Throughout the Somerset area including Kilcoy, Woodford, Wamuran & Delaney’s Creek there has been below average rainfall so far this year, the occasional intense downfall in short periods of frames. In 2020 there were dry periods with monthly rainfall only being 33mm, and wetter months with 141mm falling. This fluctuation in rainfall is often unpredictable, hence why it is extremely important to make the most of the rain when it’s here, ready to access this harvested water in the drier months. Water harvesting allows you to collect a free and natural resource relatively easily.
Here are the TOP 3 ways of How to make the most of the rain are;
- Installation of rainwater tanks
- Well maintained guttering
- Well positioned downpipes
1 | Installation of rainwater tanks
It might seem obvious but so many factors can affect the amount of water you can harvest. This includes the quality and design of your; roof, gutters, tank size and even how your water tank has been plumbed in. This then all flows onto the money you can save on your water bill.
When a rainwater tank is installed by a licensed plumber and is well maintained, your savings on mains water can be substantial. In a quality improvement research paper by Unity water, it was found that Rainwater tanks in residential areas can save 50L per person per day which equates to roughly 34% of mains water usage.
Money saving is a well-documented benefit of rainwater tanks, but another consideration is also your properties’ access to mains water. Without this access to the mains water in some of the more rural areas surrounding Wamuran, Kilcoy and Somerset, rain harvesting becomes crucial to supplying the household’s water. In these areas, making the most heavy rainfall is vital.
The shape, size and materials that rainwater tanks can be made of are endless. They can also be custom made to fit any location. Whether you’re looking for a large round rainwater tank for long-term water storage or simply a small, slimline water tank to keep the grass green in those hot, dry months – there is always a solution.
We install rainwater tanks every week throughout the Somerset and Moreton Bay regions, and the demand is forever increasing. Here’s some pictures of a few we have installed over the past couple of months. As you can see there are few tanks that are the exact same. Positioning, base foundation, drainage pipes, pumps, plumbing in, filter systems, size & shape can be customised to fit your needs. Keep an eye out for another blog post coming up where we investigate all these options more in-depth and the implications they can have.
Head on over to our Facebook page to keep up to date on new Rainwater tank installations we have recently completed.
Rainwater tank installation at Morayfield
Rainwater tank installation at Gregor’s Creek
2 | Well maintained guttering
Removing an actual plant from shed guttering & downpipes
Out of sight and out of mind until there is a problem
Gutters are one of the first things to get missed off the annual house maintenance list. Having dirty and non-maintained gutters may be causing more damage than you realise. It’s only when the big storms come rolling in over Kilcoy and into Woodford, do you notice your gutters overflowing or your downpipes struggling to keep up with the volume of water. Having the tank is great, but if that precious water is overflowing or remaining stagnant in your gutters, no number of water tanks are going to matter. You’re basically throwing away free water!
In that same quality improvement research paper by Unity Water, it was also found that poorly maintained roofs and gutter systems were one of the biggest contributors to poor water quality! In particular, this article mentioned the colonisation of the E.Coli bacterial strain. An alarming 71% of tanks within the Southeast QLD did not meet the Australian drinking water guidelines. Regular roof & gutter maintenance as well as pruning overhanging tree branches was identified as one of the most effective ways in improving water quality.
Gutter guards and mesh gutter products, in tandem with regular gutter cleaning and maintenance, offer a simple solution to preventing animal entry and leaf blockages. These blockages allow for areas of stagnant water to accumulate and microbial breeding grounds to flourish. A website such as Leaf stopper is a great place to start your research, offering plenty of information on the right gutting protection product to suit your property’s needs.
Leaf stopper installed in Wamuran
Cleaning & installation of leaf stopper to prevent reoccurrence in Wamuran
3 | Well positioned downpipes
The trifecta of making the most of the rain, is ensuring your downpipes are well positioned. Downpipes serve as the middleman in connecting your gutters to the tanks which ultimately stores all of this precious water.
Downpipes are easily overlooked, however like anything, if the middleman is not doing their job properly then systems further down the line (in this case the tank) is unable to perform its job effectively either.
One of the biggest problems we see is too much space between downpipes. Things to look out for to see your ‘middleman’ is underperforming, including the overflowing of your guttering. Also, take note of the connection point to the downpipe or look at the amount of water coming out of the downpipe into your tank (mismatch of in vs out).
This problem can be easily solved by installing a few more downpipes. You will immediately see the benefits once that next storm rolls in over your home in Somerset, Kilcoy or Woodford.
Extra downpipe (circled in black) added Woodford
Extra downpipe (circled in black) added Sunshine Coast
Rainwater tanks, guttering and downpipes are all best left up to the professionals. With so many variables to consider, it is best to get it done right the first time and make the most of the rain from day one.
Want to Enjoy Making the Most of the Rain?
Now that you understand the Top 3 ways to best collect and store the rain, now’s the time to take action. Inspect your existing water tank for leaks or plan where to put a new tank, check to see if your gutters are full of debris or are in poor condition, inspect your downpipes for overflowing or any discrepancy in what ends up in your tank.
If these 3 steps are not on your to do list, let us take care of them all for you!
With 12 years experience, we know what to look for and how to best guide you to making the most of the rain today.
CLICK HERE to get in contact with us to arrange a free property inspection and quote.
Also, don’t forget, we also offer all general plumbing and gasfitting services, and we are always…
