Recycling Rainwater

There is a cost to every drop of water we use today, so why are we not being smarter with our use of it? Historically, water was always ‘free’ and it was easy to dismiss the rain falling on our property and just use the good stuff out of the tap.

Nowadays, we spend hundreds of dollars a year using water from the mains when we could save much of this by installing water tanks and recycling 'free' rainwater. 

Things to consider

Cost: There is obviously an upfront cost to this, and the more uses you want it for, and how unobtrusive you want it to be will affect this.

Location: You can have an above ground tank sitting on your property, perhaps with some nice plantings around it, or you could go to the cost of burying a tank.

Maintenance: You need to regularly clean gutters, roof, tank inlets and filters. You should also check the pipework and inside the tank.

Outdoor

Decide whether you want to collect rainwater for outdoor use only, ie:

• garden hose to water your section 
• topping up spas and swimming pools 
• washing vehicles 
  

For outdoor use, you may only need a barrel or a small tank, which is easy to install. You can learn how to do it from workshops organised by environment trusts. Simple barrels start at 200 litres.

Indoor

If you want to use rainwater for indoor use as well, (washing machines and toilets), you will need a larger tank, extra plumbing, a backflow prevention device, cover the cost of applying for consents, and hook it up to your power supply. 

As a guide:

• most domestic-use tanks are 3000 to 5000 litres
• self-sufficiency tanks should be at least 20,000 to 25,000 litres.

Note: Rainwater is generally not advised for drinking-water connections such as in kitchens and bathrooms

The great thing is that you can set up a system to suit your budget and let the savings start to flow. 

Have a chat with us about rainwater options to save you money in the long term.