# Forum Home Renovation Water Saving Garden Ideas  rainwater tank pump made in Australia ??.

## nww1969

Finally got around to installing my tank and pump. 
I had a recommendation from this forum for a Rivaflo pump.
Ended up purchasing it and it turns out its the cheaper version
of Onga. and has a label on the side Made in Australia.
Can anyone confirm this is correct or is it just the label made
in Australia. I didn't think we made anything like this anymore.  
I installed a 100 litre pressure tank with the pump and now getting
10 flushes of the toilet for 1 turn on for 15 seconds and 1 turn on
for one fill of the washing machine. :Biggrin:

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## Danny

Hi Neil, 
I remember that I recommended to you that you check out the Riva-flo  GPP40 from an online seller that had them on special at a good price at  the time. I know people who have this pump and have not heard any  negative feedback. It ticks all the boxes by having a stainless steel  shaft and housing, run dry protection, good pressure, low energy use  etc. I have linked the manufacturers spec sheet below:  http://www.onga.com.au/objectlibrary...20Brochure.pdf  
As to where its made, I don't know. Onga are a 40 y.o. reputable company  and if it is labelled Made In Australia then I think you could assume  with confidence that it is. 
A few pointers for all who are reading this... 
Rainwater tank pumps have a reputation for having short life spans, no  matter what you pay. The main contributors to their demise are: 
Constant short run start ups.
Operating at less than peak efficiency.
Very low fitted tank draw off valves that draw sediment to the pump.
Tanks fed through a meshed inlet that is above the pump's draw off valve.
Cavitation. 
By having a 100 litre pressure tank (with a draw down of possibly 45  liters???), you have eliminated probably 90% of the 'flush' start ups. A  person will on average flush the toilet 2,200 times a year! 
A pressure tank is also kinder to a washing machine's solenoid. Many  people who have a direct pump to washing machine connection experience  water hammer. 
A common mistake made is when installers fit a pump with the infeed  pipe's elbow closer to the pump than ten times the pipe's diameter.  Turbulence through a small pipe's elbow can be considerable and if the  elbow is fitted too close to the pump, cavitation can result that in  time will cause corrosion to the impellor and casing. The correct  fitment is easy to check once you are aware. 
By simply buying the large pressure tank, you have extended the pump's  life span many fold and of course the tank will pay for itself within  3-4 years by reducing energy costs. The tank also allows the pump to  operate at peak efficiency which in turn promotes longevity.

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## nww1969

Yes the recommendation was from you Danny.
I found a large price difference in the Riva-flo between companies, well worth doing some research.
I actually went with the Riva-flo MF55 which is the gp440 without the pressure tank,
purchased the 100 litre tank and a pool filter of ebay to run between tank/pump.
Pump installed 2 metres away from tank.
Currently looking into a sock (10 micron) to go in below tank inlet strainer. 
Have also noticed some used Chinese made pumps coming back on ebay for parts only.

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## Danny

Hi Neil, 
Sounds like you have a very good set up. Most don't! A lot of tank  owners are now experiencing problems with pumps and wet systems. Here in  Victoria, blocked wet systems, non compliant plumbing, stagnant water,  tanks overflowing and pump failures are becoming common. Unfortunately,  there is little (good) information available to the consumer who is  prepared to do some prior research.  
 The (QLD) article linked below is concerned more with health issues re  mosquitoes accessing poorly maintained tanks and the risk this brings of  Dengue fever but it also touches on pump and other issues.   Tanks for that: Dengue fears spiral | Courier Mail  
The filter socks are very effective but their downside is that they can  block up if not well maintained and lifting them out then has issues.  You can buy aquarium filter that you can cut to size and place over the  tank's meshed inlet. This might also be worth looking at. If you have  wet systems, have a look at the 30/01/11 posted suggestion on the thread  below which suggests a very simple but reasonably effective way to  remove about 60-70% of the debris from the horizontal pipe's bed load. For best results, it needs to be fitted to the end of a straight run to avoid turbulence.   http://www.renovateforum.com/f194/pu...tioning-95824/

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## nww1969

Interesting reading.
I wonder if this is also the cause of a local resident catching Ross river fever nearby.
Our tank rebates have also been up and running a few years now.
Up until recently have not heard of Ross river fever in the area.
Im not sure how other councils inspect but with applying for the NSW and Federal 
rebates the NSW government notifies your local council who will then organise an inspection.
The rebates finished 30 June here so anyone now forking out their own money for a tank
will probably not go through the inspection process so will be interesting the next few years
to see if we get an increase in mosquito diseases.  .

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## Danny

There was an increase in Ross River Fever in northern Victoria after the floods earlier in the year but there was so much water around that the mozzies had heaps of places to breed. It is reported that Dengue Fever is moving further south but I don't know how many people contract this annually. Still, the thought of mozzies breeding in 5,000 accessible tanks around Brisbane is a worry! 
Tank designs have improved but most still have a long way to go. One of the worst design aspects is when the small top inlet is fitted well away from the overflow outlet, making the inspection and cleaning of the overflow mesh difficult at best. This encourages people to punch holes in the mesh to avoid overflows but it also allows mosquitoes access. It is nothing for a mosquito to travel up a pipe to access water. 
The top inlets can also get damaged when people run their hands over the mesh to remove debris. For poly tanks, the inlet is mostly just screwed into the tank. The inlets should be larger and have either a snap or lock on fitting. This would also make it easier for cleaning but that would cost more.

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## SilentButDeadly

Australia still makes plenty of stuff. The only problem is that Australian's often don't want to pay for what they make.  Or they are too lazy to look for themselves. 
Most of the plumbing & drainage spectrum is serviced by full range of products that are made in Oz.  
As for fixing top inlets......zinc pan head bolts, about 75mm long.  Fit three bolts to the tank and use a normal nut and washer to fix them. Drop the top inlet cover (with appropriate holes) over the three bolts and secure with wing nuts.  Easy to remove then.... 
Overflows on our tanks are fitted with bespoke PVC fittings with SS mesh moulded in......they fit inline to stock 90mm stormwater pipe.

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## nww1969

Just an update on this as its almost 12 months the pump has been in operation and a few weeks
ago was the first time the tank top up turned it self on only to have rain fill it the same afternoon.
Our water usage going by council records before tank was installed seemed to be around the 550-600 
litres a day and after the tank installation it is down to 350 liters per day.
Currently just have the washing machine and down stairs toilet connected so still have to connect our main
 toilet to the tank so this should come down more in the future. 
Todate very happy with the pump, pressure tank and top up system, have not had any issues so far. 
We had council doing watermain repairs recently at the same time our energy provider was doing overhead 
mains repairs and due to the large pressure tankinstalled  we had no issues flashing like our neighburs did
for the whole day..

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