# Forum Home Renovation Water Saving Garden Ideas  First Flush Diverter on charged system?

## woodchip

Hi,
Im setting up my 2500L water tank which will connect to garden taps & laundry.
About to connect the inlet & outlet & am wondering about the effectiveness of FF diverter on a charged system that holds hundreds & hundreds of litres by itself, would I still need a FF diverter?
If needed whats a simple FF diverter that would suit this set-up?   
Also I'd rather keep it all in 100mm DWV just for capacity, the overflow will connect with a street gutter outlet, is there a SS mesh screen or something else available in 100mm to prevent vermin from going up pipes into the tank? 
I read in this govt document on installing water tanks http://www.nwc.gov.au/__data/assets/...oknwc_logo.pdf & it mentions about having a "Overflow backflow device like a Reflex Valve", I've never heard of these , is it still needed when connecting to street gutter? 
Thank You
Woody

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## Black Cat

I drink my tank water and don't have a first flush converter - seems a silly waste of money if you are planning on using the water for gardening purposes only. The idea behind them is to get rid of the bird poo (and other accumulations) on your roof before delivering the water to the tank. Most tanks come equipped with mesh over all openings (inlet and outlet), so that should  not be a problem I wouldn't have thought.

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## Skinah

I don't bother with a first flush because I use the charged/wet system as a settling tank to remove the sludge before it goes into the rainwater tank. If you do choose to install FF on charged systems, they need to be installed at each and every downpipe which make your house look ugly and the cost adds up, plus you loose yield if they don't have a manual drain.  
Leaf eaters with 50 degree fine mesh will help remove large bird poo chunks, some leaf eaters have two screens and they actually catch the poo in the smaller one where it sits until it is dissolved and washed inside pipes, by that time the FF has already long since filled and you still get the poo. Some people use a settling tank but I use my charged system for the role of a FF and a settling tank. 
Charged/wet system with a DIY sediment trap is the way to go and you can use this water on the garden as you turn on a tap and the sludge gets blown out with water. You can then keep using the water to fully drain the wet system turning it into a dry one to stop mosquitos breeding if you have no leaf eaters. Some states require leaf eaters. Every few months I take off a I.O from the lowest point on the charged system and a huge water stream rips out the muck and leaves out of the system as all pipes run downhill to this point for cleaning reasons. Make sure you include a way to clean your charged system. 
For overflow the tankvac system is great as it vacuums up the sludge in your tank. Tank Vac 
Another toy is the waterboy floating device to take water from the upper surface of the tank.

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