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Was it worth it?
I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the
necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! I suppose if the drought doesn't break in about a year's time I won't be washing in bottled water but still... Regards Bruce |
Does make you wonder?
When I bought my current house (in town) a little over 12 years ago I approached the council about putting in a rainwater tank and was told I could lodge the necessary BA but it would be rejected because it wasn't necessary and their policy was to reject such applications. I had been living on acres for many, many years and used to limiting water usage at dry times, but I do like drinking unadulaterated rainwater.....hey, a little frog's **** adds to the flavour, but they wouldn't permit that......NOW, it's a different story and they are giving a 'rebate' to fit a tank!!! Some may say 'the times they are a changin' I'm the first to agree they have to, but it does seem a complete turnaround to their 'policies' 12 years ago, only because it suited the powers-that-be. HC ;-) BCL wrote: I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! I suppose if the drought doesn't break in about a year's time I won't be washing in bottled water but still... Regards Bruce |
g'day bruce,
dunno 3 years ago we bought a 4,500 litre tank for around $700, and the last 24,400 litre tanks we bought cost $1800 each, but as an observation from one that relies on tank water 5,000 litres won't last long with continual use if there is no rain to top it up my advice to gardeners is got for around 9,000 to 15,000 litres at least. of course available space comes into play as always. len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
"BCL" wrote in message ... I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Geeze, I pay ten times that for my water! The water itself is actually free but I have to pay to have it delivered by truck. I don't understand why water, which is becoming more and more precious these days, is still so cheap. Amy |
"BCL" wrote in message ... I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! I suppose if the drought doesn't break in about a year's time I won't be washing in bottled water but still... Regards Bruce Yes, now you can thumb your nose at the bureaucrats who want to stop car washing & gardening. Selfish *******s don't want anyone to enjoy life just coz they don't have one. Jim In sunny SW Qld. Will storm today. I washed the rain gauge. |
BCL wrote:
Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board Where are you? I understood that in sydney, you actually had to connect it to your toilet to get the cash back. Not much good to us as we already have two rainwater tanks, which lets us water what we want whenever. |
We have installed 4 tanks for the garden and a tank for excess water, to
flush the toilet. At present the cost of installing these tanks isn't 'worth' the money, as water in Australia is so cheap. However, water restrictions will probably increase, rather than decrease ,in the future. Global warming is here to stay, and Australia will get dryer as a continent as a result. We water our whole yard on the tank water during summer, and throughout the rest of the seasons we flush the water down the toilet. Between 2 people we use less than 200 litres of 'town water' per day. This is the amount that would be allowed on a level 5 water restriction. Do you think Sydney is going to have even more severe water shortages than it has now ? From recent 'studies' it indicates that this will be the case. Unfortunately our politicians and the bureaucrats that run our country only need to worry about a 4 year term. They don't have very many, if any sustainable long term plans in regards to water planning, including grey water systems. So your tanks in 5 years time may seem more 'worth it' than they do now. Monetarily you may not recoup your loses for some time, but you will find that continues water restrictions hamper they 'water way of life' we have become accustomed to. www.auckett.net/permaculture SG1 wrote: "BCL" wrote in message ... I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! I suppose if the drought doesn't break in about a year's time I won't be washing in bottled water but still... Regards Bruce Yes, now you can thumb your nose at the bureaucrats who want to stop car washing & gardening. Selfish *******s don't want anyone to enjoy life just coz they don't have one. Jim In sunny SW Qld. Will storm today. I washed the rain gauge. |
Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on
reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! Why do people need to be recompensed to encourage them to do something that will ceate a greater good (i.e saving of water)? And not being able to wash a car? Gee....life must be tough if this is anyone's main problem. Charles -- yes I am an idealist. -- If some days are diamonds & some days are stone -- Then some days I live in a quarry!! |
