Rainwater Harvesting System and Pressure Head

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I am considering building a rainwater harvesting system fed by a downpipe for supplying the water to a toilet cistern. Does anyone know the minimum pressure required for a typical float valve? I can then work out the required height for the tank.
 
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There are two types of float valve, LP and HP !

The LP are designed for loft cistern fed supplies which can be a head of just 2 m.

The best way to harvest is to collect at ground level and pump it to a harvesting cistern in the loft. Ideally with a mains fill alternative for dry spells.

Of course being in Ireland you could just carry the water to the loft in buckets!

Tony
 
Of course being in Ireland you could just carry the water to the loft in buckets!

Yes quite right!

The toilet cistern at present is fed from the rising main and it would be a lot of hassle running pipes down from the loft. I was thinking about keeping the tank at ground level and using a low voltage pump to fill the toilet cistern. A float switch would cut the pump when the cistern fills. I don't know whether it is common, but my cistern doesn't need an overflow as water just bypasses the siphon arrangement when it becomes too full and flows into the toilet bowl.
 
Most modern toilets over flow into the bowl. Funny no body ever thought of that before! It would have saved millions of Euro on installation costs!

There is a better way for you. Thats keeping the toilet as it is and having a small accumulator and a pressure switch at the pump.

The pump then is turned off when the pressure reaches that set on the switch and turns back on when the pressure falls when the toilet is flushed and its float valve opens. You will still need a new pipe but dont have to bother about float switches or wires.

It would be against water regs but you could have two valves, one to feed WC from mains and the other from the pump. It would be more legal if you fitted double non return valves on each supply.

Or the simple way to take the top off the cistern and fill it with a bucket from the water butt outside!

Tony
 
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As you are in Ireland you may like this:-



Irish Sawmill Accident

Paddy and Mick are two Irishmen working at the local sawmill.

One day, Mick slips and his arm gets caught and severed by the big bench saw. Paddy quickly puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick to the local hospital.

Next day, Paddy goes to the hospital and asks after Mick. The nurse says, "Oh he's out in Rehab exercising".

Paddy couldn't believe it, but there's Mick out the back exercising his now re-attached arm. The very next day he's back at work in the saw mill.

A couple of days go by, and then Mick slips and severs his leg on another bloody big saw.

So Paddy puts the limb in a plastic bag and rushes it and Mick off to Hospital.

Next day he calls in to see him and asks the nurse how he is. The nurse replies, "He's out in the Rehab again exercising".

And sure enough, there's Mick out there doing some serious work on the treadmill. And very soon Mick comes back to work.

But, as usual, within a couple of days he has another accident and severs his head.

Wearily Paddy puts the head in a plastic bag and transports it and Mick to hospital..

Next day he goes in and asks the nurse how Mick is. The nurse breaks down and cries and says, "He's dead."

Paddy is shocked, but not surprised. "I suppose the saw finally did him in."

"No", says the nurse, "Some dopey bastard put his head in a plastic bag and he suffocated.
 

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