I'm considering DIY Rainwater Harvesting.. Where Do I Start?

The first question to ask is - have you space to bury a tank or not?

If you do have room for a hole, the stored rainwater will keep fresher for longer. If not - the choice is an above ground tank - they don't like a long deep freeze or protracted direct sunshine but a bigger tank is better than a water butt.

Having decided whether to store above ground or below ground - the next question is..  how big should the tank be? Either measured by water capacity (like 6500 litres) or by the physical tank size and shape (we can help here).

Then there are some decisions to make about the system you need and what you want to use the rainwater for. For example, you can choose the height of the tank, especially if it has to go underground, because you can get some very flat tanks now that need minimal excavation.

So...

You will need to filter the rainwater off your roof. The filter can go in the tank or on the downpipe or if there are trees near by, maybe use both.

And you will need to pump the rainwater from the tank to get it to where you need it. You can choose a pump or we can suggest one.

What do you want to do with the rainwater? Irrigate the garden or flush a loo or wash clothes or all of these?

For loo flushing, you may want to top up your tank in case of a drought so your loo will still flush (known as Mains Back-up).

Or you may want to mechanise and control the whole process - which is not as complicated as it sounds, especially on a new build.

You will need some regulation pipes, connectors and some labels - but they can be part of a kit.

So how to navigate around this website? Although there are hundreds of pages,  they are not all needed at this point if you just want to know roughly how much it all costs and what's involved.

It may help to try the following links first.

Above Ground  vs.  Below Ground

Get the Tank Size Calculator (for an idea how big your tank should be) and use the figures to hone in on a tank size.

Come back to us with the figures (or just guess for now) and have a look at some systems (system kits are useful because we put the bits together in the kit with lots of installation information).

Above Ground Systems - Just for Gardens   or   Below Ground Systems - Just for Gardens

Above Ground Systems - Use in the Home    or   Below Ground Systems - Use in the Home

Below Ground Systems - Gravity Feed for the Home (these systems have a header tank in the roof and deliver constant pressure)

Above Ground Systems - Direct Feed for the Home   or   Below Ground Systems - Direct Feed for the Home

You can use the links in the left hand panel to look at individual products - tanks, pumps and filters and it is always worth looking at our special offers.

You can always call on 01733 405111 or use our contact form or the shorter product enquiry form below.