with you charles,
whilst ever folk hold out for some cash reward things will never change. we live in rural qld no mention of reimbursing rural folk, bit one sided hey? but then if we don't do it then we don't got no water hey? that simple. with all these city folks panicking because they can't water the lawn or wash the rust bucket, how many times do they flush waste water (urine) down the toilet with perfectly good drinking water?? how many have given up showers so they can share the same bath water? how many use their grey water for lawns (wastefull folley) and/or gardens? how many use good looking bath water to wash a few clothes? might be get real time or at least bite the bullet time? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
"len gardener" wrote in message
... with you charles, whilst ever folk hold out for some cash reward things will never change. we live in rural qld no mention of reimbursing rural folk, bit one sided hey? but then if we don't do it then we don't got no water hey? that simple. with all these city folks panicking because they can't water the lawn or wash the rust bucket, how many times do they flush waste water (urine) down the toilet with perfectly good drinking water?? how many have given up showers so they can share the same bath water? how many use their grey water for lawns (wastefull folley) and/or gardens? how many use good looking bath water to wash a few clothes? might be get real time or at least bite the bullet time? len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' Every time a storm goes over here, I think about how I'd love to have another 6 or so 5000 gallon poly rainwater tanks...sigh. And no-one looks at subsidising any of it for me! Whenever I travel to the smoke, I am buying bottled water like there's no tomorrow because the tap water tastes like crap. If I lived in suburbia, and the council was going to give me a rebate, I'd jump at the chance to have decent drinking water! A 2-stage decent water filter on the outlet, a bit of regular maintenance in keeping your roof clean, a first-flush bypass to reduce contaminents, and you have damn fine water! Just my thoughts, but there are a lot of other things I would forego to have rainwater on tap... Cheers, Rod.......Out Back |
The funny thing is, you get a much higher rebate percentage wise for
installing a solar water heater than you do water tanks. Having lived in the inner city, I know that you can force the price of water up all you like, but if you don't have the space, you can't store water. I think the current rebates for water tanks are pathetic, and there should not be a blanket price for the rebate, perhaps the rebate could cover actual costs of plumbing the tank into the house water system. That is by far the most expensive part, especially if you have to use pumps and valves. The plumbing I can do, but the electician is expensive for the pumps. The actual tank instal couldn't be easier, prepare the ground and plonk it down. I am actually looking at tanks at the moment, and it isn't cheap! I'd love to store a lot of water here, and space for the tanks is O.K for a surburban block, but the fact that I must have the tanks plumbed into my house plumbing to get the rebate is making it difficult to justify...I just want the rain water for the garden and to wash the cars, why shouldn't I get a rebate for that use? It's still saving water after all..... Regards, Andrew. Kirsty wrote: We have installed 4 tanks for the garden and a tank for excess water, to flush the toilet. At present the cost of installing these tanks isn't 'worth' the money, as water in Australia is so cheap. However, water restrictions will probably increase, rather than decrease ,in the future. Global warming is here to stay, and Australia will get dryer as a continent as a result. We water our whole yard on the tank water during summer, and throughout the rest of the seasons we flush the water down the toilet. Between 2 people we use less than 200 litres of 'town water' per day. This is the amount that would be allowed on a level 5 water restriction. Do you think Sydney is going to have even more severe water shortages than it has now ? From recent 'studies' it indicates that this will be the case. Unfortunately our politicians and the bureaucrats that run our country only need to worry about a 4 year term. They don't have very many, if any sustainable long term plans in regards to water planning, including grey water systems. So your tanks in 5 years time may seem more 'worth it' than they do now. Monetarily you may not recoup your loses for some time, but you will find that continues water restrictions hamper they 'water way of life' we have become accustomed to. www.auckett.net/permaculture SG1 wrote: "BCL" wrote in message ... I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! I suppose if the drought doesn't break in about a year's time I won't be washing in bottled water but still... Regards Bruce Yes, now you can thumb your nose at the bureaucrats who want to stop car washing & gardening. Selfish *******s don't want anyone to enjoy life just coz they don't have one. Jim In sunny SW Qld. Will storm today. I washed the rain gauge. |
