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, Rainwater Harvesting Education

Simple Steps for Rainwater System Winterization


Snow-covered urban street with tall buildings and tire tracks.With the cold weather upon us, many rainwater systems need to be winterized.

Most whole house use rainwater collection systems are frost protected when installed, due to their use in the winter months. But, if your rainwater system is used for irrigation only, or if you have a simple rain barrel system, winterization is an important maintenance task that should be addressed before the cold weather hits. Broken pipes can lead to draining your cistern empty, or possible damage your pressure pump. Costly repairs or replacement of components can be avoided with little planning.

Be sure your pipes are not exposed to the weather by insulating, or draining. If draining, be sure to leave the valves open afterward. You can temporarily cover pipes with straw or hay if necessary.

Drain the pump of all water – including what is in the expansion tank, leaving thisvalve open, too.

Be sure to inspect your first flush device “dribbler valve” to be sure it is clear of obstructions so it will operate correctly.

Inspect systems to be sure there are no leaks from cisterns and that your gutter system is clean and ready to collect rain for spring and summer use.

Simple steps can be taken to insure your rainwater collection system will be operational for the next season and that you are collecting water during the winter months.

Snowy Street Downtown Seattle courtesy of Ekaune

Residential Rainwater Collection

Cement Cisterns Collect Urban Rainwater

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With limitedspace in urban areas, cement cisterns are being built beneath homesas a rainwater harvesting solution.

A narrow, covered passage with a person lying inside.With the new “Green Storm Water Infrastructure” or GSI mandate, Seattle based RainBank Rainwater Systems is seeing increased interest in rainwater collection. But, with limited space on an urban building lot, the storage of rainwater in above ground tanks is not an option when required to mitigate thousands of gallons of roof runoff.

With many new residential construction projects building on small city lots, there is just not enough room for a rain garden. One way to solvethis issue is with a cement vault, constructed beneaththe house, which stores the captured rain water for potable use.

The average 2,000 square foot roof area will yield over 44,000 gallons of water. However, a cement vault cistern needs special engineering and considerations. Water weighs approximately 8 lbs per gallon and 1 cubic foot equals approximately 8 gallons. Calculations of weight and sheer need to be engineered for Seattle’s seismic zone. Additional ventilation should be considered along with aeration.

Person spraying concrete or plaster on a wall in a construction setting.Cement water tanks are not naturally waterproof; cracks in concrete can resultyears after construction. The use of a liner, whether spray on epoxy, or a poly bag will prevent groundwater from entering the water tank as well as improve water quality.

Residential Rainwater Collection

Rainwater Systems Provide Years of Quality Domestic Use


A row of houses behind a field and trees under a clear sky.A well-designed and soundly constructed rainwater collection system, with scheduled ongoing maintenance, will provide years of quality domestic use.

RainBank Rainwater Systems has been providing safe, clean, reliable water for whole house usage for years. Recently, we went to Lopez Island to provide maintenance and inspections forsystems installed over a decade ago. RainBank was established on Lopez Island, WA, and it now has some of the longest running systems in the state. These systems were designed and constructed to provide whole house, potable water usage.

A row of houses behind a field and trees under a clear sky.San Juan County was the first county in Washington State to allow rainwater collection for potable use, due to salt water intrusion of wells like RainBank president, Ken Blair’s system. Low production and higher levels of fecal coliform or nitrates are other factors that have plagued wells in this area.

RainBank Rainwater Systems has been providing ongoing, scheduled maintenance for many of these customers since their installs, while other, do-it-yourself customers have observed and learned how to maintain their own systems. All of these rainwater systems are still providing a viable source of water for whole house usage.