I've gotta admit, sediment filters alone can work surprisingly well, but I'd still be cautious about ditching the diverter altogether. Had a neighbor who went filter-only and seemed fine for months—until we got hit with a nasty storm. Ended up with all sorts of debris and gunk clogging the system, took him ages to clean it out. I'd suggest keeping both in place, at least initially, then maybe experiment by temporarily bypassing the diverter during calmer seasons. See how it goes from there...
"Had a neighbor who went filter-only and seemed fine for months—until we got hit with a nasty storm."
Yeah, that's exactly what I'm worried about. I just set up my rain harvesting system a couple months ago, and while the sediment filter alone has been doing a pretty decent job so far, I wouldn't trust it completely during heavy weather. I mean, filters are great for catching smaller particles, but when you get hit with leaves, twigs, or even bigger debris from a storm, things can get messy real quick.
Personally, I've kept my diverter in place as a backup. It's not that much extra hassle, and it gives me peace of mind knowing there's an extra layer of protection. Maybe down the road I'll experiment with bypassing it temporarily, like you suggested, but for now I'm playing it safe. Cleaning out clogged pipes after a storm doesn't sound like my idea of a good weekend...
"Cleaning out clogged pipes after a storm doesn't sound like my idea of a good weekend..."
Haha, yeah, learned that lesson the hard way myself. Have you thought about adding a leaf guard or mesh screen on top of your gutters? Filters alone won't keep out bigger stuff, especially during storms. I was skeptical at first, but it really cut down on maintenance headaches. Might be worth looking into if you're worried about debris buildup...
Good call on the mesh screens—definitely helps cut down on the gunk. A couple more things to keep in mind from my own setup:
- Make sure your downspouts have a decent angle and aren't too narrow... learned that one after dealing with standing water post-storm.
- Consider adding a first-flush diverter if you're harvesting rainwater. It dumps the initial dirty runoff, so you end up with cleaner water in your storage tank.
- And yeah, cleaning pipes is never fun—especially when you're elbow-deep in soggy leaves. Been there, done that, no thanks.
"Consider adding a first-flush diverter if you're harvesting rainwater. It dumps the initial dirty runoff, so you end up with cleaner water in your storage tank."
Totally agree on this. Installed one last summer and the difference was noticeable right away—way less sediment buildup. Another small tip: if your tank isn't opaque, give it some shade or wrap it up somehow. Sunlight hitting stored water = algae city. Learned that one the hard way...