Harvesting rainwater / grey water

GetWithIt · 17-04-2012 9:38pm #1

Somewhat surprised it's never (as far as I can see) been asked before, but has anyone ever had a grey water system installed? Using rainwater for their toilets, gardens, etc.

I've seen the Rain Harvesting Ireland site. Their quotations page isn't live, requiring you to print off a document and send it off to them.

I assume there are plumbers out there who've done this on an ad hoc basis. If so, what are - broadly - the costs involved?

Joey the lips · 18-04-2012 12:07am

I am going to sticky this for the moment. Lets hope its the start of generating an interest. Obviously no spam.

Billy Bunting · 18-04-2012 12:37am

If the initial talk is correct then we're all looking at no more that €100 per yr in water charges, as converting existing would be considrably more i don't see a benefit, new build maybe.

paddy147 · 18-04-2012 9:39am

Billy Bunting wrote: »

If the initial talk is correct then we're all looking at no more that €100 per yr in water charges, as converting existing would be considrably more i don't see a benefit, new build maybe.

...and looks whats happening with the propperty tax.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Theres only 1 way that the water metering prices will be going and thats UPwards.:mad::mad:

Edit-Now that it will be Bord Gais in charge of "Irish Water"...then you can bet your ass that the prices will shoot up year on year with bullshyte excuses as to why the price increases are needed and justified.:rolleyes::mad:

Technoprisoner · 18-04-2012 8:25pm

funny this thread has come up as ive been looking into it over the last week or so.. i was wondering how you seperate the drinking water system from your toilet/shower ect

Black Bloc · 19-04-2012 11:58am

We collect rainwater in italy for agricultural purposes. The system is very straightforward. Rainwater off roofs is directed into a central reservoir - below ground and sealed except for inspection cover. A regulator is programmed to pump to various zones, blending well water and rainwater when necessary. Main problem we have had is with the reservoir pump. Dirt, leaves, dust off the roofs is washed down into the reservoir. It use a tre-phase electricity supply (all our pumps are on tre-phase). I don't know if that is available for domestic setups.

Mcorriga · 20-04-2012 10:44am

I am planning a new build and have got a few quotes on rain water harvesting...

the cost of such a system for just the pump and tank comes in at about 3500 to 4000 for a 6500 liter tank....This is not including the extra internal plumbing work you will need to do to fit such a system!!

this to me sounds very excessive and you will take far too long to payback...

As the orginal poster says i am wondering are there any plumbers out there that has installed such a system ad-hoc and how much would it roughly cost??

Go2Guy · 20-04-2012 2:03pm

I've been thinking of this for the last few weeks also.
I'm considering making one myself. I have a bungalow. I was thinking of bolting a storage tank to my gable end (just below height of shoots to allow gravity feed), diverting my roof water into it and plumbing it directly into my 2 toilets. I will also have a pipe for gardening, washing cars etc etc coming from it. The excess roof water will just continue on to a soak pit. Some primitive form of filtering (maybe at both/either sides of the tank) will be applied. I'm going the simplest route possible to avoid any need for pumps etc. It's low investment for a medium saving. If it works then I'll consider connecting my washing machine too although this would be awkward on my site.
@OP I'm hoping to put this up for the low hundreds, MAYBE €250 for a very rough estimate.
Any comments, suggestions or berating!?
G

Go2Guy · 20-04-2012 2:06pm

Mcorriga wrote: »

I am planning a new build and have got a few quotes on rain water harvesting...

the cost of such a system for just the pump and tank comes in at about 3500 to 4000 for a 6500 liter tank....This is not including the extra internal plumbing work you will need to do to fit such a system!!

this to me sounds very excessive and you will take far too long to payback...

As the orginal poster says i am wondering are there any plumbers out there that has installed such a system ad-hoc and how much would it roughly cost??

