Rainwater harvesting systems
How it works
The purpose of the system is to recover rainwater from using it again for certain household utilities (WC, washing machine, irrigation, cleaning, etc.). It is composed of an underground tank, a filtering system and a control unit. The water is collected by gutters and, via a pipe, transferred towards the filter inside the tank.
The filter is located in a tilted position so that the filtered residue is brought towards the drainage pipe. The filter is used to separate the water from the dirt and to direct the water inside of the tank using a pipe (settling terminal) whose end part is turned upwards to avoid creating turbulence and not to remove any stored sediment lying on the bottom of the tank. The water intake occurs at 15 cm under the water level using a flexible pipe with a float inside the tank to take out the purest water.
A control unit composed of an electric box and a built-in pump controls the entire system from inside the home. The control unit also has the task of controlling the inflow of drinking water when the rainwater reserve in the tank is used up.
A natural balance
- Oxygenated environment
- Cool temperature
- No light
These three conditions are necessary for the good functioning of the rainwater collection system. Inside the underground tank, the temperature is kept cool and free from sudden temperature changes. The oxygen present encourages the proliferation of “good” bacteria that mineralise the sediment on the bottom of the tank, keeping the water purer. The absence of light also serves to avoid algae formation, contributing to keeping a natural balance inside the tank.
