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Rainwater Catchment

Labor Day Love for the Team


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.RainBank Rainwater Systems would like topay a Labor Day tribute to the contributions and achievements of American worker. It is you who make America strong.

Special thank you to our team, Sonia, Chad, Tracy, Vicki, and Lloyd for yourtalents andcommitment in making RainBank Rainwater Systems the mostexperienced,qualified rainwater collection systems design, construction firm in the Seattle area.

RainBankis anARCSAaccredited designer and installer of rainwater systems and also consults onwater systemsfor both potable, household water use and non-potable for landscaping irrigation, fire protection, toilet flushing, and more.RainBank is also the Northwest region distributorfor Contain Water Tanks, which are backed with a20-year warranty.

Rainwater Catchment

Autumn Rainwater System Maintenance

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Close-up of a spiky, spherical virus particle.The dog days of summer in the Seattle area are nearing an end as the cooler, wetter days of Autumnapproach.

With Fallrapidly approaching, bringing its gift of rainfall to the Pacific Northwest, rainwater collectors need to prepare for our harvest. Your quality of stored rainwater will be greatly enhanced if your system is ready. Gutters and screens should be cleaned of debris and residue, remembering to divert that water during this part of maintenance of your rainwater collection system. Keep an eye on those gutters during the windy times to be sure that they stay free of accumulation of leaves and needles.

Please remember to be safe with the use of ladders. The goal here is to send the cleanest water we can into our cisterns. You don’t want to send that yuck into your storage; it can decay quickly, causeodor and discoloration of your stored water. While carbon filters will help in the removal of odor, it is not as effective in eliminating discoloration (tannins). It is always a good idea at this time of year, to flush your downspout to storage conveyance lines. If you have clean outs installed, remove them and flush out any accumulation of sediment and/ or debris. If not, a garden hose flushing at each downspout to conveyance line is a good spot to conduct this simple task.

Roof with damaged and deteriorating shingles.

If your system has a sump tank and screen basket, give it the once over. A shop vac with the filter element removed makes this job easy by removing the sediment from the bottom of the sump. A teaspoon of bleach, mixed with about 10 gallons of water for a final rinse will help remove bacteria that may have accumulated during the summer months. Lift your float switch up inside the sump to activate your pump to be sure it is operational. You don’t want to find out that you missed out on collection because of a faulty pump or switch.

Water filtration system with multiple blue filters and a large pressure tank in a utility room.Autumnis also a good time to change your filters and your UV bulb. Most UV bulb manufacturers recommend that the bulb be changed once per year. They do have a life expectancy and begin to lose their intensity, which may result in improper disinfection. Your filters may have sat during vacation without circulation and could have allowed “festering” of the particulate that they have absorbed. Or, because of summer fun, you have not thought about changing them when needed – so it is time. I always shock my system this time of year. With filters removed but UV lamp turned on, add a couple of tablespoons of bleach into the first canister. Replace the canisters without the filters. Open each faucet until you smell a little bleach then close the faucet immediately. Repeat with all faucets in the household. Let the bleach water sit in the plumbing for about half an hour. Then, open all faucets and let run to flush the bleach out of the lines. Replace the filter elements and you’re done.

Good maintenance of your rainwater collection system will ensure the best quality of water available.

Environment, Rainwater Catchment

Environmental Benefits to Rainwater Harvesting

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Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.Whether it is a small rain barrel garden system or the largest commercial irrigation system, there are many environmental benefits torainwater harvesting.

Here in the Pacific Northwest we have a climate that sustains and nurtures our forests, lakes, rivers, and lifestyles. Often we grumble a little about the long dreary rainy days of autumn and winter, dreaming of summer months of enjoyment and recreation that our beautiful state offers. It is the rain that feeds our mountains with snow, keeps our rivers and lakes full, our forests green, our air clean, and our water supplies replenished. We are fortunate to live where the climatic conditions offer a seemingly never ending supply. and never give it much thought. Water from oceans, lakes, rivers turn into water vapor during evaporation, then condensate into droplets that form clouds. As the clouds become heavy they lose theirwater through rain or snow and the cycle starts over again. Protecting the cycle of water with sustainable, environmental practices and conservation will help ensure our water supplies for future generations.

What if we interrupted that cycle for a moment? Borrow that water briefly? Then, return it to the natural cycle without a lot of energy. Rainwater harvesting does just that by on site collection, storage and use returning it through infiltration. Rainwater harvesting:

CONSERVES WATER : 50 – 70 %household use is used for landscaping. It does not need to be treated to drinking water standards.

CONSERVES ENERGY: Rainwater collection bypasses a centralized system, conserving energy.

PREVENTS FLOODING & EROSION: Less stormwater to manage bydiverting it to storage, then usage.

DECREASES WATERCONTAMINATION: Limiting runoff which pick upcontaminants as surface water.

REPLENISHESAQUIFERS: Washington State Ecology determined that in stream flow rates and Aquifers benefitted from rainwater collection and infiltration.

Otherbenefits include lowermonthly water bills, provides naturally soft water, use of less detergents and soaps. If properly filtered and disinfected, rainwater can be used for whole house demands including drinking water, free of chlorine and other additives used inmunicipalwater supplies. Rainwater collection can be a practicalanswer tostorm water and drainage codes, allowing formitigation of the roof area as animpervious surface.

So when it rains here in Seattle, look at it as a gift – a gift that we can pay forward bycommon sense stewardship of this life sustaining resource.