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Rain Director® Smart Header Tank Rainwater System gets WRAS Approval

The UK's only rain management system to have UK Water Suppliers' approval 

The Rain Director introduced in October 2008 has proved itself to be one of the most innovative and successful products in the rainwater harvesting market.  Its status as a reliable rainwater management system was confirmed by the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS) who gave their approval in December 2009 after 6 months of testing.  The Rain Director is the only overall rainwater management system - rather than just constituent parts - to have this approval.

WRAS enforces the requirements of the water boards across the country. Owners and occupiers of premises and anyone who installs plumbing systems or water fittings have the legal duty to ensure that the systems satisfy the Water Fittings Regulations. These regulations have the force of law (see note to editors below) so it is an offence not to comply with them.

Concerns over pump energy consumption, lack of water during power cuts, pump noise, and unsightly or bulky control panels led to the creation of the Rain Director® with its smart header tank. Instead of the pump in the underground tank feeding the appliances directly, it pumps into a holding header tank which in turn gravity feeds appliances.  In this way, the pump only works when the header tank is completely empty rather than every time, for example, a WC is flushed. There are now 2 versions, one using even less energy, and a solar-powered model will be launched at Ecobuild March 2010 which will reduce power consumption to virtually nothing. 

The Rain Director®  features:

• Energy efficiency: all water used before it's refilled, reducing power consumption up to 10 times less than normal pump systems which refill every time water is used.
• Fail-safe water supply: during power cuts water flow will still operate via gravity and then switch automatically to mains water backup if needed.
• Reduced noise: pump remains in rain water tank so, unlike normal Rain Managers, there is no pump noise in the house.
• Streamlined control panel: functionality at your finger tips with a discreet control panel.
• Intelligent sensors: auto-flush function detects when occupant is away from home (e.g. on holiday) and empties header tank to avoid rainwater discolouring.
•  Low cost: price is lower than that other mini header-tank systems like the Rain Manager.
• Easy set-up: on first fitting, Rain Director® set-up mode lets the control unit memorize size and flow rate of mains and rain water inflow.

“The Rain Director® is the application of hi-tech to an eco product, at low cost; providing environment benefits with minimal hassle.” said Marcus Bicknell, Marketing and Technical Partner at RainWaterHarvesting.co.uk. “The Rain Director shows our continued commitment to lowering the barriers to storage and re-use of rain water in the UK.” 

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