Can anyone tell me what to do about smelly water in a 5000l plastic tank.
The tank is for garden use and my washing machine. The tank is full
smelly water tank
(11 posts) (9 voices)-
The Green Man
MemberYou could try something like this...I think it is a hydrogen peroxide solution.
http://www.getprice.com.au/Aquasafe-Rainwater-Tank-Purifier-1ltr-Gpnc_601--38358244.htm
Posted Sunday 14 Mar 2010 @ 1:13:19 pm from IP # -
CunningPlansDept
MemberAs ours is connected to the whole house, I drained mine, then got in with a stiff broom and hose when high pressure washing from the manhole didn't work :/ Naturally you can't just drain the last 25~40mm so I wet-vacced it out to get rid of the sediment.
Peroxide sounds like a good option
Posted Monday 15 Mar 2010 @ 10:08:51 am from IP # -
Jimmy
MemberThat is the problem with conventional rainwater tanks, there is always unwanted rotting stuff in the bottom of the tank and doesn't make for good drinking water. Something new I've seen that makes really good sense is the Water Egg design; nothing gets in to spoil your drinking water that you wouldn't want in there, it is really easy to clean because the outlet drain is at the bottom and so there is no 40 mm of water that can't be drained and the water never goes stagnant because the design keeps the water moving all the time!
Posted Sunday 2 Jan 2011 @ 10:28:46 am from IP # -
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH OR SNAKE-OIL???
Jimmy,
Your post compares water held in a rainwater tank to the water held in your Water Egg, however, you neglected to mention that filtered water is stored in the Water Egg! As a plumber, you should also be aware of advanced rainwater harvesting techniques that eliminate over 90% of the sediment that formerly found its way to the tank.Your post also mentions that the tank's design keeps the water moving all the time. Thermo syphoning also occurs in conventional rainwater tanks, as a tank 'designer' (reasonably assuming you are James McLaughlan), it is amazing you do not know this!
Perhaps even more amazing are some of the (link now deleted) Spammed website's claims, for example:
"The water that most people drink does not; nurture, hydrate, regenerate, reverse aging, remove toxins".
"Most water causes aging".
"Virtually every available source of drinking water has been contaminated with cancer"
"If you drink rainwater from a rainwater tank it will leach the mineral content from your body causing degenerative disease and premature aging".
I ask you; If the water that most people drink does not reverse aging, can the Forum's visitors then infer that some water that some people drink does in fact reverse aging? Is the website suggesting or claiming by inference that the water filtered and stored in the Water Egg will reverse aging?
About 2 million Australians use tank water as their primary source of drinking water and many of Australia's greatest minds and athletes were born and raised in the country on tank water. The website's claim that "If you drink rainwater from a rainwater tank it will leach the mineral content from your body causing degenerative disease and premature aging" is, shall we say, questionable at best.
NOTE EVERYONE: The referred to post is one of several posts, including a New Thread starter, that quick Spammed the ATA website with product links late last night.
Posted Sunday 2 Jan 2011 @ 3:27:37 pm from IP # -
Lumbuck Thornton
MemberYou Council or State Health Department will have information on water tank management.
It is probably algae that has died and dropped the Oxygen levels too much.
Clean out the tank but saferain or other diverters might help prevent the problem next time.Posted Sunday 2 Jan 2011 @ 9:29:24 pm from IP # -
modtank@netspace.net.au
MemberAnother trick to keep the bottom of the tank free from debris, is to extend the overflow to the very bottom of the tank, ensure the gap at the bottom equalls the pipe capacity, then every time the tank reaches full the debris is sucked out to the storm water. Plenty of rainfall to acheive this recently!
Posted Monday 3 Jan 2011 @ 12:03:03 am from IP # -
modtank,
You advised to "extend the overflow to the very bottom of the tank" but then advised to "ensure the gap at the bottom equalls (sic) the pipe capacity
(1) What do you mean by pipe capacity? Are you referring to TOTAL pipe volume or something else? Can you post as to how you work out the relevant capacity (or is it volume) of 90 mm & 100 mm PVC overflow pipe for example?
(2) If the pipe has for example a total capacity of 15 litres in it's inside tank length when the tank is full, how would you use this information to determine the gap to leave between the bottom of the tank and the bottom of the pipe?
(3) You did not advise that an overflow pipe extended to the bottom of the tank could possibly syphon the tank dry once it stopped raining. Is there a reason why this was not mentioned?
Posted Saturday 29 Jan 2011 @ 1:17:15 am from IP # -
stephenincorinda
MemberHMM - maybe I am insufficiently alternative but - there are various chemicals one can dose the tank with to "fix" this problem. Most local authorities will have information as to how to biocide your tank with chlorine and the appropriate dosages. There are proprietory products available through hardware and plumbing suppliers ( Bunnings and some Mitre 10s etc) that are formulated to deal with this problem.
Extending the overflow to base of tank - my guess is that you would want to either put an elbow on the bottom or keep it about 50-100mm up would work to an extent.Even though a syphon could get going it is unlikely as the overflow pipe would need to be running full pipe to create the necessary vacuum. If the overflow is larger than the inlet - always advisable - then this sort of can't happen. Anyway a 3mm hole in the top of the overflow pipe would guarantee that it can't.
