A first flush diverter
A first flush diverter is a small accessory which is installed near the inlet pipes. Its purpose is to divert the initial flow of water that is collected from your roof's gutters when it rains. This means that debris and dirt that has settled in your gutters will be flushed away instead of gathering in your mesh guards.
This is an excellent accessory because it dramatically reduces the amount of debris your mesh guard needs to filter out. The life of the mesh guard will be extended significantly and you won't need to clean it out as frequently.
3. A water tank gauge
If you're relying on your rainwater tank to provide you home with its water requirements, then it's important to know exactly how much water you have at any given time. Without a water tank gauge, this is almost impossible because the interior of the tank is too dark to see the water level with any accuracy.
Water tank gauges come in a variety of models, from basic through to high-tech. A basic gauge will simply tell you how many litres of water are in your tank. A more high-tech version will also tell you the water temperature and your daily water consumption, and will also allow you to set alarms to let you know if your tank reaches a critically low level.
These accessories will help you to get the best out of your tank, improve the quality of your water, and increase ease of use. Generally, these accessories can be supplied and installed by your water tank supplier when they're installing your rainwater tank.
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