Rainwater Collection Systems

When one thinks of a rainwater collection system, one may think of an old farm cistern or a large barrel nearby the side of an old house, but collecting rainwater isn’t just for farms anymore. This can be a great alternative for supplying your business or home with water or as a supplement to city water! Our Gainesville and Ocala plumbers at Sunshine Plumbing and Gas are able to quickly and efficiently install one of these rain collection systems to your home or business!

Contact Sunshine Plumbing and Gas today to request a free estimate on any of our plumbing services!

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What Does A Rainwater Harvesting System Do?

A rainwater harvesting system is used to collect and store rainwater for human use. These systems can be something simple, such as a bucket underneath your home’s gutters, or something complex, such as a pump system. The rain collected here can be routed into a holding tank then pumped through a treatment system and into your home’s pipes.

Rainwater Harvesting Basics

Before installing a rain collection system, it’s important to check whether rainwater harvesting is legal where you live. Another major factor is the average rainfall for your area. To check this, the U.S. Department of Energy has a helpful rainwater map based on the total available rainfall during frost-free months. Florida is notorious for its heavy rainfalls, so if you would like to install one of these systems, contact us today to see what we can do for your home or business.

Different Types Of Rainwater Harvesting Systems

Several types of rain collection systems are available, both commercial and domestic, to meet your news. When looking for a rain collection system, it is important to take into account, such as your needs and available space. Whether you are building a new home or would like to add a rainwater harvesting system, our Ocala and Gainesville plumbers at Sunshine Plumbing and Gas can install rainwater harvesting systems to supply your whole household with potable water.

Water Butt

A water butt is one of the most basic forms of collecting rainwater. With this system, water is collected via a drain pipe from your home’s gutters and fed into a storage tank called a water butt. This water is often used for garden projects, such as watering plants and rinsing crops. These can be paired with a rainwater filter to improve the quality of the rainwater.

Direct-Pumped

A direct pumped rainwater collection system works best when using rainwater to supplement either well water or grid-connected water. When the water level within the tank reaches a certain level, the pump will stop working. Direct Pumped rainwater harvesting systems take up relatively little space as well.

Indirect Gravity

An indirect gravity rainwater collection system relies on gravity along with a powered pump. The gravity tank is placed at the highest point in the home, where the water is fed directly into the header tank rather than into the main harvesting tank. However, this system has a downside: your home will need a minimum of two storage tanks.

Indirect Pumped

While this system is similar to an indirect gravity system, with an indirect pump system, the internal tank can be at a different level in a building, and it doesn’t rely on gravity. A benefit of this system is not having to feed water from the utility connection to the underground tank, which offers greater flexibility, as booster pumps can be customized to meet your home’s flow and pressure requirements.

Gravity Only

A gravity-only system works just as you’d expect, using gravity without a pump and therefore not using energy. Rainwater is collected from the roof and is fed into a collection tank, but this means that this system will need to be located below the level of your home’s gutters. Nevertheless, this is a very energy-efficient rainwater collection system option.

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