I think this is mad. If you think smaller/simpler and just try to save enough water for toilet flushing and maybe an outside tap and possibly your washing machine, you will invest a lot less but still save a considerably. Just my thoughts, see my previous post for what I am planning myself.
G

paddy147 · 21-04-2012 6:02pm

Big oppertunity missed at the Ideal Home Show today.

Im quite surprised and dissmayed that there wasnt a single company there selling rainwater harvesting products.:(

Thank god that we got in for free and didnt have to pay the 14 euro entrance fee.

Boardnashea · 24-04-2012 1:30pm

A 6500L tank should allow you to use rainwater all year round and should include full filter system. Extra benefit of soft water (in hard water areas)giving extra life to appliances and reduced cost of cleaning agents - for yourself, your dishes, your clothes etc.

I am thinking of putting a couple of 1000L tanks in the shed and diverting the roof water in via a simple filter and then pumping back up to the attic tank to supplement the mains (2 ball cocks in the tank - rainwater over mains so pumps first if available) and a gravity branch going to hens and polytunnel.

Tanks are €60 a piece or so and there's a plumber calling in a few weeks to look at a few small jobs so this is on the list too.

One a small clarification - I always thought grey water was the waste from the sinks/showers/appliances - can be collected for use in the garden - and rainwater is the rainwater?

richiek67 · 30-04-2012 4:10pm

Hi Folks,

Been reading the threads here, interesting. I have a few points here.
1. I cant believe there is no vision by the government and even an initative by developers to design in these things into new houses in the first place. I can appreciate the difficulties existing houses etc would have in tring to incorporate these 'green' ideas but come on, there is NO excuse for new buildings. I know people say its all about the bottom line but to be honest I think these types of houses would sell themselves, rather than the poor standard of housing developers are still throwing up.
2. Would it not be beneficial on the overall burden we all put on the grid and reservoirs with our demand for utilities...

Anyway, I was thinking that there must be a way to fill toilets, at least, to cut down on charges.
Someone on the thread mentioned a figure of 100euro a year for water charges. ARE YOU JOKING....More like 400euro . We may not have to pay for the crummy meters now but by god the gov' will make sure they get the costs out of us...you can bet your life!!!
Tell you one thing, If I have to bring the water into the toilets from rain water collectors, then I will . lol.

If anyone has some good ideas on just servicing the toilets which , if you ask me, use the majority of the water, then let me know,

Cheers

Go2Guy · 30-04-2012 5:09pm

Richie, check out my earlier post on what I intend doing. I don't think it gets any simpler than this. I agree that at least toilets can be flushed with "dirty" rain water without expensive filtering and cleaning systems.

Mcorriga · 30-04-2012 6:12pm

hi Richie,

you make a very good point but with but there is only so much money to go around. I would like to put in a rain water harvester and have got multiple quotes and they are all coming in around 3,4 grand which for me is unaffordable.

As Paddy 147 has stated there does not seem to be an appetiate to fill the void where some one wants to install a simple rain water harvester at a resonable price.

I think Go2 guy has a simple solution but I would rather keep this tank buried in the ground.....

Benster · 04-05-2012 10:33am

I wanted to do this myself last year as well, and went and planned out a system using off the shelf parts just to do the toilets initially. I was near the end of the planning when I found that I would be facing a serious plumbing job to finish it. Our bathrooms each have only 1 cold feed pipe from the tank in the attic, serving toilet, sink and bath. I would have had to run separate pipes to each toilet on two floors for it to work, tearing out walls and all that stuff, so that scuppered it in the end. There was no point in going to all the trouble of outside tanks, extra attic tank, pumps etc but having just one toilet in the whole house plumbed for using it.

There was the possibility of running the new piping outside, but with the winters we've had recently, I wasn't sure how much I could protect them from freezing.

So if you're going to try it, make sure to plan it all from start to finish before you buy a thing.

B.

2 stroke · 06-05-2012 5:13pm

I've fitted a basic system in my own house. My motivation was mainly to keep toilets flushing during water outages, rather than saving €. We always lose water when we lose electricty.
I have 2 waterbutts outside and an extra tank in the attic, I've t'eed in to my bathroom cold after the bath, using 2 lever valves so that I can feed toilet only, or backfeed to cold taps if necessary. I use a 12 volt submersible pump to lift water to the attic through a basic inline water filter. Couple of hundred spent, but I have water butts for car washing/greenhouse anyway. Next step is to connect washing machine. In time I will probably improve the system as toilets are much cleaner looking using rainwater.

Banbh · 02-06-2012 9:03pm

Here in the Third World of County Clare, the water is regularly 'off'. Last week we had sunshine and no water for five days apart for a nightly trickle fill.
I have installed a system similar to Boardnashea's but am now going for the complete replacement as I don't see why I should pay for a service I don't receive.
The rain tank sits on top of the council-supply tank (both 1,000 litre IBC tanks at €50 each. There is a pump on the lower tank which takes the water to the black attic supply tank. When the council or mains supply dries up, I open a tap on the upper rain tank and fill the lower tank. (There's a filter in the connection). There's also a tap on the upper tank for outdoor use - water for garden, hens, pigs, all the usual stuff.
We use this rainwater for everything except kitchen use, which still depends on the main supply to the kitchen tap but with an under-sink filter system it will be possible to use rainwater there as well. The only other problem was in brushing teeth with the rainwater. I leave bottles of kitchen water in the bathroom for that but may put in a little manually-filled camping bottle with a tap.
Houses should be fitted with dual-supply pipes and councils should supply both drinking and other water. At the moment all council supplies are of drinking water quality which means are toilets are being flushed with Ballygowan.

paddy147 · 03-06-2012 11:53am

Pics I took at Bloom 2012 yesterday.

BigGeorge · 04-06-2012 4:48pm

Looking to see what level of treatment is required / recommended to make rainwater suitable to use as DHW, WCs, showers, cold water bathrooms taps , ( but not for drinking water). Getting very mixed messages out there!

Any advice appreciated

Banbh · 04-06-2012 5:29pm

As far as I can work out, there should be three types of water in your house.
1. The kitchen cold tap for drinking, cooking.
2. Hygiene water, that is, water for showers etc.
3. Untreated water for toilets, washing machines and outdoor use.

In Ireland we have one supply of finest quality water which is used for all three purposes

If you want to use rainwater for 3. then you don't have to treat it
If you want to use rainwater for 2, you would need to filter it and most people - certainly anybody in the business - will tell you that you need to purify it as well.
If you want to use rainwater for 3, you would definitely have to purify it.

I use rainwater for 3 and when the mains supply is off, I use it for 2 as well.
So far nobody in the house has had any ill effects, though I should point out that when I'm pumping rainwater through the bathrooms, I put a jug of kitchen tap water in the bathroom for brushing teeth.

It's worth remembering that the cases of - forgot the name of that bug - something sporidium, all came through the council's mains.

In the past, we used rainwater from rusty barrels, concrete tanks etc and we probably had a resistance to whatever impurities were in the water but nowadays, nothing but the finest Ballygowan is considered safe for washing your hair.

But to answer your question: You can filter rainwater for bathroom use with a 20 micron filter followed by a 5 micron filter followed by an ultra-violet light (there are kits available which neatly incorporate the three). If you see in the paper that a family with a rainwater system were poisoned by their shower, then I was wrong. Good luck.

BigGeorge · 04-06-2012 6:31pm

Great response, thank you.

if there was an additional level of purification beyond UV what would that be? ie would an RO or micron level ceramic cartridge doulton type filter be up to the job?looking for an economic option of course but dont want the family poisoned

Banbh · 04-06-2012 9:49pm

I think the answer is yes but I don't know for sure. In the dozens of websites I've searched they seem to go either reverse osmosis (RO) or ultra violet. Of course UV is pretty near perfect if the water has been filtered down to less than 5 microns first. It seems that the bacteria can be screened from the killing UV rays if they are screened behind particles.

It's amazing the different standards depending on what country you're in. I found an Australian one where they recommended dealing with a dead possum in the water tank by scooping the bits out.

Here's a link to guidelines in Texas which I found very helpful:
http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/publications/reports/RainwaterHarvestingManual_3rdedition.pdf

paddym3 · 08-06-2012 8:40am

just my two cents i am going putting in copper flashing in my house with intention of rain water harvesting later. dont really want to much lead in water if there a system ever developed to use water as domestic use also dont want too much lead residue if washing my cars or watering my plabtn

Banbh · 08-06-2012 10:18am

Wise move. I have lead flashing and was thinking of painting it with that black tarry stuff which is sold for painting the inside of concrete water tanks. If that wears off, I was thinking of a fibreglass coating.

paddym3 · 25-06-2012 11:40pm

Banbh wrote: »

Wise move. I have lead flashing and was thinking of painting it with that black tarry stuff which is sold for painting the inside of concrete water tanks. If that wears off, I was thinking of a fibreglass coating.

it would be bit akward but not too hard to lay cooper over the lead and guarantee a long lasting product rather the fiber glass or the like

Banbh · 26-06-2012 8:25am

I was also thinking of putting a barrier in the gutter and a separate downpipe to isolate the water running down the lead vallley and only taking the water running down the tiles. It would reduce the area of roof where I can collect rain but I don't think that is ever going to be a problem here.

paddym3 · 26-06-2012 10:56am

how many valleys have you? you couls bond the copper to them and still have roof sealed

K.Flyer · 26-06-2012 11:43am

BigGeorge wrote: »

Great response, thank you.

if there was an additional level of purification beyond UV what would that be? ie would an RO or micron level ceramic cartridge doulton type filter be up to the job?looking for an economic option of course but dont want the family poisoned

There are many different filtration systems available. But first you need to know what you have in the water that needs filtering.
If you live in /near Dublin you can take a sample for testing to Grand Canal St and they will tell you what you need.

Regarding harvesting for toilets etc, consider using a new 1000 l fuel tank with a pump, plumbing in costs will all depend on wc locations. With some float switches and a couple of motorised valves you can have a fairly cost effective system that will auto revert to your attic tank if needs be. Or cheaper again is tank and pump plumbed into wc s and a mains valve keeping it topped up in dry spells.

Banbh · 26-06-2012 1:53pm

Trolling rainwater websites, I have found one Irish company that will filter rainwater to drinking quality: http://www.grantwater.ie/water_treatment_products.html
I know nothing about them but they use reverse osmosis (RO) rather than ultra violet (UV). All others will only do rainwater for toilets.

@Paddy. I have one valley and a barge that have lead fitted. The slates come out over the lead, so it would be near impossible to get at it without stripping the roof.
I also have a big shed with a box-galvanised roof (the factory painted type) and might consider siting the tank there. As the water will need to be pumped to the storage tank, this might be the safest solution and pumping would also allow for installing an RO cleaning system.

I took delivery today of an EPS pump complete with little pressure tank, gauge and pressure switch for €225. I was just about to fit it but discover I need a 1" male fitting that I don't have. Arrrrrgghhh!

tred · 16-08-2012 11:11pm

I have posted this before, in other threads, but just letting you know how water metering works right now in many areas around the country and currently in my home town, and how its going to work when they bring it in. youll pay a standing charge for water consumption each year which gives you an allocation of litres of water for the year. Youll then pay if you go over this based on a price per litre lets say. If you have no leaks, and you dont have a laundry business running off the back of the house, then the allocaton is sufficent. So after firing out your 5 or 6 grand for a rain water harvesting system, and the maintenace that will follow with this for many years, you will still pay the basic charge anyway. so the only way I guess to avoid water charges is to bore a well. But then your hit with maintenance and running costs here as well. So when you say, this cost will go up down the line, its still going to go up for the lad that has pumped in the big investment for the harvesting system. So you cant bring cost into it I think. Ethics and environmetnal concerncs are different, but your not getting rewarded in the pocket for that right now.

