Direct Feed or Gravity Feed

Choosing How Your Rainwater System Supplies Your Home

One of the first decisions you’ll make when choosing a rainwater harvesting system is how you want the water to be supplied around your home. This choice determines the type of system that will work best for your property.

If you only plan to use rainwater in the garden, you don’t need to worry about this section. However, if you’ve never considered using rainwater inside the home, it’s worth reading on.

There are two main types of rainwater harvesting systems: Direct Feed and Gravity Feed. The sections below explain how each one works and when it is the right choice.

As a simple starting point, if your property does not have loft space — for example, if you have a flat roof or the loft is already converted — then a Direct Feed System will be your only suitable option.

How Our Direct Feed Rainwater Harvesting System Works

Our Direct Feed Rainwater Harvesting System is designed for homeowners who want to collect, filter, and store rainwater in an underground tank for both domestic use and garden irrigation. This allows you to make the most of free rainwater and reduce your reliance on mains water.

Rainwater is classed as non‑potable, which means it can safely be used for toilets, washing machines, and outdoor taps. When combined, these uses typically account for around 50% of a home’s total water consumption, giving you the potential to cut your mains water usage in half.

Direct Supply to Your Appliances

Water is pumped straight from the underground tank to each connected appliance. The submersible pump is pressure‑sensitive, so it automatically reacts when water is needed. For example, when a toilet is flushed, the pump detects the drop in pressure, activates, fills the cistern, and then switches itself off again.

Automatic Mains Water Backup

If the rainwater tank runs dry during long periods of low rainfall, the system includes a reliable mains water backup — the Rain Backup in a Box®.

A level sensor inside the tank monitors the water level. When the tank becomes too low, the control unit opens a solenoid valve and allows approximately 200 litres of mains water to enter the tank. This ensures your toilets, washing machine, and other connected appliances continue to function normally.

The mains backup is designed to supply only the amount of water needed to keep your home running during dry periods, while still prioritising the use of harvested rainwater whenever it is available.

How Our Gravity Feed Rainwater Harvesting System Works

Our low‑energy Gravity Feed Rainwater Harvesting System suits most homes with enough loft space for a small header tank. It delivers high efficiency, quiet operation, and long‑term reliability.

The system pumps rainwater from the underground tank, through a control unit, and into a Smart Header Tank in the loft. From there, gravity feeds water to your toilets and washing machine.

Why the Rain Director® Improves Efficiency

Traditional systems activate the pump every time someone flushes a toilet. This can make the pump cycle 15–20 times a day, which increases energy use and wear.

Our Rain Director® works differently. It fills the Smart Header Tank in one go. After that, the pump stays off until the tank is nearly empty. This approach reduces pump cycles to just 1–2 per day and cuts energy use by 6–8 times compared to a standard system. It also extends the pump’s lifespan.

Automatic Mains Water Backup

During dry periods, the system monitors the tank level. If the underground tank runs low, the control unit switches to mains water and feeds the Smart Header Tank directly. Your toilets and washing machine keep working even during low rainfall, pump failure, or a power cut.

Intelligent Features for Everyday Use

The Rain Director® includes several smart modes:

• Mains Water Mode lets you switch the home to mains water so you can save rainwater for the garden during hosepipe bans.
• Holiday Mode automatically refreshes the loft tank every three days to prevent stagnation when you’re away.

Key Benefits of the Gravity Feed System:

• Uses 6–8 times less energy than traditional systems
• Keeps appliances running during low rainfall, pump failure, or power cuts
• NSF Reg4 Approved
• Includes intelligent user modes
• Prevents stagnation and protects water quality
• Reduces pump wear and extends pump life
• Runs silently
• Installs easily with push‑fit plumbing connections