Well, Mr Idealist, perhaps you could give me some of your ideal money
for my tanks then. Perhaps it's better not to assume you know of one's situation before you comment. Some people have to save money to purchase several thousand dollars worth of tanks, and it's not a trivial amount. Why shouldn't people receive rebates? I bet you take any rebate you can get.... Regards, Andrew. Charles wrote: Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! Why do people need to be recompensed to encourage them to do something that will ceate a greater good (i.e saving of water)? And not being able to wash a car? Gee....life must be tough if this is anyone's main problem. Charles -- yes I am an idealist. |
With all due respect,
I agree that SOME city people use ridiculous amounts of water, I have seen it. But by far the biggest wasters of water in large cities are businesses. But you have to consider that installing a tank in a surburban area is not as easy as backing up that 32ft tray truck the tanks come in on, hoisting it up with the Hiab crane and plonking it down into position. I know that's how it's done in the country, but what do you do if you have no access to the place you want the tank to go? Who pays for the crane hire? It increases the costs of a tank install a LOT, and that's probably why larger towns get the rebate, to offset costs a bit. You do know a small crane costs at least $500 an hour? Most rural properties also have simple gravity fed tank systems, urban installations are far more complex. Often the tank wil be downhill from the house, requiring pumps. So what if someone wants to wash their car with the rainwater they save? Isn't it far better than using town water? Did you know that in large cities you have to wash your car? The pollution pretty quickly destroys them if you don't, and a lot of us can't afford to swap cars every 3 years......most people I know don't water their lawns either...... It's not a cash reward, it's a rebate. For some, that money may be the difference between installing a tank and not. Have you considered that some people don't have a spare $1500 for even a modest tank??? It's easy to be idealistic if you don't have to live the situation..... Regards, Andrew. len gardener wrote: with you charles, whilst ever folk hold out for some cash reward things will never change. we live in rural qld no mention of reimbursing rural folk, bit one sided hey? but then if we don't do it then we don't got no water hey? that simple. with all these city folks panicking because they can't water the lawn or wash the rust bucket, how many times do they flush waste water (urine) down the toilet with perfectly good drinking water?? how many have given up showers so they can share the same bath water? how many use their grey water for lawns (wastefull folley) and/or gardens? how many use good looking bath water to wash a few clothes? might be get real time or at least bite the bullet time? len snipped |
Washing the rain gauge worked 26.2mm in overnight storms. First decent fall
for a while. Jim |
"Andrew Puddifer" wrote in message
... With all due respect, I agree that SOME city people use ridiculous amounts of water, I have seen it. But by far the biggest wasters of water in large cities are businesses. But you have to consider that installing a tank in a surburban area is not as easy as backing up that 32ft tray truck the tanks come in on, hoisting it up with the Hiab crane and plonking it down into position. I know that's how it's done in the country, but what do you do if you have no access to the place you want the tank to go? Who pays for the crane hire? It increases the costs of a tank install a LOT, and that's probably why larger towns get the rebate, to offset costs a bit. You do know a small crane costs at least $500 an hour? Most rural properties also have simple gravity fed tank systems, urban installations are far more complex. Often the tank wil be downhill from the house, requiring pumps. So what if someone wants to wash their car with the rainwater they save? Isn't it far better than using town water? Did you know that in large cities you have to wash your car? The pollution pretty quickly destroys them if you don't, and a lot of us can't afford to swap cars every 3 years......most people I know don't water their lawns either...... It's not a cash reward, it's a rebate. For some, that money may be the difference between installing a tank and not. Have you considered that some people don't have a spare $1500 for even a modest tank??? It's easy to be idealistic if you don't have to live the situation..... Regards, Andrew. Andrew, As a matter of fact, it IS just as easy as backing up a truck! 