Underground rainwater tanks – ways to store water
Rainwater is a wonderful gift of nature for anyone who wants to save drinking water. Rainwater is perfect for collecting and using from industrial plants, as well as households and public facilities. Its use can be a source of large savings and at the same time helps to care for the environment. Find out how to store it using underground tanks.
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Why collect rainwater?
Water is necessary for people to function on a daily basis. It is used not only for drinking, but also for cooking, washing, washing up, cleaning, flushing toilets, and watering plants. It is also often used to cool various systems in machines. Unfortunately, drinking water resources are limited, which is why we hear more and more about the need to save water. It also happens that during hot weather, special regulations regarding its consumption are introduced (e.g. a ban on watering plants in home gardens).
A rainwater collection installation is an ideal way to save drinking water. Rainwater can be easily used for many purposes, such as:
- watering plants,
- washing garden equipment and furniture,
- window cleaning,
- washing cars, agricultural machines,
- flushing toilets,
- cleaning of terraces, facades, etc.
In industrial plants, it can also be used to cool machines. Its temperature is close to air temperature, it has a low pH and is soft, which means that it does not cause scale formation. Thanks to these parameters, less detergents can be used for effective washing.
Collecting rainwater is also a way to save quite a lot of money. Only a 120-meter roof surface can obtain up to 180 liters of water during rain lasting several minutes. This is usually enough to water the garden several times, do the laundry or flush the toilet even more than 20 times. It is therefore easy to calculate that installing a rainwater tank can be very profitable.
Rainwater tanks installed at homes or companies are also an expression of concern for ecology and sustainable water management.
Even a small roof can provide a significant amount of rainwater throughout the year, which can be used for watering, cleaning or flushing the toilet. This means significant savings in drinking water, and therefore much lower bills.
Check it out: Rainwater tank 10,15,20, 3, XNUMX mXNUMX
Rainwater tanks – how to collect rainwater?
Rainwater can be collected in several ways. In the cheapest version, it is enough to place any tank near the downpipe and install a gutter that will be responsible for draining water into it.
If you want to collect larger amounts of water or care about the aesthetics of your garden, an underground rainwater tank will be a better choice. These types of structures are much larger - they usually accommodate from 2 to even several dozen thousand. liters of water, while the capacity of the above-ground ones is only hundreds of liters. They are much more functional and do not disturb the landscape. They are distinguished by solid workmanship that guarantees tightness. Underground tanks can be connected directly to the building's installation, which increases the convenience of using rainwater, e.g. for washing or flushing toilets.
Underground rainwater tank – where to start?
Underground rainwater tanks are quite complicated to install, and the entire project requires considerable financial outlays. However, they allow you to achieve large everyday savings, virtually without any effort.
First, you need to choose the right rainwater tank. Its capacity should be adapted to the roof surface and the average amount of rainfall. In Poland it is approximately 600 mm per year, but it varies greatly depending on the region. Therefore, please check the data for your area.
The surface area of your roof is the main factor that determines how much rainwater you can collect. Therefore, the rainwater tank must have a capacity adapted to it. It should be taken into account that water will be used systematically. Therefore, there is no need for the water storage tank to have a capacity equal to the annual "harvest" from the roof.
It is often assumed that for every 25 m2 roof area should be 1 mXNUMX3 tank volume. However, in areas with higher annual rainfall this may not be enough.
Rainwater storage – what else do you need?
To use the rainwater tank conveniently, it must be equipped with additional accessories.
Aboveground tanks are most often supplemented with a tap, which makes it easier, for example, to fill a watering can or a bucket. They can also be equipped with a cover - then you need the so-called a collector that will supply water to the tank.
The cover is also a very important element of the underground tank - it must be tight and very solid. It is possible to install a cover with increased resistance to heavy loads. This means it is possible to install a rainwater tank, e.g. under the driveway.
In fact, it is mandatory to use a filter that will capture primarily the largest pollutants (e.g. leaves and other organic particles). Basket filters are often installed in underground tanks, which perfectly fulfill their purpose in this area.
If an underground rainwater tank is installed at a great depth, a rising pipe will be necessary to prevent groundwater from entering the tank.
Most often, rainwater tanks are purchased in sets with all the necessary elements. The cost of their purchase and installation may be up to several thousand zlotys (in the case of a small home installation), but remember that storing rainwater allows you to significantly reduce your water bills - even by half! Appropriate selection of all installation elements and their correct installation will allow you to enjoy significant savings and convenience of use.