Banbh · 17-08-2012 10:02am

So after firing out your 5 or 6 grand for a rain water harvesting system

Mine cost around €300: €60 for an IBC tank and €200 for the pump; hydrodare pipe and fittings would bring it up to less than €300. I did the installation myself.
When water charges come in they will be low the first year and then, like all the other taxes this government is thinking up, they will increase exponentially.
At that stage I may consider going off-line and fit filtering and purification to my system.
I agree that rain-harvesting may not be cost effective for many people but as my council supply is dry for several weeks each year, rain-harvesting gives me a constant supply.

johnjoe 123 · 19-08-2012 1:45pm

Banbh wrote: »

So after firing out your 5 or 6 grand for a rain water harvesting system

Mine cost around €300: €60 for an IBC tank and €200 for the pump; hydrodare pipe and fittings would bring it up to less than €300. I did the installation myself.
When water charges come in they will be low the first year and then, like all the other taxes this government is thinking up, they will increase exponentially.
At that stage I may consider going off-line and fit filtering and purification to my system.
I agree that rain-harvesting may not be cost effective for many people but as my council supply is dry for several weeks each year, rain-harvesting gives me a constant supply.

Hi banbh wats an Ibn tank and what type of pump did u use had you sensors on tank op motorised valve or what

paddy147 · 19-08-2012 1:50pm

3k for a 6000 litre concrete underground system from Shay Murtagh.Thats with UV sterilization and 3 stage filtration system too.

Thats supply and instalation of the concrete tank and system,minus any actual ground works and re-jigging and connection of rainwater downpipes and wavin piping too.

I also have the JFC catalogue here,as I rang them and they both emailed me and sent me a catalogue in the post.

I also have a Kingspan Water catalogue here too,as they also posted one out to me.

JFC and Kingspan use plastic underground tanks,which need a stable base and then you backfill with 300mm of pea shingle in stages.

You also fill the tank with water in 300mm stages too,as you backfill.

Both JFC and Kingspan plastic tanks have a guarentee of 15 years.

paddy147 · 19-08-2012 1:52pm

johnjoe 123 wrote: »

Hi banbh wats an Ibn tank and what type of pump did u use had you sensors on tank op motorised valve or what

This is an IBC tank.

Dtp79 · 07-01-2013 5:08pm

paddy147 wrote: »

This is an IBC tank.

Are those tanks only 60euro?? How many litres does it hold?

arse..biscuits · 07-01-2013 7:12pm

Hi, I just came across this thread today.
I built a large shed last year in the back garden, I got an old 1000 litre tank up on a stand (about 2 foot) beside the shed which all rain water goes into. I built an outhouse beside the tank and the sewerage goes into an existing sewer. I got everything second hand/reclaimed and spent in the region of €50 to do the entire job (not including the shed in that).

So I have a rain water fed toilet (which my wife doesn't use all that often) but I use it a lot and so do my kids. And before you turn your nose up at the idea of an outhouse, it's really enjoyable, it did our grandparents just fine and you don't stink up the house.

Joey the lips · 20-02-2013 9:10am

John Mulligan– 20 February 2013
An Irish company is investing millions to develop a device that collects rainwater and allows homeowners to get around future water charges.

Rainsafe Water, which is owned by Ozone Industries, has raised almost €1.5m in funding from investors including the family which distributes Mira showers in Ireland. The company has now raised just over €3m since it was founded in 2010.
The firm has developed technology that allows households to source all domestic water requirements, including drinking water, from a single system rather than having to use the council's supplies.

