All posts by Ken Blair

A rainwater collection systems designer and consultant, Ken has designed and installed residential and commercial systems, primarily in the northwest United States for more than 10 years and, in 2014, began consulting and managing builds in other states. Ken is an accredited ARCSA Professional Designer / Installer and Life Member, the Northwest Regional ARCSA representative and advisor to its education committee and is available to speak about Rainwater Collection Systems design and builds. Ken is a United States Navy veteran, having served on active duty during the Vietnam War era. A career entrepreneur, Ken created a new business focus with a commercial dive company in Hawaii in the mid 1980′s to respond to and clean up oil spills, oil spill equipment training, service and maintenance for the oil co-op service industry. Ken is passionate about having a positive impact on the environment and is also a founding director of BANK-ON-RAIN (2011-2014), whose mission is to create grassroots solutions for rainwater collection for consumption and agriculture in developing areas of the planet.
Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Choose Right Type of Storage For Water System

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RainBank Rainwater Systems meets the storage needs of its customers.

Whether you’re looking for a potable, or non-potable system, storage is always a big decision in the design and installation of a rainwater harvesting system. RainBank Rainwater Systems has experience in installations of buried tanks, plastic above ground tanks and steel tanks to meet its customers’ storage needs.

RBRWC917154Buried tanks have less visual impact than that of above ground tanks. Careful planning and engineering is required for this type of installation. Care must be given to surrounding vegetation and tree root systems. Grading and drainage requirements must be met so impact is reduced.

20,000 gal residentialSteel tanks generally can have increased volume and are usually constructed in more of a rural environment. Steel tanks require an engineered slab and must meet seismic requirements. Many find that the industrial look is aesthetically pleasing.

RBRWC917153Plastic tanks (top and right) are the most cost effective and come in many sizes from 50 gallons to 10,000 gallons. Multiple tanks can be manifolded together. While most are guaranteed for UV protection, shading from the sun will increase longevity of the tank.

RBRWC917152Slimline tanks offer a compact install for the urban customer, requiring little area for storage. They can be connected together to increase volume.

RBRWC917151And finally, cement vault storage under the dwelling can be achieved with proper engineering. This type of storage allows a large volume with no visual impact or area used up for the cistern other than below the structure itself. Care must be given structurally, as well as moisture and condensation concerns need to addressed.

With more than 15 years designing and installing rainwater collection systems in Washington, Oregon, and other states, RainBank Rainwater Systems has the experience, knowledge, and engineering to get the job done right the first time.

Potable, Rainwater Catchment

Never Clean a Filter Basket Again

A rainwater system designed with WISY products requires minimal maintenance and never needs replacing. Never clean a filter basket or a tank again. Ever.

floating suctionA 45,000 gallon, cement vault, rainwater collection system will supply a new Seattle residence with potable water. Rainwater is collected from the roof and conveyed to the cistern through two Wisy calming inlets.

While filtration removes most of the sediment and bacteria before rainwater enters the tank, a small amount will settle on the bottom. This biofilm layer is good for the tank, which may remove additional bacteria and metals from the water. The Wisy smoothing inlet calms rainwater as it enters the storage tank, to aid in the prevention of agitation of sediment at the rainwater inlet. The smoothing inlet also helps aerate collected rainwater by directing the water upward and outward, avoiding disruption of the biofilm layer and also maintaining water quality in the tank.

A Wisy floating suction was used on the suction side of the solar powered pump (above) to further screening prior to pressurizing and filtration.

The floating filter should never clog, since the harvested rainwater is filtered before entering the tank. The filter will take water from just below the surface. Water at this depth is of the highest quality in the tank, because any particulate entering the tank will either settle to the bottom, or float on the surface.

Environment, Potable, Residential Rainwater Collection, Sustainability

El Nino Affects Snowpack and Water Supplies

cascades_amo_2015123Forecasts indicate that the El Nino weather pattern is expected to continue bringing wetter, warmer forecasts for the winter, and continued dryer weather for next summer for the west coast. It is expected that we will see the same weather this next year as we did this year. Less snowpack in the Cascades will mean once again a limited amount of water for municipal water supplies. A warmer and wetter winter will fill reservoirs, but Seattle’s experience this year showed that without that snowpack to replenish stored levels, supplies fall short as summer stretches on. Many small water districts in the Pacific Northwest found themselves running extremely low, while Seattle Public Utilities is continuing to ask its customers to scale back usage.

There has been an increase in interest in rainwater collection for single-family residences in Seattle and other areas of Western Washington this summer for potable and non-potable systems. Non-potable systems are being sought primarily for irrigation, but the real increase is in whole house potable demand. As our population in the Seattle area has increased dramatically and drier conditions in the summer are causing higher demands, many are preparing in advance for next summer.

A well-designed and installed rainwater catchment system can provide water to a single-family household year-round or supplement city water use during the summer. A non-potable system can ease the demand on city water by using collected rainwater for irrigation during those dry periods. Many of RainBank’s customers are commenting once again “that this is the right thing to do” – a message that I used to hear often before the recession. Folks want to do the right thing for the environment regardless of a crisis.

We must take population growth and protection of our natural resources seriously. Water is the one thing we cannot do without.