Fran Farmer wrote:
....
A friend of ours used to have a first flush diverter on his household
rainwater tank (cistern in USian) but took it off after a year or so
because he found it flushed away too much water and a short passing
shower would result in his not getting any water into his tank
(cistern). And dust or crap settles to the bottom of the tank in a very
short time and is not a worry until it becomes time to desludge the
tank. the tank (cistern) was to supply water for all his household use
so the loss of any water was a problem.

that must be a fun job!

in a place where there are distinct rainy seasons it
would probably be worth letting the first rains
go with the diverter on and then after things are
rinsed off it could be turned off.

my sister had to have their cistern cleaned out as
when it was installed the contractor put it down too
deep and when they weren't around the top lip got filled
over and then a lot of stuff got in so they had to
get the gunk out and put on a taller lip and ... they're
all set up now and have actual heat and running water.
been a long road for her with the property and having
enough $ to put up a house and have it habitable. now
she finally has a place away from the city like she's
always wanted.

i don't think they have rain water collection set up
yet which will be a shame as it will be a higher likely
rainfall year with El Nino. her partner is a gardener
and also is learning how to forage and prepare native
plants. still haven't met him yet (it's a long haul
from here to there and i hate flying).


songbird