3 or 4 people can roll a 3000 gallon poly tank off a truck, and move it into position easily(would you like names??). Most of these tanks have the option to be supplied with first flush diverter and pressure pump. Not hard to do. The bloke who has delivered our poly tanks(Mostly 3,000 & 5,000 gallon) for 5 years now doesnt own a Hi-ab on his truck and he would have delivered a few hundred in this district alone in this time. He just rolls them off the truck. Most people in places like Brisbane that I have seen buying a tank are getting something in the 750-1000 gallon size (~3200 - 4000L) of poly tank, and these are easy to move around with a few people. Hooking them up is about a half-hour once you have the bits & pieces. Adding a rainwater tank is not a hard thing. Pressure pumps do away with the need for tank stands, and poly tanks are more robustly handled than a corrugated iron tank. I hardly think many people are looking to buy something large enough to need a hi-ab. Cheers, Rod.......Out Back (Who actually does use his Hi-ab to move his stock water tanks & troughs...) |
there was a lot of other points imentioned in my post andrew,
when i lived in the city i installed a 1,000 gallon tank rolled it off the truck slid it under the high set house, installed on demand elect' pump that came with a 3 pin lead attached too easy! ran some pipe to the kitchen and a tap hey presto, no worries oh and no rebates then either. at that time the tank, bypass filter system and pump came as a special deal so shop around hey, you may be surprised how far a tank manufacturer will go to sell a tank. in rural we had to pay for 3 x 5,000 gallon tanks at a cost of around $1800 each buy elect' on demand pump and plumb it into the house we pay for more power because each time we need water the pump comes on and guess what no rebates not even on the power. would like a couple more but then money don't come cheap. from what i see buy and large city folk can be very wastefull how many do you know that use some of the oprions i mentioned in my earlier post? my guess not many at all. len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
Andrew Puddifer wrote:
Well, Mr Idealist, perhaps you could give me some of your ideal money for my tanks then. Why? Why should anyone need to get rebates for doing something that's environmentally sensible? And since I am a low-paid retail drone I don't really have enough money to buy a tank for myself, let alone give some to someone else. Perhaps it's better not to assume you know of one's situation before you comment. Where on earth did I make an assumption about *anyone's* situation? Perhaps it's better to try some English comprehension lessons before criticising another's post? Some people have to save money to purchase several thousand dollars worth of tanks, and it's not a trivial amount. No indeed, as I said above I can't afford to get one myself. There's no rebate where I live so that doesn't come into it. But the lack of a rebate won't stop me buying a tank (I don't need anyone to give me a handout to encourage me)...I'll buy one when I can afford it regardless. Why shouldn't people receive rebates? I bet you take any rebate you can get.... Of course I would...if I am entitled why shouldn't I take it? (although as I said...my council is so backwards -- or poor -- that it doesn't offer rebates for tanks) Oh...and where did I say people shouldn't get rebates? I was commenting on some people bitching about not getting a big enough rebate and implying (to my mind at least) that if there was no rebate they'd not be bothering to conserve this wet watery stuff...something that I regard as a poor reflection on them (and maybe society as a whole) And others were whinging about not being allowed to wash their cars for goodness sake! As though that's an essential of life. I just don't think any sensible person should *need* a rebate to do something environmentally responible. (Or to see that it's far better to have a dirty car than to waste water when it's scarce) Charles -- If some days are diamonds & some days are stone -- Then some days I live in a quarry!! |
Andrew Puddifer wrote:
With all due respect, (But precious little understanding or comprehension.) So what if someone wants to wash their car with the rainwater they save? Isn't it far better than using town water? Of course it's better to use rainwater to wash your car...bathe in it for all I care...geez drink it even...The poster I was commenting on was bitching about bureaucrat not letting him/her use water to water the garden or wash the car....that was *NOT* using rainwater but water board provided treated costly water, as the bureaucrats can't stop you from using your rainwater for whatever you want...well....maybe not for feeding a still to make moonshine..but you get what I mean...no...actually *you* probably don't...Oh god why did I start this post?? Did you know that in large cities you have to wash your car? The pollution pretty quickly destroys them if you don't, and a lot of us can't afford to swap cars every 3 years......most people I know don't water their lawns either...... I don't believe this...not with modern metal finishing and paint technology...cite please? It's not a cash reward, it's a rebate. For some, that money may be the difference between installing a tank and not. Have you considered that some people don't have a spare $1500 for even a modest tank??? A modest poly tank costs far less than that even out here in western Qld. Charles -- If some days are diamonds & some days are stone -- Then some days I live in a quarry!! |
"SG1" wrote:
Washing the rain gauge worked 26.2mm in overnight storms. First decent fall for a while. Jim Congrats Jim...we had some storm and rain today too..hopefully the farmers around the area got more. Charles -- If some days are diamonds & some days are stone -- Then some days I live in a quarry!! |
Followed up with another 58.8mm yesterday arvo & overnight. The swamp (yard)
now needs a day or two to dry out. At least the harvest is over now only minor wet days during it. Maybe the local cockies can get in a summer crop or 7. Jim "Charles" wrote in message ... "SG1" wrote: Washing the rain gauge worked 26.2mm in overnight storms. First decent fall for a while. Jim Congrats Jim...we had some storm and rain today too..hopefully the farmers around the area got more. Charles -- If some days are diamonds & some days are stone -- Then some days I live in a quarry!! |
Kirsty writes:
We have installed 4 tanks for the garden and a tank for excess water, to flush the toilet. At present the cost of installing these tanks isn't 'worth' the money, as water in Australia is so cheap. The available water might prove its worth if you are in bushfire area. Do you think Sydney is going to have even more severe water shortages than it has now ? From recent 'studies' it indicates that this will be the case. Sydney to experience up to 100 days per year when the temp exceeds 30 degrees by mid-century, if some predictions are to be believed. Well, that part of Sydney which is still above water after the polar ice has melted and raised the sea levels. :-( -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
Andrew Puddifer wrote:
With all due respect, I agree that SOME city people use ridiculous amounts of water, I have seen it. But by far the biggest wasters of water in large cities are businesses. But you have to consider that installing a tank in a surburban area is not as easy as backing up that 32ft tray truck the tanks come in on, hoisting it up with the Hiab crane and plonking it down into position. I know that's how it's done in the country, but what do you do if you have no access to the place you want the tank to go? Who pays for the crane hire? These days tanks can be brought in on a trailer. I'm building a house on an acreage with no town water. A 96000 litre tank has just been installed. The water container is a bladder and the colorbond ring arrives in panels. Easy peasy, japanesey.. no cranes.. no rolling massive poly tanks off the back of a truck. cheerio... aprill |
Andrew Puddifer wrote:
but the fact that I must have the tanks plumbed into my house plumbing to get the rebate is making it difficult to justify... If "they" were serious about saving water, they would be reducing demand by encouraging composting and non-flush toilets, thus saving an average of 40% on water usage for each household. We are looking at "recycling" grey water before additional water tanks, although the recycling will require another water tank (at least). The "cost" of plumbing and the running cost in electricity is another major discouragement. I doubt if my local council would be happy with the installation of a windmill for water pumping on my suburban lot. |
Aprill wrote:
The water container is a bladder and the colorbond ring arrives in panels. Easy peasy, japanesey.. no cranes.. no rolling massive poly tanks off the back of a truck. Brand? On the other point, my width and height limitation is what will fit under my neighbour's rolladoor. We then fling it over the back fence. |
"BCL" wrote in message ... I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! If you are relying on rain to fill the tank what happens when there is no rain? No washing the car and the garden goes brown? Perhaps it wasn't worth it, because it doesn't take long to use up a tank load of water. Amy |
g'day amy,