About the size of a fridge, the Rainsafe system draws harvested rainwater from a storage tank, where it is then purified using ultraviolet light and ozone gas. It is then distributed throughout the house.
The system can be installed in new homes and retrofitted to existing properties at a cost of between €2,800 and €3,300.

The company reckons it costs just €135 to provide enough water for five people.
The single biggest investor in Ozone Industries has been Modern Plant, the successful engineering company that distributes shower ranges such as Mira and Monsoon in Ireland.

Invested
It has invested a total of €900,000 in Ozone. In the latest funding round it ponied up €250,000.

Brigid Bolger, a retired director of Modern Plant and widow of founder Henry Bolger, left an estate valued at €59m when she died in 2011, according to recently released probate records.

Energy entrepreneur Louis Fitzgerald invested €75,000 personally in the latest funding for Ozone, while the Fitzgerald Family Partnership invested €25,000.

Mr Fitzgerald was one of the original investors in energy firm Airtricity, which was founded by Eddie O'Connor.

Enterprise Ireland has also invested in the latest round for Ozone, coming up with €200,000 to bring its total investment to €450,000.
Dublin businessman Paul O'Grady invested €500,000 in the latest fundraising, his first time taking a punt on the firm.

Mr O'Grady is involved in mobile technology firm Trust5, a cloud-based billing analytics service.
Another significant investor is Denis O'Sullivan, a colleague of Louis Fitzgerald.

He has invested over €100,000 in the latest round.
Contacted by the Irish Independent, director Joe Barrett declined to

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rainharvester-to-save-on-water-charges-29082129.html

BobMcBob · 20-02-2013 6:22pm

Looks like it might be a good option, see it is likely to cost around 3000 euro. Here in galway I might not need any mains water at all.

paddy147 · 20-02-2013 6:51pm

Joey the lips wrote: »

John Mulligan– 20 February 2013
An Irish company is investing millions to develop a device that collects rainwater and allows homeowners to get around future water charges.

Rainsafe Water, which is owned by Ozone Industries, has raised almost €1.5m in funding from investors including the family which distributes Mira showers in Ireland. The company has now raised just over €3m since it was founded in 2010.
The firm has developed technology that allows households to source all domestic water requirements, including drinking water, from a single system rather than having to use the council's supplies.

About the size of a fridge, the Rainsafe system draws harvested rainwater from a storage tank, where it is then purified using ultraviolet light and ozone gas. It is then distributed throughout the house.
The system can be installed in new homes and retrofitted to existing properties at a cost of between €2,800 and €3,300.

The company reckons it costs just €135 to provide enough water for five people.
The single biggest investor in Ozone Industries has been Modern Plant, the successful engineering company that distributes shower ranges such as Mira and Monsoon in Ireland.

Invested
It has invested a total of €900,000 in Ozone. In the latest funding round it ponied up €250,000.

Brigid Bolger, a retired director of Modern Plant and widow of founder Henry Bolger, left an estate valued at €59m when she died in 2011, according to recently released probate records.

Energy entrepreneur Louis Fitzgerald invested €75,000 personally in the latest funding for Ozone, while the Fitzgerald Family Partnership invested €25,000.

Mr Fitzgerald was one of the original investors in energy firm Airtricity, which was founded by Eddie O'Connor.

Enterprise Ireland has also invested in the latest round for Ozone, coming up with €200,000 to bring its total investment to €450,000.
Dublin businessman Paul O'Grady invested €500,000 in the latest fundraising, his first time taking a punt on the firm.

Mr O'Grady is involved in mobile technology firm Trust5, a cloud-based billing analytics service.
Another significant investor is Denis O'Sullivan, a colleague of Louis Fitzgerald.

