Monitoring the water level in your tank is essential during the summer months, but lifting the heavy cover can be tiresome.
Building renovations or the ‘landing’ may also make it difficult to see the water clearly.
But there is a convenient solution to these problems, and one to make sure you never run out of water again, according to architectural technologist Harrison Isaac.
Mr Isaac offers a tank inspection and water report service through his company, Bermuda Rainwater Management Solutions (BRMS).
He also sells devices to help island residents conserve water and maintain a healthy supply.
BRMS is the exclusive distributor of the Aquatel ‘Wireless’ Water Level Indicator in Bermuda.
This fluid level indicator, produced in New Zealand, can be attached to a marine-grade stainless steel bracket on the roof or slab of your tank.
It then sends down an ultrasonic signal which bounces off the water and wirelessly transmits the level to an LCD display unit in your house.
The Aquatel indicator can monitor up to six tanks and so is also useful for buildings with a cluster of tanks.
The D110 model indicator usually sells for $498 but Mr Isaac is offering island residents a ‘Pre-Drought Season Special’ deal of $398.
He said: “In addition to running out of water, if you don’t monitor the water level in your tank you can burn your pump out.
“If it is still running it can overheat, and this can then lead to PVC pipes melting, causing problems throughout the system.
Tank tops
“You will then have the cost of replacing the pump and parts, and hiring a plumber.
“Also, you don’t want to let your water level get so low that you’re sucking up the dirty water, sludge and sediment in the bottom.
“But in some homes the tank top is very heavy to lift. In Bermuda our tops have to be too heavy for a child to lift, but at some houses, people are unable to lift them.
“Or they may be seniors of physically-challenged in some way.”
He added: “In about 40 per cent of homes you won’t be able to see the water level because of a landing, or the tank top has moved due to house renovations.
“The Aquatel ‘Wireless’ Water Level Indicator provides a safe alternative for individuals who have to check the water level in their tanks on a regular basis.
“After a 20-minute installation of the tank sender unit, you can check your water level with the push of one button on the display unit situated in the convenience of your home.”
Mr Isaac said with summer approaching, now was an ideal time to have the indicator installed.
“If you run out of water it could take days for a water truck delivery, particularly during July and August.
“This March was the driest on record, with only 0.79 inches of rainfall recorded. The trend of dry weather has continued this month with 1.81 inches of rain.”
The average rainfall per year in Bermuda is 55.5 inches, averaging 4.63 inches a month.
Mr Isaac said: “Bermuda has recorded 8.61 inches of rain this year — less than half of the average for the period.
“Water trucking services have already stated their concerns for the coming months as the dry period progresses.”
Mr Isaac also offers a professional tank cleaning service and water reports. He and three subcontracted consultants can be hired to undertake a visual inspection for leaks and debris, and to see whether the tank needs cleaning.
“In the past two-and-a-half years I’ve examined 2,000 tanks, including tanks in the public school system, commercial establishments and tourist accommodations,” he said.
“I have found the calcified bones of dead birds, leaves and branches which have fallen through the ‘pineapple’ into the gutter.
“We also find oleander leaves, which are poisonous. I sometimes say to people, ‘you wouldn’t give an oleander leaf to a child to chew on, but you allow it to fall into your tank’.
“I have even found the calcified remains of a dog at one house.
“Construction concrete can also become airborne and fall on top of your roof. It then gets washed down, along with debris from plants and trees. This ends up as sediment.
“People need to regularly monitor the sediment levels in their tank.
“The tail of a bird can also hang over the gutter so excrement can get washed down and then decay.
“By law tanks should be cleaned every five years but you should really be examining your tank twice a year.”
The BRMS examination also includes the roof. Costs average $120 an hour, according to the property.
This includes a ‘Water Report’ with photographs and water testing for E. coli and other bacteria.
BRMS also sells the WISY Floating Suction Filter and the WATTS Reverse Osmosis Kwik-Change IV RO System.
For more information contact BRMS at 295-8473 or e-mail info@mybrms.com. Website www.mybrms.com