Effective Positioning of Water Diverters in a Wet Piping System

Posted on: 22 February 2018

One of the ways homeowners can reduce their water bills is by trapping and storing rainwater in storage tanks. However, with limited space available in most home compounds, most people opt for underground storage and piping system. Despite being able to save space, rainwater is susceptible to contamination under a wet piping system if the right prevention steps are not taken. At this point, water diverters play a critical role. However, for water diverters to efficiently perform, they must be placed strategically in the wet system. This article points out the best points along a piping system to install water diverters and ensure that only quality water gets into the storage tank.

Near Tank Inlet -- In a wet system, rainwater flowing through downpipes produces enough force to go up the riser pies and into the storage tank. However, when the rain stops, some water will always remain trapped at the end of the downpipe right before the riser pipes. The water will sometimes have sediments that might contaminate stored water if the two mix. A water diverter located near the inlet of the water tank will, therefore, ensure that as rainwater flows into the piping, the first flush will divert stagnant water into the reservoir. Once the diverter is full, the opening automatically closes, and the rest of the clean rainwater is directed into the sheet metal tank.

Bottom of Riser pipe -- For an underground piping system, the riser pipe plays a significant role in directing clean rainwater into the storage tank. As such, any water flowing through this pipe should be free of sediments and other solid contaminants. As the rain starts to fall, all manner of deposits on the roof and gutter flow through the downpipes that leads to the riser pipe. For this reason, placing a water diverter at the bottom of an underground riser pipe makes sense. Positioning the diverter at the bottom of the riser pipe (lowest point in the system) ensures that everything from the roof and gutter does not find its way into the tank. As the diverter fills, a valve and ball system closes up the entry thereby allowing only clean water through.

At the Start of the Downpipe -- The best way to ensure that you trap quality water with very little to no sediments is by making sure the system removes such contaminants as early as possible. Placing a water diverter at the beginning of the downpipe is the best strategy for achieving the goal. At this point, you can rest assured that all soluble dirt on the roof will end up in the diverter.

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Hello, my name is Lisa and this is my blog. I live in Perth, Australia and for the past two years, I have been working on my home to improve it. My husband works away a lot, so the upkeep of the family home is completely in my hands. At first, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. Thankfully, my brother works as a contractor and knows about electrical wiring, plumbing and general construction. He gave me some great advice so I decided to start this blog so I could pass on his wisdom to others. I hope you enjoy my blog.

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