A cluster of rain chains will feed water off of the roof. The cluster of chains works better for high flow situations than a single chain or other ornamental rain chains. The screened collection basin below protects the underground pipes from debris. Once finished, the basins will be enclosed with stone and filled with river rock to become a featured part of the landscape design.
This 20,000 gallon tank will supply the whole house with potable drinking water. Two self-cleaning vortex filters allow only clean water to reach the tank. These filters remove and dispose of any particles larger than 20 microns and are an intelligent way to ensure that the drinking water tank remains free of any foreign objects at all times.
Not only does rainwater collection provide a sustainable source of water, but it also helps to mitigate problems such as stormwater runoff. In the above photo, you can see an incredible amount of erosion caused by a 3″ rainfall event before the rainwater tank was installed. Now that the tank is in place, this will no longer be a major issue. Overflow from the tank has been diffused through a perforated plastic pipe and will not be concentrated in one area.
More to come soon. Next we will be installing all of the components of the tank, such as a floating intake filter, auto top-up device, ozone treatment system and quite a bit more! Stay tuned.
Jeremy
February 12th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Fantastic job Jeremy. From the photos I assume your system will minimize the stormwater runoff into the lake, therefore minimizing damage to the steep slope and contaminants entering the lake. Was this stormwater benefit recognized in the LEED certification? Rgds – Colin
February 14th, 2009 at 8:22 am
Colin,
You are correct- stormwater reduction, erosion prevention, and water quality protection are all important benefits of this system. I added a picture at the end of this story to show what had happened before the tank was installed to collect the rainfall. Jeremy
April 21st, 2009 at 2:42 pm
As of 4/20/09 the tank is full with water. Next we will hook up the ozone treatment and gutter filtration system. The system will be finished, along with the rest of the house in the upcoming months. Please check back for more reports on this project.
June 6th, 2009 at 8:49 am
ok, now figure out how to make it smaller and more affordable. have you seen those tiny water filtration units being used in third world countries? this is kinda like a 1960s caddy when we need a 21st century civic.
June 6th, 2009 at 8:57 am
Smaller and more affordable is the goal of course. Rainwater collection systems can indeed be smaller (1) where there is more rainfall, and (2) in cases where people are willing to reduce their water demand. When coupled with advanced technologies such as atmospheric water harvesting, water recycling, and landscape hydration (rather than irrigation), rainwater collection systems can provide all of a family’s water needs for what ultimately amounts to around 5% of the total home construction cost. Actually, this is a very reasonable price to pay for a sustainable system that collects and stores the most valuable resource on earth.
June 6th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
I’d be particularly interested in making such a rainwater collection system functional when off the grid, i.e., using solar or human power. This would be valuable to me either during an emergency, or if I were to purchase an isolated piece of land far from city services.
Very interesting ideas here!
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:28 am
Colorado has come out of the dark ages and as of July 1st, under certain conditions, will allow collection of rainwater from a residential roof. I plumbed our flat roof for collection and buried an 1800 gallon tank during construction in anticipation of this bills passing. I need to install a filtration system and am interested in the vortex filters you are using.
I would like to use a DC pump powered by a PV panel to move water uphill to a 100-250 gallon storage tank so we can irrigate by gravity feed. Any thoughts on this idea? Good sources for supplies?
Looking forward to getting the system set up…summer rains will start in less than a month.
June 23rd, 2009 at 3:00 pm
A good selection of rainwater products are available online at http://www.therainwaterstore.com
How far uphill is the tank you are proposing to pump to? For each foot of head, you create .433 psi- so in order to get nice steady pressure, you would want the tank at least 60 feet higher than the point of use. For the cost, it may be as efficient to power a energy-efficient A/C pump with a small pressure tank, but I do not know you specific situation- just a thought.
August 29th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.
The collection cistern is some distance from the house and a long ways from the main breaker panel. That’s why I was thinking of a solar pump to get water uphill to a secondary storage pump. I could use an extension cord and fill the secondary tank as needed but would probably be a pain to manage.
I have plenty of slope and gaining 60′ is not a problem.
Thanks for your thoughts. I will do better about checking this site in the future. I will also check out the store. I need to put a filter on the inlet line to the main storage cistern.
Andy
January 11th, 2010 at 7:13 am
There is obviously a lot to know about this. There are some good points here.
I’m Out!
January 31st, 2010 at 11:50 am
Thousands of people get hurt some badly every year cleaning their gutters and by having a good gutter guard will help keep you off the ladder and out of the hospital. Gutter protection is very cost effective compared to the expense having your home waterproofed would be.
February 7th, 2010 at 8:59 am
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