# Forum Forum Help Desk Introduce Yourself  Maria

## artistry

Goo-day mate , any advice on how to seal a leakage from my recycle water tank for garden and toilets  *COPIED TO PLUMBING FORUM*

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## OFG

G'day Maria,
I'll shift this to the *PLUMBING FORUM*, and I reckon you'll get asked where the leak is and how big it is, and all that sort of stuff.

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## artistry

I fixed the leakage on my water tank all i need to know now is the swirch suppose be be on and running continiously  thanks

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## OFG

Maria, Maria, what switch do you mean?
We have no idea, so you've got to come clean,
We can't answer your question.....and don't intend to be mean,
But Dear Maria...what bloody switch do you mean??

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## artistry

> Maria, Maria, what switch do you mean?
> We have no idea, so you've got to come clean,
> We can't answer your question.....and don't intend to be mean,
> But Dear Maria...what bloody switch do you mean??

  Sorry I'm not used to this my husband used to tend to everything but since he passed away I have to tend all that I can myself ,,,,There's  switch with a main box for the water tank outside next to the water tank that collects water from my roof. The water is used for gardening purposes and also for the toilets ( I do have town water ) on the tap outside it says water used for gardening only.  with the switch on the motor runs continuously ,making my electricity bill sky rocket .. and no its not because of the increase in electricity. thank you  I do hope you can help me..

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## Bedford

Can you post a pic of the pump? 
It sounds to me that it would be a pressure pump that switches on/off when a tap is turned on or the toilet flushed. 
If there is a fault in the pressure switching device this could cause the pump to run continuously.

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## Danny

Hi Maria, 
Sorry to hear about your husband's passing and I hope you are managing ok. 
I think that it could be a mains water switching device but a photo as Bedford suggested will let us know either way. 
A mains water switching device is about the size of a shoe box (but not the same shape) and has an infeed line from the pump  plus another line that draws mains water whenever the tank water level is low. A lot of these develop different problems that can include making the pump run when it shouldn't. These devices have different names but if you google Davey Rainbank and then google Onga Waterswitch, this will show you what two of the most sold ones look like. Other makes are similar and if you have one, then you should be able to recognise it. Once you confirm or otherwise, I can advise further. 
If it is the pump's pressure switch as Bedford suggests, then you will have to check that your nearest town has an irrigation and/or pump specialist and talk to them. Bedford will also be able to give further advice. A handy friend or neighbour might also be able to assist you remove it. It might be best if you don't try anything yourself but if you do, make sure that you TURN THE POWER OFF and follow good advice. You also have to be careful that repairs don't end up costing more than the pump is worth.  
If the pump is running continuously, then this is not a good thing and it would be best to turn the pump off if you can.  
I always recommend that people have a large (+100 litres) pressure tank fed from the pump. When connected to the toilet, these can reduce pump start ups by 80% or more, saving on energy costs and pump wear and tear. They are available at good prices on eBay and the ROI is approx 3 years. I can explain further if needed.

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## artistry

Thank you so much Danny, i have found the page as you suggested.. I;ll contact the people asap,,,
i do have a Onga Pentair water tank switch   and i have had the switch off for the past month ... as myu electricity was so damn high .. again thank you for your help .. this is a great site and I;m sure everyone appreciates any help they can get for your support... A BIG THANK YOU  :Biggrin:

