Rainwater Harvesting

The iDUS Garden Conservepump™ system is a smart addition to your rainwater collection system. The Home Conservepump™ uses the water collected in your rainwater cistern to flush your toilet. As up to 30% of your daily residential water use is used to flush toilets, the Home Conservepump™ is both environmentally friendly and economical. And because the Conservepump™ automatically monitors water consumption, it ensures that you will always have enough water for the next flush.

The unit can be mounted on the wall of a utility space, or in warmer climates, on an exterior wall, and is easily integrated into a house’s existing plumbing. Reduce your water bill, and protect the environment.

Information

Greywater, also known as sullage, is non-industrial wastewater generated from domestic processes such as dish washing, laundry and bathing. Greywater comprises 50-80% of residential wastewater. Greywater comprises wastewater generated from all of the house’s sanitation equipment except for the septic tank (water from toilets is blackwater, or sewage). Greywater is distinct from blackwater in the amount and composition of its chemical and biological contaminants (from feces or toxic chemicals). Greywater gets its name from its cloudy appearance and from its status as being neither fresh (white water from groundwater or potable water), nor heavily polluted (blackwater). According to this definition wastewater containing significant food residues or high concentrations of toxic chemicals from household cleaners etc. may be considered “dark grey” or blackwater.

In recent years, concerns over dwindling reserves of groundwater and overloaded or costly sewage treatment plants has generated much interest in the reuse or recycling of greywater, both domestically and for use in commercial irrigation. However, concerns over potential health and environmental risks means that many jurisdictions demand such intensive treatment systems for legal reuse of greywater that in the past the commercial cost is higher than for fresh water. Despite these obstacles, greywater is often reused for irrigation, illegally or not. In drought zones or areas hit by hose pipe bans (irrigation restrictions) greywater can be harvested informally by manual bucketing or installing a greywater recovery system. In the third world, reuse of greywater is often unregulated and is common. At present, the recycling of greywater is poorly understood compared with elimination.

Ideal Uses For Rainwater & Rainwater Facts

Inside and outside the home:

There is no higher quality source of water available to us than rainwater. Unlike water captured in dams which requires an extensive treatment process to ensure a quality fit for human consumption, rainwater that is collected on roofs and stored appropriately represents a sustainable source of water ideal for use inside and outside the home.

By using rainwater for toilet flushing, laundry and garden use alone, it can reduce mains water requirements of a typical household by 70%. If hot water systems are supplied with rain water, this reduction can be as high as 85%!

Half the water we use ends up as waste water!

A typical household uses over 650 litres of water every day. This equates to around 240,000 litres (or 5 average sized swimming pools) each year! Up to half the water supplied to household ends up as waste water.

By reducing the amount of water you use, you reduce running costs and spend less on water, energy and detergent bills, and help sustain our water resources.

The main uses of water at an average home are:

- Flushing toilets (20% or 54,000 litres per year)
- Showers, bathing and the bathroom (20% or 54,000 litres per year)
- Washing clothes (15% or 40,500 litres per year)
- Dishwashing and the kitchen (10% or 27,000 litres per year)
- Watering the garden and other outside uses (35% or 94,500 litres per year)

Other Water Facts

- Water or ice covers about 80% of the world, yet only 1% of the world's water is suitable for human needs, 97% is salt water in the ocean and 2% is ice.
- An average person can survive for nearly two months without food, but less than a week without drinking water.
- The human body loses 3 to 3.5 litres of water in an average day. Exercise and climatic conditions may increase this.
- An average tap flows at a rate of 20 litres per minute, depending on how far it is turned on.

Average amounts of water used in household activities:

- Water or ice covers about 80% of the world, yet only 1% of the world's water is suitable for human needs, 97% is salt water in the ocean and 2% is ice.
- An average person can survive for nearly two months without food, but less than a week without drinking water.
- The human body loses 3 to 3.5 litres of water in an average day. Exercise and climatic conditions may increase this.
- An average tap flows at a rate of 20 litres per minute, depending on how far it is turned on.

Reasons for Using Rainwater

Main benefits of using rainwater

Significant economic, social and environmental benefits can be achieved by using Rainwater Harvesting systems to supply water for some, or possibly all of our requirements and reduce your dependence on City water. Our water supplies are becoming taxed and water restrictions are in place in many communities to reduce our overall water usage and protect our supplies.

There is no better quality water available naturally than rainwater. Some say there are health benefits to using rainwater which is not treated with chemicals like our mains water is.

Rainwater falls for free - once you have installed a rain harvesting system, you use less City water and can reduce your water bills. Governments and Water Boards are installing new meters and increasing water prices as they seek to recover the true costs of providing water to the community - as the cost to supply City water services is becoming more expensive each year. The construction of dams, pipes and treatment plants is huge and ultimately as tax and rate-payers, we foot this cost.

Rainwater Harvesting reduces the damage to our creeks, water habitats and organisms caused by stormwater runoff. Some Governments have introduced legislation mandating new standards of energy and water efficiency ratings that must be incorporated into new dwellings. BARR works with leading manufacturers, who in conjunction with regulatory authorities, has developed a range of patented products that can be used in conjunction with roofing, utters, downpipes and rainwater tanks to provide complete rainwater solutions.