we have yup no rain and an empty tank says it all you can buy water though. we have 3 X 5,400 gallon tanks, when they are full they last a long time, we also monitor water use and check tank levels to see when some belt tightening is needed. we don't wash rust buckets we wait until it rains for that event, as some city folk do and we don't water lawns as some other city folk do. we share a bath (no showers they are wastefull and also very hard to monitor water usage, plus unless you have the shower over a tub you can't save the water for other uses). we use a waterless composting toilet (now don't lots of city folk turn their noses up at that idea oh don't worry so do those who move to rural and won't give up the bad habits). our grey water goes to the food trees. we use a twin tub washer and one load of water generally does all the washing as does 1 load of rinse water we wash the cleanest stuff first, and on those occassion that the bath water doesn't look that dirty we use it in the w/machine. we water vegetable or food plants only no roses or pansies here. and in dry spells when rain is scarce we leave grass long as cutting it dries out what moisture you may have. and then it's just mulch, mulch, mulch and more mulch, end result we don't water our citrus or stone fruit trees. generally you will find anyone in the city who buys a tank will only buy something of 1,000 gallons or less in lots of cases available space limits the choice, but there are still lots of folk who could put in biger tanks ie.,. 3,000+ gallon sizes. we save all our night water so nu flushing that with good drinking water here it goes to select vegetables after adding some water to make it go further. now imagine if more city folk bit those bullets maybe just maybe there wouldn't be a water shortage. i could go on but better put the soap box away for now. len On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 04:11:46 GMT, "Amy Lou" wrote: "BCL" wrote in message .. . I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! If you are relying on rain to fill the tank what happens when there is no rain? No washing the car and the garden goes brown? Perhaps it wasn't worth it, because it doesn't take long to use up a tank load of water. Amy -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 04:11:46 GMT, "Amy Lou"
wrote: "BCL" wrote in message .. . I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). Admittedly I will get $400 back from the water board but wonder on reflection whether it was worth the money and effort just to be able to water the garden and wash the car! If you are relying on rain to fill the tank what happens when there is no rain? No washing the car and the garden goes brown? Perhaps it wasn't worth it, because it doesn't take long to use up a tank load of water. No I am not worried about filling them I am more annoyed about the water that will be running out the overflow. The problem is finding space for them, I opted for a couple of 2500 litre tanks purely because finding a space to put them without obstructing or reducing the convenience and use of the block was hard to do. I should say I live on a large flat block with an old weatherboard cottage on it so compared to the McMansions on a postage stamp block that most people seem to buy today I am probably spoilt for choice. but even so it was hard finding a place near the best water source that didn't require council approval etc etc (they don't provided certain rules are foillowed.) Actually I don't wash my car (maybe once or twice a year) because I use my bike or walk most places and I rarely water the garden but I think you will be amazed how much water actually falls in a rainstorm, I square metre covered in 1mm of water is a litre. I live in the Illawarra and the average annual rainfall is about 1340 mm . So even a 6 by 6 metre garage would collect 48000 litres per annum (I hope my maths is right) The lowest average monthly rainfall of 60mm in July from the same garage would yield 2100 litres (and the highest monthly rainfall is over twice that) and I am actually collecting from about 3 times that area. even if the 60mm a month was to become the norm I think the tanks would be kept reasonably full. About 10 minutes after I finished plumbing (I use the word loosely) the tank on the side of my house a thunderstorm erupted and the heavens opened. My youngest son was fascinated by the water escaping from the 1mm hole at the base of the first flush device and he collected five bucket fulls from that source alone. One relatively short rainstorm nearly half filled one 2500 litre tank merely a couple of days after it was plonked in place. Somebody asked about the rebate you get, it is $150 for up to 4000 litre $400 for 4000 to 7000 litre and $500 for over 7000. plus you also can get an additional $150 if you plumb it into the toilet and/or washing machine. To be honest in an old house like mine the latter isn't worth the effort you would be better off using buckets. retro fitting is expensive. This is from Sydney Water which covers my bit of the Illawarra too. Regards Bruce |
