Tag Archives: Seattle

Late Pollen Season in Seattle

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.

Seattle Stormwater and Drainage Code Compliance

roof gutter rainRainwater collection has become an integral part of Seattle’s construction projects, starting with design and architecture, to be in compliance with the new 2016 stormwater and drainage codes.  Collection and beneficial use can be key components toward compliance with these codes, which is especially important at the architectural design stage.

 Infiltration typically uses a detention system, which regulates and controls storm water runoff by slowing the rate of discharge to reduce impacts downstream, or a retention system, which stores stormwater runoff indefinitely, until it is lost through percolation, evaporation, or uptake by vegetation. Both are typical of rain gardens and small rain barrel systems.

Rainwater collection systems typically collect only roof runoff and conveys it to storage for future beneficial use. This can be for irrigation by combining detention and collection. Some Rainwise Program installations are combining these two in their approach toward best practices of stormwater management. Larger scale rainwater collection systems are typically comprised of corrugated steel water tanks used for irrigation, water closets, and wash down and can be included in the building’s design. 

RainBank Rainwater Systems works closely with owners, architects, engineers, and contractors in the process of design, through installation, to achieve the desired results of both efficiency and aesthetic. RainBank is a full service rainwater collection systems contracting company offering designs, permitting and construction throughout Washington State and Oregon. 

New codes and permitting can be complex and sometimes frustrating, especially when the rules change. We remove the guesswork of all requirements of city, county, and state agencies and new codes. All designs are custom engineered to meet specific design requirements while onsite management and installations are by ARCSA accredited installers and licensed plumbers. We only specify and install the most reliable, effective components and warranty our craftsmanship. 

RainBank Rainwater Systems is the right choice when it comes to Rainwater collection for design, components, and installations. Contact us for more information:

How to Save Money with Seattle Area Rainfall

needle-rainWhat could you have done with last weekend’s Seattle area rainfall of around 2.5″?

If your house has 2,000 sq. ft. of roof, you could have collected about 3,000 gallons of water. That could flush toilets for a four person household for 100 days or do over 100 loads of laundry. You could supply both demands in this household for a entire year with as little as 4,000 gallons of storage with our average annual rainfall. The average demand for both of these fixtures is 48% of your household usage. That’s 48% of your water not needed to be distributed through a centralized water system. That’s 48% of you water bill, which is expected to increase consistent with demands, repairs of infrastructure, and availability. 

Rainwater collection can be part of your requirements of the new 2016 stormwater code. Our modal above mitigates over 65% of its roof runoff. With larger storage and other use, as much as 100% mitigation can be met. On site infiltration or rain gardens can also augment the drainage plan along with rainwater collection.

RainBank Rainwater Systems is a full service Design / Build, Rainwater Collection Contractor with more than 15 years in the industry.  We are an American Rainwater Catchment Systems Association (ARCSA) lifetime member and are ARCSA  Accredited Professionals. We offer sustainable, scaled deigns, realistic solutions, and quality construction, using only the best suited and tested components on the market. We work closely with our customers and their architects, engineers, and general contractors to achieve the desired end results. Our team has an in house engineer and licensed plumber in order to keep things simple during design and construction, we also take care of the permitting for you. 

Contact RainBank Rainwater Systems, we would be pleased to talk with you about your project.