On some of the tanks that we have done, we took the inlet pipe to the bottom of the tank which seems to be just as effective in flushing the sediment in a heavy rain overflow event.
Lots of other devices exist to help manage water quality on both the inlet and outlet sides. Generally "off water" issues arise because of decomposing organic matter - most usually vegetative, but always worth checking for dead animals - especially after long dry spells and empty tank events. A tap or pump mounted charcoal filter would also perform quite well at removing taint from the water.
When you start getting right into it - it becomes very clear what a bargain our reticulated water is for the average consumer.
Posted Friday 11 Feb 2011 @ 1:38:02 pm from IP # -
It is difficult when industry entities post advice on this forum and then fail to respond to subsequent posts that seek clarification of the advice given. Such has been the case with the post by modtank and a further difficulty is that industry advice arguably carries with it an implied expertise. If such posted advice remains unquestioned, it could then be seen to carry a tacit endorsement from knowledgeable forum posters and even from the ATA itself despite the ATA's disclaimer in reference to such advice. This is why the post by modtank was sought clarification by myself after a period of absence of reply by others. Given the absence of 'expert' clarification, I now elaborate as follows:
When fitting an internal overflow pipe, the pipe should be reduced in size for the length of its vertical fall inside the tank. For example, if the external overflow is 90 mm, the internal vertical pipe should be reduced to a (my) recommended 50 mm. The uppermost vertical section needs to remain 90 mm.
Fitted to the bottom of this 50 mm pipe should be a larger cap (90-100 mm) with either a large 'wave' or a 'VVVVV' profiled bottom edge that sits on the tank's floor. Water and sediment drawn through the bottom openings will also create turbulence under the cap.
The pump's draw outlet should be a minimum 80 mm above the bottom of the tank (100 mm recommended) and the cap should be positioned under this outlet. Most caps are 25 mm high.
The overflow's meshed outlet needs to be replaced with a meshed flap valve.
http://www.rainharvesting.com.au/mozzie_stoppa_flap_valves.aspAn air gap needs to be made to the exterior overflow pipe to prevent a syphon from emptying the tank. The air gap is best positioned a minimum .12 of a metre below the bottom of the overflow's horizontal exit pipe to facilitate a gravity induced velocity syphonic drainage effect.
NOTES: A 90 mm pipe has an internal volume that prevents it from generating the flushing velocity required to vertically transfer heavier sediment from a large surface area. The 50 mm pipe has about one third the internal volume and three times the flow velocity of a 90 mm PVC pipe.
Once the tank's water level is above the top of the overflow pipe, air in the short horizontal pipework linking the two vertical sections will be purged. The full flow of water then creates a syphon which in turns increases the velocity of the water travelling upwards through the interior 50 mm vertical pipe.
Once the tank level falls to the level of the overflow pipe's air gap, the syphon will cease. This means that the tank level will then be .12 of a metre below the bottom of the overflow outlet.
Replacing the overflow mesh with a flap valve prevents the outlet mesh from blocking and causing the tank to overflow.
The above system can be easily and cheaply made from 'off the shelf' parts.
Stephen,
Agree with your comment about the overflow pipe needing to run 'full pipe' to create the necessary vacuum. Extending the overflow to the bottom of the tank actually creates the ideal conditions for this to happen and it only needs the tank's water level to momentarily rise above the top of the overflow pipe to purge the air and create a syphon. Unfortunately, a lot of tanks (wrongly) have an inflow capacity that exceeds their overflow capacity.
Re: "On some of the tanks that we have done, we took the inlet pipe to the bottom of the tank which seems to be just as effective in flushing the sediment in a heavy rain overflow event".
This serves to do nothing except cause massive and undesirable sediment disturbance and water turbidity that can then take several days to settle. The water would be effectively unusable during this time as it could cause damage to the pump and quickly block filters. It could also cause the overflow's meshed outlet to block, resulting in the tank overflowing.
Although it is possible to bypass the tank's top meshed inlet in order to run the inlet to the bottom of the tank, both the inlet pipe and tank still require mosquito proofing.
Re: "my guess is that you would want to either put an elbow on the bottom or keep it about 50-100mm up would work to an extent".
An elbow would not draw sediment nor would having the end of a 90 mm pipe 50-100 mm above the floor unless the sediment layer was extremely deep. If, lets say, the tank was harvesting from 100 sq m of roof and it was raining at the heavy rate of 1 mm per minute, i.e. 60 mm per hour or 100 litres per minute / 1.66 litres per second, it would still take 3.5 seconds to fill a 1 metre 90 mm PVC pipe. The required sediment flushing velocity for 1:100 horizontal stormwater pipe is generally given as about .7 or .8 metres per second. For a vertical riser, you need a flushing velocity a lot faster than that and a lot more than the exampled storm event rate of 3.5 seconds per metre. It would not work "to an extent".
The correct way to harvest quality rainwater is to maintain clean gutters, set up the system with proper flush devices, sediment traps, adequate pipe flushing velocities, a settling tank and no vertical risers on wet systems.
Posted Saturday 12 Feb 2011 @ 8:10:30 am from IP #
