Protecting Your Rainwater Tank Supply When Cleaning Roof and Gutters

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Protecting Your Rainwater Tank Supply When Pressure Washing Roof and Gutters

If you have a rainwater tank for household drinking water and it is supplied by runoff from the roof, there are steps you can take to protect the quality of that water. Using a first flush diverter is at the top of the list. This needs to be in place before your roof and gutters are pressure washed.

Using a first flush diverter ensures that debris from your pressure washing efforts on roof and gutters, complete with whichever detergents have been used, do NOT end up in your rainwater tank.

In 2018 the ABC reported that a number of contaminants have been found in Australian rainwater tanks. These include micro-organisms such as E Coli and other bacteria, toxic metals such as lead, chromium, cadmium and others, and droppings from possums, birds and snakes. While some of these can be removed by filtering, others remain. 

Here are some other things you can do to safeguard the quality of your water:

1. Cover the tank securely. This also prevents evaporation. 

2. Use a strong screen filter, eg steel mesh, at the tank's rainwater inlet as well as on the gutters. This keeps out mozzies and other insects as well as debris. Clean this mesh filter each time you finish clearing out the gutters.

3. Keep gutters clean to prevent bird or animal droppings washing into the tank. The ABC researchers recommend cleaning gutters thoroughly every three months.

4. Check your water quality regularly for colour, smell and sediment. 

5. De-sludge the tank annually. Some tanks have a sediment-removal tap at their base. Otherwise use a certified contractor where feasible.

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