He has invested over €100,000 in the latest round.
Contacted by the Irish Independent, director Joe Barrett declined to

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/rainharvester-to-save-on-water-charges-29082129.html

Heres their website with video of how the system works.

http://www.rainsafewater.com/

Am I right in thinking that you also need to have a rainwater harvesting allready installed in the garden/garage 1st though??

gifted · 21-02-2013 9:09pm

Can any of ye recommend a good sump pump that would fit through the top of a IBC tank and pump up into an attic of a 2 storey house and go through a filter

Thanks

Banbh · 21-02-2013 10:07pm

After a lot of research I gave up on a sump pump and fitted a pump to the tank tap with a non-return valve.

I got this one from Corrys of Gort (also in Oranmore). This is the web link to the pump: http://epswater.ie/booster-pumps/shallow-well-pumps-pressure-sets-jsw.788.html

The EPS rep was very helpful and put together a package for me including a non-return valve and gauge. I think it cost about €300. Simple to fit and it has been working since last June with no trouble. I used to watch the weather to see when the mains supply would cut out (during sunshine and heavy rain - go figure) but now my IBC tank just fills away on whatever trickle I have (drilled a hole near the top of the tank and fitted a ballcock) and the pump keeps the attic tank filled.

I haven't got around to adding a rainwater supply to my system but will in the summer. I positioned my IBC as low as possible on my site to take advantage of the low pressure supply from the council and this will allow me to put another tank on top of it for rainwater, then I hope to connect the two through some form of filter.

Also, I built a simple wooden shed around the tank as IBC tanks degrade in sunlight. This also made the whole business, including pump and electrical connection, fit in more with the house and garden. I have a timer on my pump - just a socket one that is off between 11pm and 9am - as the person sleeping in the bedroom next to the water shed complains if the thing goes off at night. It is not noisy but the vibrations - it is on a concrete base touching the house - can be annoying.

In fitting the ballcock to the tank, I put in a connection so that I can switch the whole thing off and even remove the IBC tank if ever I needed to.

Hope this is helpful.

gifted · 21-02-2013 11:06pm

Thanks Banbh,

Glad you got sorted, going to be burying my tank in the garden so I'll have to get a sump pump. thanks for taking the time to reply.

Merch · 22-02-2013 1:16am

3 grand! :eek:
How many years water supply can you get for that?
I think for a domestic user, that couldnt be cost effective.

How much water do people expect to drink?

Where people will make the savings is where the most water usage/wastage is surely? (assuming we will be charged in the future at some stage, and that its by usage, otherwise there's not much point in one person conserving water and another running the taps all day)

I tried to find if there was percent info on what uses the most water.
As an example (quick google) I found this, have seen similar before showing what percent water is used where.
http://www.greenvalet.ie/tag/domestic-water-consumption-ireland/

Even going by those percents, if you can capture some of the water used for bathing and reuse that for flushing toilets, thats around the 25% reduction in use, people bathing is a fairly regular thing? so the supply would be consistent, any shorfall could be topped up by rainwater collection. I'd even consider there could be excess water to requirements.
I dont think (but would need to check) it would be necessary to do too much treatment of captured used bathing water to flush waste, maybe some for the actual storage, that even without lower flow facilities (toilets/shower heads/taps), that would seem possible with even basic DIY skills (and maybe some calculations for the pump, wattage and pipe diameter).

I just find it hard to see that such a setup could approach 3k

edit, I didnt even take into account, garden usage, car washing etc

Personally, Id prefer tap it off (bath water) before it drains to ground level for storage, so it has to be pumped a lower height, but that would mean having some kind of collection sump somewhere inside the house, which may not be a good idea if its an item that has to be adapted from something not designed for that purpose.

dathi · 24-02-2013 11:50am

hi paddy looked at your link for rainsafe then went on ebay to price pieces two 10"filters pressure pump uv lamp ozone generator venturi and water tank came to around 500 euro for bits cant see the 3grand in it can you

Banbh · 26-02-2013 2:53pm

My internet research shows that the average person uses 150 litres of water per day.

A family of four = 600 litres a day.
In 30 days that's 18,000 litres.

