Tag Archives: Seattle

Environment, Rainwater Catchment

Can Seattle Area Residents Opt Out of City Water?

gift-505591_640Saving money and helping the environment are two good reasons why many Seattle residents choose to opt out of city water usage. Whether the application is for potable (drinking) or non potable use, like irrigation, supplementary tanks with even a small amount of storage can help drop water bills by as much as 80%.

Collect 624 gallons of water from 1 inch of rain with only 1,000 sq ft of roof area.

That’s water that you can use for irrigation, toilet flushing, laundry, or even whole house potable (drinking) use. That’s right! 624 gallons. If you have a 1,500 square foot roof area in the Seattle area, this equates to 33,642 gallons of available water. Water that you don’t need to pay for. You can save money on your water, and sewage bill and, over time, pay for your system with that savings. Depending on the application of the captured rainwater, you can supplement your usage through a simple collection system for irrigation or by plumbing in your toilets and laundry facilities. Or, if you choose to have a whole house system designed and installed by a professional, you can eliminate your municipal water usage altogether and have city water as only a back up supply.

Water quality of collected rainwater after filtration and UV disinfection is above that of a municipal water supply, as long as the system is designed, installed and maintained properly. Annual costs of maintenance is much less than your current water bill and is easy to do. Periodic cleaning of your gutters and screening devices along with filter changes a few times a year and replacement of the UV bulb once a year is all there is to it.

A decentralized private water system eliminates the possible threats to your drinking water from environmental concerns, water advisories, price increases, additives such as chlorine and fluorides and possible rationing, such as in California. You are in control of the quality of your water and its use.

Not a new concept, in the past few years, rainwater collection has become wildly popular as a safe source of water for households and businesses in Washington State. As with any industry, know your pro. An ARCSA accredited professional and ARCSA’s NW Regional Representative, RainBank’s Ken Blair has been designing and installing systems for 15 years. The team at RainBank is bolstered by an on staff engineer and plumber. When planning your system, consider RainBank Rainwater Systems to be your one-stop choice for design, water tank and component sales, installation and consultation.

This article was originally published under the title Rainwater Harvesting Lets Seattle Area Residents Opt Out of City Water at RainBank.info

Rainwater Catchment, Residential Rainwater Collection

Seattle Solution: Buried Water Tanks

Buried water storage tanks 3RainBank Rainwater Systems designed and installed a potable rainwater collection system for a remodel in Seattle City limits. The customer wanted to supplement city water usage with “as much storage as possible”, but had very limited space and aesthetics were a main concern. The solution came with two 5,000 gallon buried water tanks in the middle of a very small backyard.

Buried tanksAlways appreciating a challenge, RainBank dug right in with its awesome excavator, Shane, who managed to export over 120 square yards of soil off site, set the dead men anchors, and nestle the two fiberglass tanks in place with the touch of a feather. The buried tanks were strapped to the dead men (anchoring) and connected together with a 4″ crossover valve. He then backfilled 80% with 5/8″ drain rock while Chad, RainBank’s engineer, took careful deflection readings to be sure the fiberglass tanks were not being distorted during the process.

20150720_145650-2Our plumber, Tracy did a great job of use of space on this project. Using 4’x 20′ canisters with sediment, carbon, and 1 micron sediment for cyst removal, followed by a class “A” UV, the filtration train provides potable whole house demand. The system was designed to be easily maintained so the homeowner can be his own purveyor of clean, safe, reliable water. With the amount of collection area, annual rainfall and frequency, this two person occupancy should be able to meet 100% of its household use, but also have city water as a backup, just in case.

Many thanks to our customer for sending us this email note. “A big thank you to you for giving us our water system.  We are enjoying our “free” water immensely.”

Infrastructure, Residential Rainwater Collection

Rainwater Has Many Uses For Seattle Residents

Seattle-Rain

Seattle residents enjoy the advantage of being able to collect rainwater for both non potable and potable use.

A single family residence can supplement city water for whole house use with rainwater. Rainwater collection has many benefits to the home owner – whether intended for irrigation or household use. Toilet flushing, laundry facility, and wash down are non potable uses that can save water consumption and money on monthly bills.

Systems can be easily installed for new construction or retro-fitted for existing homes. According to the American Water Works Association (AWWA) non potable usage accounts for approximately 52% of residential usage. We know that collected rainwater helps supply nutrients to soil and provides naturally soft water for bathing and washing. With proper filtration and disinfection, the collected rainwater can be used for potable demands (sinks, showers, and drinking water), which account for the other 48% demand.

An average 2,000 square foot roof in Seattle will see over 44,000 gallons of roof runoff annually.

This runoff either enters the city’s stormwater system or enters its combined sewer system. The latter can result in intentional release into the Puget Sound when system are overwhelmed. The City of Seattle is mandated by the Federal Government to meet these challenges by requiring onsite infiltration of all new construction.

Seattle Public Utilities, along with King county, have the daunting task of mapping, upgrading and replacing an outdated public stormwater system. This federally required mandate will be lengthy and expensive.

Decentralized systems are the future.

RainBank Rainwater Systems designs and constructs systems for our clients’ specific needs. We calculate amounts available, usage, storage and automate systems to switch from city water to rainwater, depending on the seasons’ rainfall amounts and the desired usage. This technique optimizes roof runoff to demand, reducing stormwater while lowering city water usage. The water quality is superior, it is good for our Puget Sound and waterways, and it will reduce monthly water bills. We live in an area that is ideal for rainwater collection are you taking advantage of that.