Basic Rainwater Harvesting System

A basic rainwater harvesting system consists of a buffer tank that is filled with rainwater collected from roof structures and a pump that can supply water to a garden irrigation system at a maintained pressure. This water can also be filtered and treated as "potable" (drinking) water if implemented with other filtration systems as depicted elsewhere on this website.

Water is collected from any suitable roof structure through the gutter channel system. The "First Flush" system screens out the dust and debris that was collected on the roof before the rain. Water is then collected in a buffer tank through gravity feeding pipelines. Excess overflow is directed away from the tank. An automatic pressure switch turns the pump on and off when taps are opened or closed, maintaining constant pressure in the irrigation pipework.

A sediment strainer will remove solid particles to prevent clogging of irrigation nozzles.