General Plumbing Ransome
Licensed plumbing and gas in Ransome, the small bayside pocket of Brisbane between Tingalpa Creek and Lota Creek, including rainwater tanks plumbed into the house and kept safe.
When the tank feeds the house
A rainwater tank that only waters the garden is simple. Once it’s plumbed into the house, supplying toilets, the laundry or hot water, it becomes part of your plumbing system and the rules that come with it.
Some tanks plumbed into a house also have a mains water backup or top-up, so the house keeps running when the tank is low. Brisbane City Council lists an underground rainwater tank with mains backup as one of the places a backflow prevention device is usually fitted, to stop tank water flowing back into the city’s drinking water. If the device is testable, it has to be registered and tested every year.
Urban Utilities also notes that mains-connected water tanks on your property are the owner’s responsibility to install, repair, maintain and replace, just like the rest of the plumbing on your side of the meter.
Keeping tank water safe and the system working
If the tank feeds the hot water system, temperature matters. Queensland Health advises that where roof-harvested rainwater supplies a hot water system, the thermostat should be set at 60°C or higher. It also doesn’t recommend drinking or cooking with water from the hot tap.
Top-up valves can fail quietly. Urban Utilities’ leak checklist suggests checking that a tank’s auto top-up valve is working properly, because one that’s stuck open will draw on the mains continuously and show up on your water bill.
Pumps and pressure vessels are the other weak point. When a tank pump fails on a house supply, toilets and taps on that supply stop. We service rainwater tanks, pumps and their connections, test backflow devices, and check tank-fed hot water systems.
We work under QBCC licence 15504687 and gas licence L90908. Quotes are free and given before work starts.
Frequently asked questions
Can’t see your question? Call us and we’ll talk it through.
Call 0418 871 269Do I need a backflow device on my rainwater tank in Ransome?
If the tank has a mains water backup, it may. Brisbane City Council lists underground rainwater tanks with mains backup among the usual places for one. Testable devices must be registered and tested yearly.
Why is my water bill high when I mostly use tank water?
The mains top-up valve may be stuck open, topping up the tank continuously. Urban Utilities suggests checking the auto top-up valve as part of a leak check.
What temperature should my hot water be on tank water?
Queensland Health says 60°C or higher when rainwater supplies the hot water system.
Who is responsible for a tank connected to the mains?
The property owner. Urban Utilities says owners are responsible for mains-connected water tanks and all plumbing on their side of the meter.
My toilets stopped filling. Is it the tank pump?
If they’re on tank supply, it often is. We check the pump, pressure vessel and switch-over before anything else.
General plumbing in nearby areas
Not listed? We probably still cover your area, so give us a call.
Rainwater tank or plumbing job in Ransome? Call 0418 871 269.
Free quotes, and emergency callouts 24 hours a day.