Jacaranda gunk in water tanks.

[JDarvall]

Is that how you spell jacaranda ? If not, I mean those big trees that bloom purple flowers.

I've got a water tank and one of these trees, whose branches cross over the top of one side of the house; filling up the gutters with all sorts of brown crap.

Its causing a problem all of a sudden. The water thats coming out of the tank is a little murky....drinkable,,,,but the look of it puts you off. Which is a worry because one of the reasons for having the tank is to have cleaner drinking water. And I'm thinking the problem must be this jacaranda crap in the gutters. I clear the gutters often, but the stuff drops too quickly, so there's always something in them.
And I have one of those 1st flush pipes coming down too.

Is there a solution ? or do I have to just put up with it. The water won't go to waste. We use it on the garden. I don't want to cut the tree down.

I vaguely remember hearing someone saying these trees definetly polute ?
Has anybody had any success with water filters ?
Do gutter guard systems work, or won't it matter anyway, noxious crap will still reach tank ?

Anybody else have a similar problem ?
Any thoughts ?

Thanks

[Termite]

Recommend axe or chainsaw. I'm led to believe that backverandah turns well. :D

[craigb]

Recommend axe or chainsaw. I'm led to believe that backverandah turns well. :D

I believe that it's a favorite with the turners also :D

Seriously, prune it or chop it down. It sounds like it was inappropriately planted.

Craig (who used to have one of tha bastards overhanging his swimming pool. Bloody things shed four times a year :( )

[silentC]

Put gutter guard or leaf guard rainheads on your gutters and put a first flush doovie between the downpipe and the tank.

[Coldamus]

The discolouration is probably just tannin from the leaves and flowers. I doubt whether a filter would remove it. Gutter guards stop the gutter from getting clogged but I don't think they would eliminate the problem.

Look at it this way - it is probably less harmful than the smoke drifting over from Nimbin.

regards, Coldamus

[silentC]

That's the idea of the first flush thingo. It lets the first few litres off the roof go, so anything that's been percolating up there is washed away and doesn't go in the tank. The rainheads are a good idea because the leaves are washed down the gutters and they just fall out onto the ground. I reckon a combo of all three and you'll have no problems.

[JDarvall]

Look at it this way - it is probably less harmful than the smoke drifting over from Nimbin.

yeh,,,,, North westerlys usually mean -> dry and grassfires.....
Southerlys usually mean -> cooler weather, storms

,,full moons or North Easterlys mean - > car accidents, fist fights
down centre street, raving drunks, general paranoia etc....
stuff like that

Strangle little town, Kyogle is. Cross between the rednecks of Casino, and the trumpet players of Nimbon. :rolleyes:

Thanks for the replys.....sort of hoping for some easy fix method. Bit nieve of me I suppose.

- I have a first flush, SilentC. Only a couple metres long though. Spose it could be longer.
- I'm not sure I understand those rainhead things you described. The problem usually is that the leaves don't get out of the gutters.
- I have that gutterguard stuff as well. But what tends to happen is because the trees twigs/leaves are so small they tend to get through the holes a little and sort of sit there.....in damp piles, just festering. Dripping away into the gutters and into my tank.

Thanks for the advice , but I'm thinking what termite saids the go. Chop it down....... :( ...I'm no tree huger (I'm no redneck either !) its just it screens us from the joint next door, and its really the only sizeable tree left on the property.

[womble]

the problem with pruning jacarandas is that the new growth looks pretty ugly, tends to be vertical branches that don't match the rest of the tree. But having crap in your water is worse :)

[echnidna]

wonder why its causing problems all of a sudden.
maybe a prune job would be good 'nuff

[savage]

"If not, I mean those big trees that bloom purple flowers."

G'Day All,
could it be a Coral Tree?...We had one in a place we rented for a while and I spent all of the time raking leaves or raking flowers (large purple ones), I'm only a novice woodie and by no means a gardener (if it suvives the wipper snipper and the mower, it was meant to be there), just curious as it sounds the same or similar??....:confused:
savage.:)

[doug1]

you might like to look at this site re water harvesting

I use some of their gutter heads and a built first flush device

Doug

http://www.rainharvesting.com.au/products/print_leaf_beater_rain_heads.htm