Rainwater harvesting systems: domestic & industrial

Rainwater harvesting can be divided into 3 general categories: domestic ‘hobby’ rainwater harvesting, sophisticated/integrated domestic rainwater harvesting and rainwater harvesting on an industrial scale.  All involve water tanks or rain barrels but the size and number of the water tanks will vary.

Here are some general observations and tips according to the type and scale of rainwater harvesting contemplated.

Hobby domestic rainwater harvesting

This type of rainwater harvesting is generally a novelty or experiment and not planned very intensively.  A small rain barrel or rainwater tank is connected up to a rudimentary downspout from a roof gutter.  A sieve of some sort is sometimes placed over the entrance hole of the water tank to catch leaves and other debris that may wash down from the gutter.  The rainwater is generally used for supplementing garden or lawn irrigation and not much else.

The small rainwater tanks fill up rapidly and overflow within minutes during a heavy rainfall event.  Hobby rainwater harvesting systems do not usually result in significantly lower water bills.  There is nothing wrong with hobby rainwater harvesting as homeowners usually very quickly realise how much free rainwater they can collect and move on to more sophisticated rainwater systems and bigger or more rain water tanks.  Recommended rain water tanks:  750 litre slimline tanks or vertical water tanks between 1000 litres and 2500 litres.

Integrated domestic rainwater harvesting

These sophisticated rainwater systems are well-planned and professionally installed and usually comprise of much bigger water storage tanks, either above-ground water tanks or underground water tanks.  These rain capture systems can even supplant municipal water supply, depending on the roof area, local rainfall patterns and number/size of water tanks installed.

Usually these systems have an automatic switch-over system – when the rainwater in the tanks is depleted, the system switches back over to municipal water supply.  Rainwater can be used for all domestic purposes but it should be appropriately filtered/purified if it is to be used for drinking water.  These rainwater systems can reduce domestic water bills and even eliminate water bills at certain times of the year.  Recommended rain water tanks: 5000 litre tanks or 10000 litre tanks.

Industrial rainwater harvesting

Businesses can implement rainwater collection systems on an industrial scale if warehouses and factory rooftops can be used.  These are usually ideally rainwater collection surfaces (often corrugated iron) and the large roof surface areas can result in thousands of litres of rainwater being collected and stored in rain water tanks.

Space at these premises is usually not an issue so a number of larger water tanks can be installed along the factory walls.  Another important aspect of implementing rainwater harvesting systems is the company’s reputation and ‘green’ credentials – an important considering in today’s ‘eco-aware’ consumers.  Recommended rain water tanks: 10000 litre tanks, 15000 litre tanks or 20000 litre tanks.

JoJo water tanks are highly recommended and the wide range available in South Africa ensures that there will be the right JoJo water tank for every application.  Click on the links below to view the various JoJo vertical water tanks, JoJo horizontal tanks, JoJo underground water tanks as well as JoJo steel water tank stands and other high quality JoJo Tanks products.