On 21 Nov 2004 10:31:45 GMT, Charles wrote:
Oh...and where did I say people shouldn't get rebates? I was commenting on some people bitching about not getting a big enough rebate and implying (to my mind at least) that if there was no rebate they'd not be bothering to conserve this wet watery stuff...something that I regard as a poor reflection on them (and maybe society as a whole) If anyone has limited comprehension it appears to be you, Just where was anyone bitching? The original message merely an ironic comment on the amount paid out to store less than $5 worth of water. As it was obvious from the message the system had been installed then it would be a reasonable assumption that one wouldn't have done it if one didn't think it was worth it. The rebate was neither here nor there. The only bitching is by you whinging about someone doing something that you think is a good thing but that you haven't done yourself. For goodness sake wake up to yourself stop behaving like a whining loser. Regards Bruce |
"BCL" wrote About 10 minutes after I finished plumbing (I use the word loosely) the tank on the side of my house a thunderstorm erupted and the heavens opened. My youngest son was fascinated by the water escaping from the 1mm hole at the base of the first flush device and he collected five bucket fulls from that source alone. One relatively short rainstorm nearly half filled one 2500 litre tank merely a couple of days after it was plonked in place. We have a downpour like that once in a blue moon. I used to live near Sydney so I remember what real rain was like. Wonderful stuff. Big drops. Thunder and lightning. Down here where I live in Tassie the rain might last for days and still it won't make much difference to the level in the water tank. Its piddly stuff! Hobart has the second lowest annual average rainfal of any capital city in Australia. Still, we manage. :) Amy |
Terry Collins wrote:
Aprill wrote: The water container is a bladder and the colorbond ring arrives in panels. Easy peasy, japanesey.. no cranes.. no rolling massive poly tanks off the back of a truck. Brand? Pioneer .. http://www.pioneertanks.com.au/html/aboutus.html |
Aprill wrote:
Pioneer .. http://www.pioneertanks.com.au/html/aboutus.html thanks. Sigh, to have the land for an aquaculture tank {:-). |
In article ,
BCL wrote: I have just spent about $1700 on a couple of water tanks plus the necessary fittings just to store less than $5 worth of water (5000 litres). It's really that our water isn't priced properly. My own preferred system (I"m also with Sydney Water) would be that we pay a flat rate for a particular amount of water that will get us all by, then whopping charges for over-use. Ditto for businesses,which is, I suspect, where a lot of wastage goes on. Near us, we have a business that runs a fountain constantly. I think that's ridiculous. My mother in law says that councils used to charge extra rates if you had a second toilet, and that might be another way to go. We have these amazing houses in Sydney with 4 bedrooms and 6 toilets. Why don't these people go to the Dr instead of putting in so many dunnies? Obviously they have Problems! -- Chookie -- Sydney, Australia (Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply) "Life is like a cigarette -- smoke it to the butt." -- Harvie Krumpet |
In article ,
Chookie wrote: Near us, we have a business that runs a fountain constantly. I think that's ridiculous. I donšt disagree with your argument, but are you sure they are not recirculating the same water? I have a fountain of sorts in my backyard, but it is just the same water going around and around. I do have to top it up every five or six weeks, but there are quite a few birds that come in to drink and bathe each day and I think they are more responsible for the drop in water level than evaporation. Pax --- A: Because it reverses the natural flow of conversation. Q: Why is top-posting considered inappropriate? |
len gardener writes:
we use a waterless composting toilet Is that is an indoor loo, Len? Care to write a paragraph or two about it? -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
Aprill writes:
