Water Tanks Pumps and Irrigation

Archive for June, 2009

Every day, there are many simple, practical things we can do in the house, when you’re pottering around outdoors or if you are at work to conserve water, save money and help the environment.

These tips can also apply to businesses and it is important to educate your staff on correct water saving proceedures.

Why do we need to save water?

Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach.

To put it another way, if 100 litres represents the world’s water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.

It’s time to become water efficient! This involves reassessing our relationship with water, and learning to use it more sparingly. On the most basic level, it requires a behavioural change, and assigning a value to water that truly reflects its worth.

1. Have shorter showers - 1 minute less in the shower SAVES 9 litres*

2. Only do the washing when there is a full load – SAVES 130 litres*

3. Put the dishwasher on when it is full – SAVES 60 litres*

4. Install a AAA shower rebate – SAVES 13 litres per minute* (and get a government rebate)

5. Use less water in the bath

6. Use economy settings on washing machines and dishwashers

7. Check for leaks – check meter before you to bed and when you get up in the morning

8. Install a dual-flush toilet – SAVES 9 litres per flush*

9. Check for any toilet leaks - put a small amount of biodegradable food colouring in the cistern

10. Fix any leaking toilets – SAVES 16,000 litres per year*

11. Stop/fix any dripping taps – SAVES 24,000 litres per year*

12. Don’t run the tap when it is not needed – like when brushing teeth or shaving – SAVES 17 litres per minute*

13. Install aerotaros and flow restrictors on taps

14. Use less water when rinsing dishes

15. Wash vegetables with a plug in the sink

16. Buy a AAA rated washing machine (and get a government rebate)

17. Buy a AAA rated dishwasher (and get a government rebate)

18. Install a rainwater tank (and get a government rebate)

19. Invest in a grey water treatment system

20. Install an automatic controller to water different zones of you garden at different times and days to ensure the right areas of the garden are getting watered without waste

21. Install a rain sensor to automatically switch your irrigation system off when it has rained

22. Mulch your gardens to allow plants to retain water

23. Plant native plants that require less water to survive

*All water savings are estimates

You can have the biggest, fanciest pool in the neighborhood, complete with tiles imported from Italy or painted with cool designs, floating rafts and fed by a gushing fountain, but without one specific piece of equipment, that shimmering pool can turn into a duck pond in about a week flat. What’’s that vital piece of equipment?

A swimming pool pump is a crucial piece of mechanics that works hard to keep your pool clean.

What Does a Swimming Pool Pump Do?

The overall goal of the pool circulation system is to cycle the pool water through the filtration system, where dirt and debris are removed and water is sanitized and returned to the pool clean and inviting. The heart of the system is the pool pump. Turnover is the amount of time it takes to move a volume of water, equal to the size of your pool, through the filtration and sanitation process once.

A swimming pool pump comes in a variety of sizes, shapes and models. Bigger is not always better, however, so knowing something about pumps and what they do will stand you in good stead as you either build your pool or are in the process of replacing old, battered parts. The size and type of swimming pool you own has a lot to do with the type of pool pump you buy, for manufactures make pumps for above ground and in ground pool needs.

Why is a pool pump so important?

Because it works with your pool’’s filtration system to keep the pool clean of debris. The pump pulls water out of the pool through a skimmer basket and then through the filtering system, and back into the pool. Without the pump, nothing works.

Most types of pumps will state their capacity, so always know what size your pool is before looking for pool equipment. You should know the basic area of your pool as well as how many gallons it holds. Most pumps will designate how much water they can pump either hourly or by the minute.

Running your swimming pool pump.

In most cases, people run a swimming pool pump for six to eight hours a day, especially in the summertime and when the pool is being used. If your pool is small and stays relatively clean, you can cut back that running time in fall and winter months to save electricity.

All pumps should come with some type of straining basket that is designed to catch leaves, sticks, and toys, or whatever else manages to end up in your pool. These baskets can be oblong, square, open or closed, but as long as they keep debris from entering your filtering system, the shape doesn”t matter.

Check your filtration system.

When looking for a swimming pool pump, also take into consideration the age of your filtering system. An old system may not be very efficient in filtering water no matter how powerful the pump is, so don”t throw good money after bad. A pump moves the water, it doesn”t clean it. That’’s for your filtering system. Carefully watching chemical levels and water clarity, combined with good water circulation, is the best way to achieve good results with your pool.

For more swimming pool information please use our contact form to get a quote on the best pump for your pool or call 1300 79 79 50

Slimline water tanks are becomming increasingly popular in city areas of Australia, where space is a real problem. Slimline oval tanks, rectangular tanks and other configurations have evolved to meet the needs of customers who don’t have the space to fit the traditional round tank on their blocks.

Modular water tanks are used for rain harvesting, you can line multiple tanks up side by side in order to expand your rainwater collection capacity. But the best news is the tanks are also designed to fit into very tight spots or areas where there are narrow space limitations. Modular water tanks are ideal for sidewalks, behind or along fences or beside the house.

The sturdy construction of the tanks along with the high quality material means you can expect many years of service. These tanks offer great value for the money.

Because of the huge range of shapes and colours, rain water tanks today can  produce athsetic feature walls or be incorporated into almost any area no matter how small.

Even people in home units and apartments can also make use of rain water tanks the same way. With a little forward thought and some of these new modular units people can have excess water on tap.

For more information use our contact form or call 1300 79 79 50 for a quote

Water is almost as precious as gold.

Without food a person can live for weeks, but without water you can expect to live only a few days.

LOOK HOW MUCH WATER CAN BE SAVED BY A RAINWATER TANK

Every 1mm of rain that falls on every square metre of roof area equals 1 litre of water in your tank.

To calculate how much water you can stop from washing down the drain simply multiply your roof area by the rainfall.

For example your house is 15 metres long and 13 metres wide - 15 x 13 = 195 square metres and you receive 1mm of water - 1mm x 195sq m = 195 litres of rainwater filling your tank.

During a good rainfall you may get 20mm of rain that will be 3,900 litres of water in your tank.

Installing a rain water tank can take a lot of pressure off our storage sytems.

How much water do you use?

• Toilet flush(single cistern) – 12L
• Toilet flush (dual cistern, 1/2 flush) – 3L
• Toilet flush (dual cistern, full flush) – 7L
• Washing machine (top) – 200L
• Washing machine (front) – 80L
• Dishwasher – 50L
• Bath – 100L
• Shower (8 min) – 120L
• Shower (8 min, water efficient showerhead) – 72L
• Brushing teeth (tap running) – 15L
• Brushing teeth (tap off) – 5L
• Washing hands – 5L
• Dripping tap – 2,000L/month
• Topping up a pool – 2000L
• Hosing driveway – 100L
• Washing car (with hose) – 200L
• Garden sprinkler (pop up) – 1000L/hour
• Garden dripper – 4L/hour

Average daily water usage for a family of three – 800L.  This can be reduced to 500L with some water saving strategies which we will look at in the next instalment.

To get a quote on your water tank contact us.