Laat time was 2 weeks. There has been a definite increase in outages due to suspected sabotage. I am definitely going 2 x smaller tanks based on what you and pinball wizard said. Appreciate the info.. When you say empty and clean, what maintenance is required for such a solution?
-
Join the MyBroadband community
South Africa’s biggest forum. Discuss, discover, and connect with thousands of members.
-
Question of the Day: Have you ever ordered a product online and received a fake knock-off?
Do you have a backup water system?
- Thread starter MartinGB
- Start date
KantSnyer
Expert Member
Dealing with an outage now ( planned ), have a 5kl Jojo as backup.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
According to our local bylaws when more than "2 kilolitres is installed [you] must have the tank drained, inspected and disinfected by a plumber, not less than once in every three years." Can't think of anyone who does that though
With rainwater collection there's more of a risk of contamination than storing municipal water but it would probably be a good idea to inspect the tanks annually, or maybe just every other year, to make sure there's no contamination.
Nerfherder
Honorary Master
Use your common sense man !
The moment there is even the chance of the taps running dry people will clean the shelves of every kind of water.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
I'm a libertarian/anarchist. I don't let them tell me what I can do on my own property.According to our local bylaws when more than "2 kilolitres is installed [you] must have the tank drained, inspected and disinfected by a plumber, not less than once in every three years." Can't think of anyone who does that though
With rainwater collection there's more of a risk of contamination than storing municipal water but it would probably be a good idea to inspect the tanks annually, or maybe just every other year, to make sure there's no contamination.
They still get pretty gross after a while... especially if you have hadedas in the area. The last time I cleaned out my main tank I gagged from the stench.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
I get it. It doesn't need to be legislated.
CommonSense
Expert Member
Then we will battle them in the streets. Every man for himself.
Been through this scare tactics before. CoCT spend billions in the Day Zero fiasco.
How many desalanation plants were actually producing drinking water at the end of the day?
People bought Jojo tanks which at the end is not suitable for potable water use without expensive filters and pumps and whatnot.. Most of those tanks were for capturing rain water from polluted roofs (even asbestos roofs).
And most of those tanks would have run dry within a week or two in any case, even if used for flushing toilets and showers.
A lot of ground water is not suitable for drinking in any case without very expensive treatment due to heavy metal content and other seepage.
It can be done, but at a huge premium. The bottled water industry will just step up their production.
Or we will drink brandy and flush with whiskey.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
Homemade charcoal filter and boiling. Life doesn't have to be difficult.
wrinklyo
Well-Known Member
After enduring 14 months with no water, zero, nada in the municipal taps in our town a few years back, I begged and borrowed and got 3 JoJo tanks, 2,200 x 2 and 2,500 litre, total 6,900 litres, fed with rainwater off the roof. Connected them all with plumbing to a pump outside the kitchen, with valves to bypass munic water. A cup of Jik every now and then to keep the water clean. We don't drink the water straight, but we use it in the kettle for tea and coffee, and it's great for showering. Last few years water failures and burst munic pipes don't affect us. It's a good feeling.
Sometimes you need legislation to make up for stupidity.
For example if I lived in a block of flats serviced by roof top tanks I'd be happy there was legislation in place to make sure the water coming out of the taps was still potable.
pinball wizard
Honorary Master
Nope. Let the stupids stupid. I want less government, not more.
wrinklyo
Well-Known Member
wrinklyo
Well-Known Member
Ya, that's a bummer.
wrinklyo
Well-Known Member
Been there, done that. Also, raise your tanks up on a plinth so you have a bit of a head of water.
wrinklyo
Well-Known Member
I have been vacuuming my tanks yearly with a portable pump, to get the sludge out that comes off the roof over time, but I want to install a bilge tap - you can get the little kit at Build-it, which is a drain plug which you fit to the bottom of the JoJo tank with a bit of pipe and a stop cock so you can drain alll the sludge out of the tank and into your garden every now and then. Vacuuming is a pain in the derriere, but I just have to wait for the dry season when the tanks are low so I can drain them and fit the bilge tap. So my advice is to fit the bilge tap before you put any water in the tank!!
No, they serve the important function of providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes.