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| Maintenance worries: Rainwater tank repairman Luke Kiernan at work. Picture: Mark Calleja Source: The Sunday Mail (Qld) |
LEAKING and deteriorating tanks, broken pumps, blocked water pipes and a build-up of sludge and mosquito larvae.
This is the emerging picture of southeast Queensland's fixation with rainwater tanks after an explosion in sales led by government rebate schemes.
Almost three years after the peak of the boom, water tank repair companies are facing a rising number of calls from desperate homeowners.
Pumps breaking down and blockages in inlet pipes are some of the most common problems. But more serious failures range from leaks to tanks becoming breeding grounds for mosquitoes after the failure of insect screens.
Early results of a Queensland Institute of Medical Research study has found thousands of tanks across Brisbane could have faults that would enable mosquitoes to breed in them. Four months into the two-year study, early results suggest up to 5 per cent of water tanks could be breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Lead researcher Dr Tim Hurst said: "We are starting to see faulty rainwater tanks appear throughout Brisbane."
The study will survey a total 10,000 water tanks for flaws that would enable mosquitoes to enter, such as damaged or removed insect screens. It was launched to examine whether the surge in water tanks across the southeast could attract the dengue-fever carrying Aedes aegypti mosquito.
Southeast Queensland is estimated to have more than 100,000 rainwater tanks on private properties.
Figures from the Office of Fair Trading reveal faulty or damaged water tanks were the biggest source of complaint for tank owners last year.
Of 56 complaints, 42 were about defective water tanks, usually involving a company refusing to replace a faulty tank.
Complaints included customers with faulty tanks being offered discounts on replacement tanks instead of free as promised under warranty and traders not honouring promises to replace faulty tanks.
Water Tactics manager Luke Kiernan, who specialises in maintaining and cleaning water tanks, said broken pumps were proving the most common problem, followed by blocked or non-existent leaf guards, sludge and grime build-up, missing mosquito screens and blocked inlets.
He is replacing up to 10 water pumps a week but is also being called on to remove layers of sludge, often finding animal remains inside.
"Leaf matter washes down through the gutters, breaks down and gets into the tanks and it sends the water off," Mr Kiernan said.
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