On 9 June we finally had the rainwater harvesting system fully installed. For the time being, the filter is pantyhose leg. The pump sits on the ground, I am going to put a cover on it to prevent any chance that it might get damaged in the rain. In the winter it detaches and comes inside. I need to buy a pressure switch for it and ensure there is water in it before I start it. We did plug it in briefly to see if it works, and it does work well. Of course, I am already thinking of improvements that I can make to this setup. The filter should be improved, and the pipe delivering water from the downspout may need to be redesigned with a better seal.
I don't know if I should I be concerned about leaks from the top of the tank. Teflon tape was not used on the threaded ends of the standpipes where they screw into the top of the tank. I have several options to see if this develops into a problem: (1) Allow the water to remain at the height of the overflow pipe for a few weeks, then dig down and see if the ground is noticeably wetter at the base of the pipes or (2) Once the pipe is full to overflowing, insert a float attached to a string into the overflow pipe, this will allow me to measure the water height. If the float indicates the water level is decreasing more than can be accounted for by evaporation alone, and water is not added or removed from the tank during this time, then there is a leak from the pipes. If there is doubt as to how much evaporation is normal an identical pipe could be placed nearby to which water is added that can function as a control to the experiment. If there is a significant leak, then I will put the Teflon tape on.
In the meantime, let it rain!
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