Rainwater harvesting isn’t just a thing from the past anymore, you can see local folks–especially those living in the rural areas–having their own rainwater tanks (which varies from concrete water tanks, steel rainwater tanks, and also various sizes from small to large rainwater tanks). People are also talking about getting one for their place or business too because it is used for catching rainwater from a free source–it literally falls from the sky–and not only that, it also cuts down your monthly expenses significantly, most specifically your monthly water bills.

 

There are a lot of advantages when you have a rainwater tank of your own, it serves as a great alternative in everything that involves the need of water–flushing the toilet, cleaning your bathroom, washing the dishes, cleaning your car and the driveway, and also even for consumption like drinking it, and much much more.

 

This innovative harvesting system was inspired way back from the bronze civilization right up to the Roman Empire, they collect rainwater because it was hard for them to find a decent source for their water–you’d feel frustrated when you’d live in the dry land. There are a lot to consider in harvesting rainwater, and back then, they used vats to collect rainwater. Though nowadays, there are still those who used vats to harvest rainwater but rainwater tanks surfaced and made rainwater harvesting easy and efficient–but what are the components of a rainwater tank and their functions?

A Sneak Peek Through Your Very Own Rainwater Tank1. Catchments 

Any surface that directly receives the rainwater during precipitation and administers the water first hand in the process is what experts call a catchment. Paved area–such as a balcony, a roof deck, a courtyard–and an unpaved area, like an open ground, or your own lawns, can be served as a catchment for the rainwater harvesting.

2. Meshes (Coarse and Fine)

A mesh is a metal screen woven by connected strands of metal, fiber or flexible material. It is a net-like sheet made out of metal, and it is commonly used for screening out unwanted debris into the water storage tank. Filtering the stored rainwater provided from the roof, surface runoffs, or from any other catchments used. Though the rainwater itself is already pure and clean, but sometimes catchments–like the roof, lawns, pavement courtyards–usually administers more than just the rainwater, it often times collects more than it is expected to collects–dirt, leaves, rocks, many more–in the process of catching rainwater. That is why there’s a need for it to filter beforehand.

 

3. Gutters

A pipe or a tube, or anything that can be used to help in channeling the substance from the roof or any sloping surface in catching rainwater towards the conduits of the storage tank. Gutters comes with varieties of shapes–a semi-circular or rectangular–and most locally made gutters are plain galvanized iron sheet. Gutters are often times fixed on the walls of a certain structure.

4. Conduits

These are pipes used for conveying rainwater from the catchment all the way to the storage water tank. These pipes are usually made of galvanized irons or a polyvinyl chloride. This, of course, is a very important component in the whole process of the rainwater storage system, because rainwater is channeled through them and sometimes installations require customized conduits so that it could fit the need of the owner and the setting of which where the rainwater tank is being installed.

5. First Flush Diverters

This certain device flushes away the first spills of rain from ever storing in the rainwater tank
because the water from that spill carries heaping amount of unwanted substances from the air and the surface of the catchment.

6. Filters

Sometimes pollutants can find its way reaching to the storage area, but if your rainwater tank filters very well, and suspends any substances during the process of harvesting then you don’t need to worry about whether or not you can drink rainwater stored in your tank. Charcoal water filter is a great filter to use and it is commonly used by most, but this charcoal isn’t the same as your regular charcoal you use in your barbecue party, this is what they call activated charcoal–it is made through a series of super-heating the charcoal without the presence of oxygen and is heated over 1000F, and in the second time around now with the presence of oxygen and steam to get that porous structure, which is the key factor of why charcoal water filters are so effective.

Charcoal water adsorpts–the opposite of absorption–the water from harmful chemicals such as volatile organic compounds and chlorine, and also strips away the salts and other minerals in the water, making it as pure as possible.

7. Storage Tank

Rainwater tanks are great storage tanks for your the whole process of catching rainwater. It doesn’t only complements the whole rainwater harvesting system but it is also durable and very reliable. Rainwater tanks vary from different sizes and shapes, from small water tanks that could hold at least a thousand litres–and less–up to about 7,500 litres. Large water tanks that could take 10,000 litres up to 50,050 litres of rainwater. And rather odd shapes that could fit through small spaces within your household or building such as the slimline rainwater tanks and the bladder water tanks.

These are usually made out of reinforced cement–for the cement rainwater tanks–masonry, polyethylene, and steel.

Rainwater tanks can be placed anywhere you like, above ground water tank, roof deck water tank, underground rainwater tank and many more, and also some can be fitted into the smallest corners of your house with their odd shapes and sizes.

 

These are usually what your rainwater tank consists of, and every little part does its job well in order for you to have that amazing rainwater harvesting experience. If you don’t know what to do or how to install these water tanks, then a local plumber will be provided for you to do the deed, because here at Rainwater Tanks Direct, we make sure that our customers not only get the best equipment there is, but also the best service handed to them.

Get to Know How Your Rainwater Tank Works | Rainwater Tanks Direct

Explore and get to know, in this article, the different components of the rainwater tank and how each one works during the process of harvesting rainwater.