Rainwater Harvesting

A sensor in your rainwater tank automatically switches to mains water when your rainwater is low and back to rainwater automatically once your tank water is replenished. Technology does the work for you, you won’t know which water you are using, but you will always be using your rainwater first. The greatest water savings are made by supplying appliances like washing machines and toilets, which use large volumes of water all year round. These two items (toilets & washing machines) use around 250 litres per day or half of all the water consumed in the average household.

The planning stage is the ideal time to discuss your rainwater harvesting needs with your builder. This advanced planning will reduce costs by having the pipework, GPO and base for tank in place prior to installation of your rainwater harvesting package. Building Schematics and Specifications are available for your builder on request.

Plumbing a rainwater harvesting system into an existing house can be done. Older homes with the copper piping running along the outside of the walls is reasonably simple but the modern home with pipework running in cavity walls or through the roof area involves a more planning and labour, but can be achieved. West Coast Poly has qualified plumbers that can quote these installations.

Rainwater harvesting systems are increasingly being incorporated in multiple occupancy commercial and public-sector developments such as office buildings, schools and hospitals.

Such buildings frequently have large roof areas which of themselves present storm-water management issues; collecting this roof water for re-use helps to alleviate this problem.

Conversely, buildings with multiple occupancy have a high, and potentially expensive, demand for toilet flushing water; using harvested water rainwater for this purpose therefore makes excellent sense.

Distribution centres, too, with their requirement for fleet vehicle washing are an excellent example of the cost-effective and conservation application of rainwater harvesting.

Any building with a large roof and a high demand for non-potable water can at one and the same time use rainwater harvesting to help solve environmental storm-water management issues and make very substantial savings on the use of mains water.

Schools and educational establishments can efficiently manage their water consumption by installing rainwater harvesting systems, reducing usage from the local mains supply and make a significant contribution to a sustainable future.

West Coast poly offers a range of rainwater harvesting systems and can offer expert advice on system specifications that will ensure the most cost-effective rainwater harvesting system is designed for their project.