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  1. #1
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    Default Keeping leaves out of the water tanks

    I have metre long vertical dropper pipes with screw-on end caps between the gutters and my rainwater tanks to catch leaves and gutter mud and to prevent the inlet strainer from clogging up.

    I remove the caps every six months or so to clean them out. They're always full of water as expected so a number of leaves float over the top and end up in the tank strainer.

    The thought occurred that I might drill a 2mm hole in the PVC caps to allow them to drain so that next time it rains, any crap in the gutter would drop down the pipes in the first flush of rain. Any water loss would be minimal, I reckon.

    Any better ideas from the brains trust?

    mick

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  3. #2
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    Take the pipe from the gutter all the way down to the ground, across to the water tank and then, via a tee joint, up to the tank filler point. Fit a screw on cap at the tee.

    Any leaves that float will stay in the gutter pipe until they decompose enough to sink to the bottom. Once they are on the bottom they will not rise back up to go into the tank. Periodically remove the cap and all of the rubbish will flush out.

    You don't need a strainer as they always get blocked up unless you clean them often.

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bohdan View Post
    Take the pipe from the gutter all the way down to the ground, across to the water tank and then, via a tee joint, up to the tank filler point. Fit a screw on cap at the tee.

    Any leaves that float will stay in the gutter pipe until they decompose enough to sink to the bottom. Once they are on the bottom they will not rise back up to go into the tank. Periodically remove the cap and all of the rubbish will flush out.

    You don't need a strainer as they always get blocked up unless you clean them often.
    Thanks for the suggestion but it'd be a lot of work with my setup to solve a minor problem. There are separate feeds from the gutters on each side of the shed and the dropper pipes catch most of the leaves and mud.

    East side tank feed.jpg West side tank feed.jpg

    I wouldn't be without a strainer. They only need a clean once a year and the thought of drowned rats in the tank is better avoided.

    mick

  5. #4
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    The problem with your setup that I see is any leaves that get washed into the trap will float to the top of the trap water column and then be washed down the pipe to your tank. Even if you drill a drain hole, if the water flow is more than the drain, the leaves will float into your tank.

    The only solution is a down and then up pipe that will trap floating leaves.

  6. #5
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    Mick, you can buy down pipe grids from Bunnings and the leaves get washed off the grid in theory.

    Rain Harvesting 90mm Leaf Beater | Bunnings Warehouse
    CHRIS

  7. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bohdan View Post
    The problem with your setup that I see is any leaves that get washed into the trap will float to the top of the trap water column and then be washed down the pipe to your tank. Even if you drill a drain hole, if the water flow is more than the drain, the leaves will float into your tank.

    The only solution is a down and then up pipe that will trap floating leaves.
    I probably haven't explained my situation fully. I'm not on a bush block where leaves are a constant nuisance, it's a working farm. I'm talking about a handful in the strainer every six months with a bit of an increase in Autumn when the two farmyard trees lose their leaves.

    Gutter mud is probably a bigger issue. Because the dropper pipes remain full of water, the first flush of rain will carry any mud or leaves across the dropper pipe and into the strainer. Hence the idea of allowing the droppers to drain out so that they'll catch everything in the first flush of water each time it rains.

    Thanks for your suggestions.

    mick

  8. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Chris Parks View Post
    Mick, you can buy down pipe grids from Bunnings and the leaves get washed off the grid in theory.

    Rain Harvesting 90mm Leaf Beater | Bunnings Warehouse
    In theory only. I have these on my weekender down the coast but the leaves tend not to wash off. They just sit there and severely restrict the amount of water going into the tank, it just overflows on to the ground.

  9. #8
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    I had a similar problem. Two tanks on the boundary to neighbours trees. I added some heavy duty shade cloth across the top of the strainer on the tanks. Just undid the screws holding the strainer in, put shade cloth across the top nice and tight and tucked it down, so the strainer holds it in place, and screwed strainer back in... it has been in place for a few years now, and no leaf problems in strainer... Any leaves that fall on top, just get blown away with any breeze.
    Last edited by Davo888; 17th December 2020 at 08:04 AM. Reason: Spell check

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Huon pine fan View Post
    In theory only. I have these on my weekender down the coast but the leaves tend not to wash off. They just sit there and severely restrict the amount of water going into the tank, it just overflows on to the ground.
    Exactly, just like gutter guard has the same issues. I have tried them all over the years with limited to no success. The down pipe guards are only truly successful where there are no trees. I gave up on gutter guard and just cleaned the gutters every fortnight prior to the trees getting the chop by the neighbour.
    CHRIS

  11. #10
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    If you lift the sheets of iron and slip in some fly screen netting which extends past the outer edge of the guttering, most of the leaves will end up on the ground. Valleys are still a problem and this will only work if the top outer edge of the gutter is below the edge of the roofing.

    mick

  12. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Glider View Post
    Gutter mud is probably a bigger issue. Because the dropper pipes remain full of water, the first flush of rain will carry any mud or leaves across the dropper pipe and into the strainer. Hence the idea of allowing the droppers to drain out so that they'll catch everything in the first flush of water each time it rains.
    Having a small drain hole in your pipe will only last a short time before it is blocked up by the dirt off the roof and a larger hole will waste a lot of water. There is a commercial product that has a float valve that is designed to do exactly what you require.

    The long dropper to the ground and then back up gives the gutter mud time to settle out and stay in the bottom joiner pipe being flushed out when you remove the cap. When I flush mine I get a lot of dirty water come out. It is surprising how much rubbish and dirt is caught in the pipe.

    I fitted rainwater diverter taps to my pipes to make flushing easy but that didn't work as the taps are not designed to seal properly and they leaked.

    In my tanks the only time that I get mud in the tank is if there is a heavy rain after a long dry spell especially if it is during plowing season.

  13. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bohdan View Post
    Having a small drain hole in your pipe will only last a short time before it is blocked up by the dirt off the roof and a larger hole will waste a lot of water. There is a commercial product that has a float valve that is designed to do exactly what you require.

    In my tanks the only time that I get mud in the tank is if there is a heavy rain after a long dry spell especially if it is during plowing season.
    Thanks Bohdan. That float valve thingy might do the job. Of course I could always stick a nail up the hole to ensure it doesn't stay blocked for too long. My dusty shed is very close to the tank.

    Very occasionally we receive topsoil donations from Western NSW. Fortunately we direct drill most of the time around Oberon.

    mick

  14. #13
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    I have the downpipe mesh traps too but they do need cleaning out regularly. I’ve found the best was to lift the outlet point up off the bottom of the catch tank so the transfer pump suction is about 10 inches above the bottom and all the sludge stays in the catch tank, and I vacuum it out every winter, with a piece of pvc on the big wet dry vac. A disc filter on the line inlet to the house has helped enormously to the water clarity as well.

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