These days tanks can be brought in on a trailer. I'm building a house on an acreage with no town water. A 96000 litre tank has just been installed. The water container is a bladder and the colorbond ring arrives in panels. Easy peasy, japanesey.. no cranes.. no rolling massive poly tanks off the back of a truck. Neat. I think it was the ABC that had a piece on innovative poly tanks. As well as the conventional round ones, there are some that are like air bags. You just lie them on sand anywhere they'll fit under your house and then they fill up with water a bit like a cushion. There are some like a corner piece of Leggo, like two tall thin rectangular blocks joined together at right angles to form a free-standing block (yes, free standing) that you can position in a corner of your yard or somewhere that you want to make a sheltered nook to place a seat, etc. It acts like a wall as well as functioning as a water reservoir. I expect you could trail climbers over it. .--------------------. | | '---------------. | plan view | | | | | | | | | | '----' None of these is going to droughtproof a town house, but these are a step in the right direction. Saving water in times of drought is only half the reason for encouraging rainwater tanks in city areas; saving street flooding during everyday thunderstorms is the other half. The thinking is that if every residence could store some of its initial roof runoff, this will give the asphalt runoff some time to get away before it is joined by roof runoff, producing less severe street flooding. It won't help during a prolonged torrential downpour, but then nothing will. -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
In an earlier article I wrote:
Kirsty writes: We have installed 4 tanks for the garden and a tank for excess water, to flush the toilet. At present the cost of installing these tanks isn't 'worth' the money, as water in Australia is so cheap. The available water might prove its worth if you are in bushfire area. Making a good reason for having a gravity-fed tap in the tank in addition to the popular electric pressure pump. In the event of a bushfire, loss of electricity could make the water inaccessible unless you have a tap already fitted to the tank. -- John Savage (news address invalid; keep news replies in newsgroup) |
John Savage wrote:
len gardener writes: we use a waterless composting toilet I was really interested in doing this when I first bought my land. But in the end we went with a project home builder and it wasnt an option. WE've done the bio-septic thing. ...aprill |
g'day john,
our house is on a slab so the loo is in its own raise room so to speak, you need a minmum of app 1 meter clearance between top of bins and the bottom of the joist i think it is. there are other systems that could be considered for inclusion into an already set up house, don't know how well they work though. a good read is "the humanure handbook" by j.c jenkins. they can be incorporated into a high set house no worries, we run ours as a dry loo. would love to write a bit about it there is lots to cover, so if you could give me some clues as to what you would like to read or have for discussion i'll work something up so to speak. and should we maybe start a new header for the topic? i wrote an email to someone that i ahve saved maybe i could post that for starters it covers a lot of stuff i am now familiar with. i will say THEY DO NOT SMELL ok that is the one thing i continually get and i believe it is because of those raodside or forestry toilets run by one of the authorities, my answer there is they can make a flushing mens toilet stink so imagine what they do with a composting loo?? anyhow let me know what you want len snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
convert aprill convert you won't be sorry.
len smilling broadly snipped -- happy gardening 'it works for me it could work for you,' "in the end ya' gotta do what ya' gotta do" but consider others and the environment http://members.optusnet.com.au/~gardenlen1/ my e/mail addies have spam filters you should know what to delete before you send. |
John Savage wrote:
Making a good reason for having a gravity-fed tap in the tank in addition to the popular electric pressure pump. In the event of a bushfire, loss of electricity could make the water inaccessible unless you have a tap already fitted to the tank. What would you do with it? I don't fancy playing bucket tag with an approaching fire. An electric pump is no good because more than likely you will loose electricity in a bushfire (you also loose street water pressure as well). My understanding is that a diesel would be better, based on the volatility of the fuel (but if that becomes moot, then you would not want to be around anyway). The $64,000 question to me is "how much water do you need to make have any effect?" I have 2,000 + 800 litre tanks, which according to one pump (yamaha YP205HP) would suck this all up in 5minutes at 420 litres/min. Maybe longer becasue any that falls on the roof would be recycled anyway. Given that all I would want to do (suburban street) is to wet down my roof and gutters to prevent leaf, etc material in/on them from catching a light and being blown into my roof cavity (colorbond roofing is NOT air tight), this might be okay. Just curious if anyone can provide some hard figure? How long would you start the roof pumps before the fire is expected?/visible? How long/how much water does it take to soak surrounding vegetation? etc. |
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