Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Inc.

Rainwater Harvesting System Provides Drinking Water for Sustainable Hawaii Home

Solar electric, solar hot water and now, rainwater harvesting.  This in-the-city, but off-the-grid Hawaiian home provides a glimpse of the not-to-distant future where sustainable technologies, like photovoltaic cells, rainwater collection systems and wind power generators will be the norm for many homes.

These unique narrow tanks are the perfect fit for this small lot.  They can store up to 1,800 gallons of water.  The entire rainwater collection system is built from drinking-water quality components.  Before entering the house, the rainwater is filtered through sediment and carbon filters and sterilized by ultraviolet light.  This simple yet powerful system was designed specifically for this family's needs and will collect, store and distribute enough water to take the home off of the municipal water system.

This system was built by Rainwater Harvesting Systems, Inc. with the help of Geo Force Horizons on Oahu, Hawaii.

Installed for the purpose of providing irrigation water to a growing business, this system takes advantage of 8,000 square feet of collection area and two (2) 10,000 gallon metal tanks.  A drought-tolerant landscape was installed to minimize water demand during the hottest and driest months of the year.  

Collecting rainwater for irrigation makes perfect sense, especially when coupled with a drought-tolerant landscape.  This home in Corinth, TX has taken advantage of the latest technology to turn a potential problem (stormwater runoff) into a valuable resource (rainwater harvesting).  On an annual basis, this system can be expected to collect over 40,000 gallons of water that would otherwise have caused erosion, foundation issues, and standing water problems.

Is it possible for an entire family to live solely on rainwater?

A Texas family's rainwater system has been supplying water for the entire family for over 18 months without ever running dry.  Despite access to a local municipal water system, they have chosen to take advantage of the abundant seasonal rainfall in central Texas to meet their water demand.  Their ~2,500 sq. ft. home sheds 1,500 gallons of water during each inch of rainfall and is collected in a 30,000 gallon holding tank.  The gutters are screened from debris and the system uses several filters before the water gets to the tank to ensure a clean supply.  Once captured, the rainwater is pumped and filtered two more times with sediment and carbon filters before passing by an ultraviolet light sanitation system and being delivered to the house.   An outdoor faucet also supplies water to the garden where fresh vegetables are produced using the square foot gardening method.

Two keys to maintaining an independent water system that supplies the entire home are 1) integrating water conservation and 2) having enough storage capacity to collect water during times of abundance to be used during times of drought.  With adequate rainfall (40 inches is the average in north central Texas), a mid-sized catchment surface and a large enough tank, living solely on rainwater is a reality for more and more families.  Of course, more rainfall, more catchment area and a bigger tank are always nice, but to stay within budget a system should be sized and designed by a professional rainwater firm taking into consideration many factors.