It doesn't seem like it but we regularly have a month without rain. (The longest absolute drought on record was in Limerick 3rd April to 10th May 1938 = 37 days).

If you are planning on going completely off-line from the council supply, you would need to change your family's water-use habits substantially or get a fairly massive tank. It would be a bit strange if you could only wash the car or water the garden when it's raining.

Does anyone know how the rainwater sales people explain this?

Merch · 26-02-2013 2:56pm

Banbh wrote: »

My internet research shows that the average person uses 150 litres of water per day.

A family of four = 600 litres a day.
In 30 days that's 18,000 litres.

It doesn't seem like it but we regularly have a month without rain. (The longest absolute drought on record was in Limerick 3rd April to 10th May 1938 = 37 days).

If you are planning on going completely off-line from the council supply, you would need to change your family's water-use habits substantially or get a fairly massive tank. It would be a bit strange if you could only wash the car or water the garden when it's raining.

Does anyone know how the rainwater sales people explain this?

Dont do non essential tasks like water the garden or wash the car when its not raining, I dont even do it now, barely. (garden, few watering cans, car not at all)
Id consider washing the car out of a bucket or water the garden out of a bucket of collected water.
Seems wasteful if water is short to do the above tasks with drinking water.

Banbh · 26-02-2013 4:45pm

I'm the same. Haven't washed the car since I bought it. It's 2007 and looks good.
But then, how much water do you reckon you use? Even with best environmental best practice, I can't see how any family could manage on rain water alone without massive tanks.

Merch · 26-02-2013 6:29pm

Banbh wrote: »

I'm the same. Haven't washed the car since I bought it. It's 2007 and looks good.
But then, how much water do you reckon you use? Even with best environmental best practice, I can't see how any family could manage on rain water alone without massive tanks.

Im not sure a family of 4 would actually use the same amount as 4 adults sharing, is 150lts per day for an adult? I dont think children would use the same amount as an adult and where certain activities like cleaning and food preparation are done jointly as a family, then I think the usage will be lower?
I dont know about my own per day litre usage either, I would have to estimate it, Id have thought usage would be nearer 100lts max off the top of my head per adult, half for flushing toilets? and the remainder for washing, cleaning cloths, consumption but I havent tried to calculate it exactly.

Even if enough was collected for flushing toilets, garden use and washing the car, assuming water is being paid for by usage then that could be a significant saving on demand.

If each adult uses 350lts a week for flushing toilets, then depending on how much can be collected, Lets say 1000lts per week for a family I got a calculation online as to how much area a roof would runoff per mm/inch of rainfall for a given area and if collecting from both sides or even half a moderately sized roof would gather at least that amount per month, it looks like unless you are collecting bathing water or have the capacity to store more in rainy times then you will only be supplementing your needs.

grumpybore · 06-01-2016 8:29pm

Hi

I am toying with the idea of using a rainwater butt to feed the washing machine - Just wondering if anyone has done it. I propose to collect rainwater from the downpipe , and then put a t-piece on the mains feed ( that currently goes to the washing machine) , and have a lever on the t piece to allow us to chose whether to use mains or rainwater ( on the offchance that the waterbutt isnt full enough.

Questions
1. Anyone know the name of the t-piece ( diverter valve ?)
2. Can they be got with connections that will fit the washing machine hose( I am in Dublin 9 , so any suppliers recommended would be appreciated)
3. i am guessing I will have to mount the waterbutt so that the tap is at a higher level , or the same level as the current feed - is this right ?

As you may have guessed ,I am not a plumber !!! - so any advice ( even if its "dont do it" will be appreciated.

Cheers

Grumpybore

Calahonda52 · 06-01-2016 8:38pm

u will need a good non return valve on the mains as it is illegal to connect anything else to it that will risk contaminating the network which will happen if the pressure in the butt is higher than the pressure in the rising main

Harvesting rainwater / grey water

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