3 Main Approaches to Using Residential Rainwater

There are three general approaches to utilizing residential rainwater that decrease the use of other water sources, increase groundwater supplies, and greatly decrease stormwater runoff.

1. Infiltrate rainwater into landscape or property for groundwater recharge.
2. Use rainwater inside your home for potable and nonpotable uses.
3. Store rainwater for later dry-month use (or keep indefinitely for fire safety protection).

Harvested rainwater can be safely used for indoor residential purposes such as drinking water, food preparation, toilet flushing, cleaning, clothes washing, and bathing, as long as it has been properly treated and stored.

Because these indoor uses are continuous during the wet months, they are ideal applications for rainwater. Any rainwater used in the home and then reused as graywater doubles its water conservation potential! For indoor use, be sure to refer to the latest studies on possible contaminants, and follow design guidelines for system materials, plumbing design, filtration and disinfection.

Currently, most home RWH distribution systems in California are designed for landscape irrigation use, although we highly recommend utilizing rainwater for in-home uses as well. Given its relative purity, rainwater can be stored almost indefinitely in a dark, sealed water tank. It’s important to determine the amount of water you need for landscape irrigation during dry months. Make a water budget for your landscape and set a goal to use only rainwater and graywater to satisfy your landscaping’s thirst.

Alternatively, it makes an excellent emergency supply (in case of earthquake, well failure, or for fire-fighting).

Source: WhollyH2O.org

It is important to use high quality water tanks or water reservoirs for storing rainwater if it is to be used for potable purposes.  In South Africa, we recommend JoJo Tanks products.  JoJo Vertical & Horizontal Tanks are the first and ONLY tanks in South Africa to be tested and approved as “fit-for-purpose” by CSIR’s Agrément SA (Certificate no 2011/385) and have an FDA-approved, food-grade black interior lining.  Click on the links below to find the right jojo water tank, jojo rainwater tank, jojo tank stand or other JoJo Tanks product according to your needs and budget.

JoJo Tanks South Africa offer a wide range of plastic water tanks and chemical tanks to suit every household, business or agricultural need, including silo tanks and silo tank stands.  See JoJo Tanks VERTICAL TANKS, HORIZONTAL TANKS (transporter tanks), STEEL TANK STANDS and OTHER JOJO PRODUCTS. Also see JoJo Tanks’ NEW 6000 LITRE UNDERGROUND TANKS. Also see our FAQ and WATER TANK PRICES.