Found our wm was taking too long to fill with water.
Checked water pressure to inlet hose by undiong it, pressure from Davey pump ok.
Found there there is a water filter on the inlet for cold water on the washing machine that was clogged up with black leaf matter.
Our water tank has mesh on the inlet pan to collect leaves ect.
So it looks like I have another maintenance job to perform every six months.
Russell Moore
Member
Or move the outlet on the tank a bit higher.
Would need to see a photo but it could be.
A lot of inline filters are wye fittings and are fairly small. Just turn the tank valve off and unscrew the fitting to see what's inside. Most of the smaller filters have reasonably large apertures.
Morbo
Member
need leaf buster and diverter to start with, don't rely on the tank filter, its just to keep mozzies out. Dust and debris still get in and leaves and stuff, that slowly desintegrates.
Once I did all that, water comes out way cleaner. And a little pool chlorine every now and then.
There should be a strainer in front of your pump, but its only wire mesh to make sure, sand or so does not enter. If you disconnect the suction line, you would have to prime the pump afterwards.
My washing machine had a similar issue. It had picked up a bit of sand when the tank got low and turbulent. It wasn't that the pump couldn't make the washing machine fill, it just took a while and made more noise than usual. Unfortunately our tank outlets are fixed close to the bottom of the tank and I don't want to risk moving them.
We will just check the washing machine inlet filter from time to time.
Morbo
Member
I got a clear plastic hose next to the tank, when the pump switches on, the level sinks quite a bit. So I never empty the tank completely because it may draw air through the level. Guess also avoids draging in muck. Should tap into a 3rd downpipe to get more water.
munter said:
Unfortunately our tank outlets are fixed close to the bottom of the tank and I don't want to risk moving them.
Hi munter,
A common mistake that is made by so called experts. Unfortunately, the trusting homeowner rarely receives proper professional advice on many matters. Some tanks are actually made so that you can only fit valves near the very bottom of the tank!
From memory, you have 3 tanks...or is it two?
I always advise people to have a settling system whenever possible. This is when water is diverted to one tank and the decanted water then flows through a bottom inlet (about 80 - 100 mm above the bottom of the tank) to the next tank and so on. The overflow (when needed) only needs to be fitted to the first tank and the water is drawn from the last tank.
munter said:
It wasn't that the pump couldn't make the washing machine fill, it just took a while and made more noise than usual.
I hope it wasn't cavitation. The pump should have sensed a pressure drop if it was drawing air via a vortex when the water was low.
We have 3 tanks. The inlet is at the opposite end to the outlet so there is good settling time but we still get crud in there. Our poly tanks have moulded in draw off points so their location is fixed.
I don't think our pump I'd cavitating, it was the inlet strainer in the washing machine making more noise, not the pump. I just worded it badly.
