2 Systems = Rainwater for Fruit Trees

It is always a pleasure for us to go out and educate potential clients. This potential client was delighted to know that the rainwater tanks he had purchased did not have to go right by the barn as he originally thought they would have to.

In our original visit, we proposed the tanks go under the trees. Since they were polyurethane, this does two things. Protects the tanks from the sun and weather, and keeps the water cooler since the tanks set in the shade. It also camouflages the tanks somewhat as well as they blend into the scenery instead of being out in the open.

Below are a few pics of our initial tank placement prior to installation.

 

We put in quite a bit of hard work on both these systems, solving multiple concerns as we worked. The end result was a drier barn arena, water collecting from two separate gutters into two separate tanks, submersible pumps installed in each for on demand water use. We think we did pretty well at surpassing the customer’s requests.

The tank furthest away had the shortest plumbing run but it has all the standard features we include: tank foundation, first flush diverter installed on treated lumber, water level monitor, system cleanout drain, spigot and overflow. The end result of several days of planning, trenching and gluing pvc is below.

The second system had the longer PVC and the deeper trenching because we actually brought the overflow back out into the pasture next to the barn in the same trench. It was fun to design and implement. This system also included all our standards for installation. The end result is shown below:

Within 2 weeks of installation, both tanks were full. Only 2 rainfall events filled these tanks to overflowing. See pics below of water level meters showing full:

 

We can’t begin to explain how rewarding it is to go out and serve people by helping them conserve our most precious resource, water. Bringing their rainwater system dreams to life is a privilege we do not take lightly.

Another 500 Gallons Installed

We always enjoy the privilege our customers allow us by sharing their personal property space with us. We get to go into their yards and land and see what their needs are. We get to bring their ‘rainwater vision’ to life. 

Below are a few before the installation pictures. These were taken 3 weeks prior to the installation. The tanks are made locally in our state of Texas so we are thrilled to be part of keeping Texans working. The tank the customer chose was a light brown which is a custom color (dark green and black are standard colors that are readily in stock) so we had to order and wait for it to be produced. It was well worth the wait as you will see in pictures further down. 

This is one view of the site the customer had in mind as to the optimal location for the tank. We agreed with the location for what the customer will be using this for. They want good water for plants and for his fish tanks. Below is another view of the tank location prior to the installation. 

For this installation, we had to level out the pad location and remove this one small tree to give us enough space for the tank pad we planned. In addition, the customer had a run of gutter put on the front of the house to add to the collection amount they would be able to get for this tank. Based on the roof space we are collecting from, we estimate the customer should get 488 gallons from one inch of rain. So this 500 gallon polyethylene tank should be large enough for 1 inch of rain collection. The overflow is into the flowerbed similar to where it was going prior. Below is one of the pictures of the completed installation. 

So as you can see above, there is a nice rectangular pad around the tank. Gravel base and sand are in the pad under the tank. There is a water level monitor calibrated for empty and full. To the left is the water coming into the tank and the First Flush Diverter. To the right is the overflow. This tank and pad matches very nicely to the existing landscaping and home exterior. We are extremely pleased with the look of this system.

Given the fact that College Station averages 35 inches of rain annually and the estimation that the customer will collect 488 gallons with one inch of rain, this customer should be able to collect 17,080 gallons over the course of the year. This tank will overflow, especially in large rainfall events but at least they have taken the first step in conservation. We can always come back in at a later date and trench to a larger tank. We would replace the existing overflow pipe and run that to a larger tank as the new overflow location and then that tank would also have an overflow. So if this customer decides they want to capture more at some point, adding on is very easily accomplished. 

This is about the largest tank we would put in this location. Any larger would not fit properly in the space allotted, and would look out of place due to the diameter and height required to store the volume of water. 


Stay tuned for more pictures as we keep helping customers conserve water in the Brazos Valley and surrounding areas in Texas!

As always, comments and/or questions are always relevant and welcome. 

RainDrop Harvesting Solutions, LLC
www.RainDropSavers.com