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## Danny

Hi Maria, 
Glad that the problem source has been found. The Onga  Waterswitch is generally reliable (unlike the early Rainbanks) but  something has caused the problem and I think that this needs further  investigation in case the cause of the Waterswitch failure is still  present. I have no time for these type of products and I will also  explain my reasons why and suggest how you can 'upgrade' your system to  something that is more efficient and trouble free; and at less cost! For  the benefit of others, I have linked the Waterswitch.  Onga Waterswitch  
Firstly,  I think that you should ask the mods to rename the thread title and bump it to PLUMBING and then delete the one that was bumped so that  persons who have a similar problem can search for the thread (and  answer) with appropiate key words. 
You probably live in an area  where poorly informed bureaucrats influenced by advice given by biased  industry bodies have mandated the installation of mains water switching devices  with rainwater tanks. Basically they are expensive to buy and are just  something else that can go wrong. These devices attract a government water  saving rebate in some areas  but when they go wrong they are also known to continually divert  mains water into the tank, causing the tank to continually and often  unknowningly overflow; until the next water bill that is! The water  saving label is a joke as the additional expense is a deterrent to  installing a tank whereas the best incentive is to lower total costs. 
Your  situation now is that you are up for the expense of repairs. Obviously I  cannot see your plumbing set up but if you go to the linked web site  and hover on the "Product Information" heading and then go down and  click "Flow Diagram", you will see that the pipework away from the  Waterswitch is a shared line for both tank and mains water. This can  mean that the flow path to the laundry and to the toilets in particular  is an additional pipe...but not always.  
If you look at the  bottom of your toilet cistern (the reservoir above the pan) and see two  water pipes going into the bottom (one at each end), then you have the  original mains infeed pipe and a new pipe connected back to the  Waterswitch (and two cistern valves - with floats- inside the cistern).  If there is only one infeed pipe, then the pipe from the Waterswitch has  been fed into the mains line going to the toilets. Either way, dumping the  Waterswitch and reverting back to manually switching between mains and  tank water is often viable but you will need a plumber. If the tank  water gets low, you will have to manually switch over to mains and it is  easy to monitor - I do it and it is never an issue but you will have to  weigh up the convenience, cost of repairs and the potential for further  problems if you retain the Waterswitch verses the manual requirement  and the plumbing cost of the changes to existing pipework if you decide to ditch  the Waterswitch.  
The Waterswitch is a good unit and usually  trouble free and if repairs are reasonable, I would advise retaining the  status quo but if the repair bill is going to be large or the unit  needs replacing, then I would advise to abandon the product and alter  the plumbing. Pex (reinforced plastic) pipe should always be used with  rainwater as naturally acidic rainwater can react with copper pipe and  if this is already in place, then changes to the pipework should be  quick and easy. 
A few hints about rainwater harvesting set ups. If you again look at the flow diagram, you will notice that it shows an amateurish sub standard installation for the following reasons. 
1.  The water diverted from the downpipe is fed into the tank from the side  opposite to and in the direction of the tank's outlet that feeds the  pump. This is a very common but major mistake as the falling inflowing  water generates impacting vortex rings that cause sediment resuspension  all around the pump's draw valve. This sediment then gets sucked into  the pump which often shortens the pump's life through a condition known  as erosion corrosion. If your tank has this set up, you should consider  installing a baffle or similar above the tank's inlet to redirect the  falling water. 
2. The diagram also shows a garden tap fitted to  the line coming from the Waterswitch. I only mention this as some people  may use such a tap during restrictions in the belief that it is ok to  do so but if the switching device is diverting mains water, then it is  not permitted to do so. Having a manual change over system allows  households to dedicate the tank water to outdoor use when needed but a  switching device will deplete the tank water first, thereby disadvantaging homeowners who save water but who are also keen gardeners. 
3.Of added  interest, the downpipe shown in the diagram is located on the wrong side of the roof  valley and could cause gutter overflows where the water drains from the larger  roof area. Another basic design mistake. 
4. If you go to the home page, you will see a photo that  is displayed with others that appear at short durations that shows a  Waterswitch and pump installed next to a metal slimline tank. If you  look at the bottom of the photo, you will notice that the outlet  connecting to the pump is fitted very close to the bottom of the tank.  This again is a huge mistake as the pump will suck in a lot of sediment.  If you look at your tank and discover that the outlet feeding the pump  is the same, then I strongly recommend that you have another outlet  installed higher up (a minimum 100 mm above the bottom) the next time  the tank is desludged or when it can be emptied. I think that your  problem may be electrical but having sediment sucked through pumps AND  switching devices is not good and was the cause of a lot of the trouble  with the early Rainbanks. 
Sorry for the long post but I hope that this is of further help to you and other thread visitors.

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