Tag Archives: pollen

Rainwater Catchment

Simple Steps to Reduce Pollen


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.As we near pollen season, there are simple precautionary steps that will help ensure that your stored rainwater remains sweet and desirable. Simple maintenance practices throughout the year are necessary, including keeping your gutters clean of debris, keeping trees trimmed back from collection surfaces, and being vigilant about system cleanliness.

Organic matter such as leaves, pine needles, and pollen can cause tannins or discoloration, along with unpleasant odor, in your stored water. Gutter screens are very effective for larger debris, but pollen will pass through these screens and be conveyed into your stored water without smaller micron pre filtering in place. Screen basket liners will need to be changed as accumulation of pollen fouls the fabric.

RainBank Rainwater Systems has developed a more effective method with less maintenance requirements by removing organics down to 25 microns before conveyance to storage, effectively eliminating the threat of your stored water turning anaerobic. This design feature increases the effectiveness of prescreening while reducing maintenance tasks.

RainBank Rainwater Systems has been designing and installing superior rainwater collection systems for over sixteen years in the Pacific Northwest and is dedicated to the improvement of the industry. Let us design and install a system that will provide years of clean, safe, sustainable water for whole house potable demand.

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Rainwater Catchment

Late Pollen Season in Seattle


Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.Pollen season is late for us in Seattle, but it will happen.

Don’t let the continued cool, damp weather fool you. Spring will come and pollen will come with it. Pollen is very fine – approximately 40 microns and decays quickly, causing odor and tannins or discoloration in your stored water. While not harmful to health, it can be unpleasant. You can choose to divert that spring rain from your storage or conduct simple maintenance tasks.

If you have a screen basket in your collection tank, or sump, a 40 micron insert filter works very well as a first line of defense. These filters are from the dairy industry and are FDA approved food grade.

If your system has a vortex filter, be sure to keep the screen clean by light scrubbing as much as needed, this could be every few days depending on amounts.

Keep gutters clean. If gutter screens are left unchecked, accumulation can restrict flow and cause a slime inside of your gutters. When cleaning gutters, be sure to divert away from your cistern or sump.

A sediment filter can be installed between your collection sump tank and storage. Be sure the micron rating is 40 micron or less for best results. You will more than likely need to change this filter often during the season for best results. Keeping your sump tank clean will help extend the life of the filter.

The idea is to send collected rainfall to your storage as free of pollen as possible.

Rainwater Catchment

Pollen Can Foul Stored Water

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Close-up of a worn, metallic fountain pen nib on a black surface.Spring is in the air. Rain and showers are expected in the Seattle area this week, keeping pollencounts down. However, as spring comes into full bloom, we can anticipate a rise in pollen counts, causing the potential for pollen to foul stored water.

Pollen is anemesis of rainwater collection and needs to be controlled. Without control, pollen can easily foul our stored water. As pollen accumulates in cisterns in the spring and summer months, it starts to decay and along with that decay – odor is the result. Simple techniques should be applied in order to keep our stored water “sweet”.

Gutter screens should be cleaned often, as pollen accumulates on the screens themselves with the rain washing the pollen into the gutters and into the cisterns.

Vortex filters screen should be periodically inspected and cleaned as needed. If you do not have a vortex filter, I highly recommend having one installed.

If you use screen baskets in a sump box or the cistern itself, a layer of cheesecloth will catch the pollen before it enters the tank. The cheesecloth should be inspected frequently and replaced as needed.

Some extra attention to your system during pollen season will keep your stored water clean and odor free.

This article was originally published under the title An Early and Long Pollen Season at RainBank.info